By Majd Othman

KUWAIT: As the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine affected prices of products in Kuwait, many consumers changed their shopping habits and started to shop online from apps and websites abroad in order to save money, especially amid regular offers that encourage them to buy. Meanwhile, a Digital Trust Index published by Forbes showed 88 percent of GCC consumers trust online shopping.

Kuwait Times spoke to consumers who shop online and asked them about the reasons they buy online, and if it this helps them save money. Anood Abdulrahman said her main reason to shop online is the diversity of products and better prices, especially cosmetics. "The regular market offers discounts during specific times of the year and on selected items, while online we can buy all what we want at half the price and sometimes lower, not to mention the time saved visiting malls," she said.

Regarding the quality of the products, Anood said: "This is one of the disadvantages of buying online -the quality of products, especially clothes, is a matter of luck; sometimes you receive a high-quality item, while other times you feel like that you paid for things that are not worth it."

Najah Aman pointed out that she started shopping online due to lower prices and nicer products that differ from the local market, stressing she stopped buying from the local market due to the low quality of items which cost three times the price compared to online products.

The Central Bank of Kuwait indicated in a recent report that spending by citizens and residents on online purchases increased by 54 percent, with a value of KD 2.4 billion, as their total spending on websites during the first half of 2022 amounted to around KD 6.9 billion, compared to KD 4.49 billion at the end of the same period in 2021.

Sameh Mohammad said that due to his busy day, online shopping is the best option that helps him save time, in addition to various options of items compared to the local market. He added most consumers buy online influenced by their friends and families, and prices are much cheaper than what the local market offers.

Nada Adel said because of better prices consumers can find online, the amount of spending has increased significantly and led to increased competition in the local market to attract customers and provide them with better prices. "The problem we face in Kuwait is that local shops that have good quality items, such as clothes, increased their prices. This opened the way to shop online from abroad, as producers copy their designs using a lower quality of fabric and attract customers with better prices. This is the main reason that encouraged many people to buy online," she told Kuwait Times. Nada added: "Some customers cannot afford local prices, but they want to catch up with the latest trends, so they use online apps and websites based abroad to save money."