UAE-based online retail store Awok.com reports that over 70 percent of all traffic to their e-commerce site comes from male users. This may not come as a surprise as the ratio of male to female in the UAE is 2:1. It has been publicized in the Middle East region that the number of males purchasing online is increasing and this statistic sits in line with the global trend of male spending compared to their female counterparts. Awok.com reports that 24 percent of all traffic to their website comes from women.

While some might believe that online shopping would appeal most to female shoppers in the region, this is not the case. As has been demonstrated with the high number of shopping malls and the sheer quantity of stores in the UAE, the Dubai Mall alone occupies over 5,400,000 square feet, it is evident that visiting the shops and mall is still a preferred method of shopping for some.

The fact that a quarter of shoppers visiting Awok.com are women may support the notion that shopping remains a major outlet and source of entertainment for females who prefer not to shop online.

“Globally, men are more likely to shop online than women, a trend which has been recognized in the UAE. On Awok.com, the majority of traffic comes from men, who are also bigger spenders than women. Part of our strategy is to make sure that our female shoppers are catered to by adding categories that will be of interest to women,” says Ulugbek Yuldashev, managing director of AWOK.com, in a press statement.

For more information on AWOK, please visit www.awok.com.