UAE online shopping sites: How do they compare?

With ecommerce burgeoning in the region, Souqalmal.com thought it would be an interesting experiment to buy exactly the same item from three different online shopping sites, Koorabazar.com, Namshi.com and Souq.com, and compare the cost, ease and speed of delivery, return and refund or exchange in the UAE.

The item we bought? A pair of men’s Puma Evopower TT trainers, size 43.

Table 1: The results

* Sold from KooraBazar.com as a retailer on Souq.com

Table 2: Souqalmal.com’s Scores (5 high, 1 low)

** Same cost as bought direct from Koorabazar.com but with additional delivery cost

Comments

• Special mention – Koorabazar.com actually spotted we had ordered the same item directly and via Souq.com and took the time to call and check we really wanted this.
• No site has a full online return service like, say, Amazon.
• Souq.com took four working days just to pick up the item and refund still had not been made at time of going to press, six days (four working days) later.
• Souq.com was the only site to charge for delivery… but is also the only one to give a refund rather than just a voucher for exchange.
• Even with exchange vouchers there were differences – Koorabazar.com took significantly longer than Namshi.com because they checked the returned item before issuing a voucher.
• It’s worth noting, too, that the cost has since significantly dropped on Koorabaaar.com – now down to 174 AED, which changes the game dramatically!

And online shopping elsewhere?

• Registering: Many ecommerce sites still require full registration too but generally sites now only *need* an email address to log in or a social media account to pull your details into a registration page.
• Cash on delivery: Pretty much unheard of, but using credit cards online is standard and very widely accepted in the US, UK, Europe etc.
• Courier v post: To keep costs down/ delivery free, most sites abroad use local postal services – which of course don’t exist in the GCC.  But you always have the option to pay more for next-day or even same-day delivery. Using post is easier too, as you don’t have to be at home in order for many items to be delivered. But as you don’t generally know exactly what time your delivery is arriving, there can often be a very annoying trek to the local post office to pick up your parcel on a weekend. Talking of weekends – Amazon has even introduced Sunday deliveries in the UK.
• Refunds: So much simpler elsewhere! Not getting a full refund is virtually unheard of and the refund generally arrives within the week. If you want to speed things up, you can often get the money credited, e.g. into your Amazon account, if you’re a regular online shopper.

Verdict

If you know exactly what you want and are sure you want it, shop around with different online shopping sites and go by the best price. Otherwise, pay the delivery charge with Souq.com, thereby getting the option of a full refund. But there’s still a little way to go before Middle East online shopping gets as simple as in the West…

Table 3: Full comparison details

* Sold from KooraBazar.com as a retailer on Souq.com

 ** Same cost as bought direct from Koorabazar.com but with additional delivery cost