Online sales in the UAE jumped 18 per cent this Back-to-School season, with families spending more per basket, delaying purchases until the last minute, and increasingly shopping via mobile.
With Dubai International Airport (DXB) expecting more than 3.6 million travellers during the Back-to-School (BTS) peak from 13 – 25 August 2025, retailers and online marketplaces are preparing for record seasonal spending.
“The Back-to-School season goes far beyond the realm of big-box retailers – it’s a golden opportunity for small and independent sellers to thrive,” said Slava Bogdan, CEO and Co-founder of Flowwow.
Flowwow, a UAE-based global gifting marketplace, and Admitad, a global performance marketing company, have conducted a joint e-commerce research, by analysing over 1.3 million online orders placed across MENA in July, August, and early September of 2024 and 2025 here are their findings.
Mobile-first, last-minute, bundled orders
The findings show that Back-to-School 2025 (10th of July – 17th of August 2025) is fueling an 18 per cent rise in online orders in the UAE compared to the same period last year, while gross merchandise value (GMV) grew by 22 per cent.
The average order value (AOV) climbed from $98 to $115. The growth reflects rising household spending, inflationary pressures, and strong digital adoption.
Between 2023 and 2024, online orders in the UAE already grew 15 per cent year-on-year, with GMV up 23 per cent, and the average basket size rose from $79 to $96.
At the same time, mobile shopping surged with the share of UAE purchases via smartphones rising from 39 per cent in 2023 to 47 per cent in 2025. This reflects families’ growing mobile-first preferences, as they increasingly rely on apps and social platforms for last-minute buys, while also consolidating their shopping into larger, more efficient bundle orders.
The busiest shopping period was August 26 – September 1, 2024, just before the new school term. With the 2025 term starting on August 25, experts expect the seasonal peak between August 20 and September 1.
“The Back-to-School season has become one of the most powerful retail moments in the MENA retail calendar, second only to mega-events like Black Friday and Ramadan,” said Anna Gidirim, CEO of Admitad. “Our data shows families across the region reshaping their habits — consolidating purchases into larger baskets, shifting more spend to mobile, and balancing value-driven shopping with premium buys.”
While summer mega-sales such as Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) continue to pull demand forward, the sharpest spending surge remains just before term start. With schools reopening on 25 August this year, experts expect the peak between 20 August and 1 September.
Back-to-school 2025 categories
In the UAE, fashion dominated BTS online baskets, accounting for 27 per cent of purchases, followed by electronics (18 per cent), home & garden (14 per cent), car products (10 per cent), and toys & hobbies (8 per cent). While ‘fashion’ dominated, 1.5 per cent of all UAE e-commerce orders fell into the “gifts & flowers” category, showing the emotional side of the season.
On Flowwow’s online gifting platform, back to school gift orders grew 126 per cent year-on-year, while GMV increased 154 per cent across the Emirates. Artisan flower bouquets were the fastest-growing product category (+145 per cent), followed by gift bundles (+137 per cent), bakery (+124 per cent), and gift hampers (+96 per cent).
The platform also recorded a 19 per cent increase in average order value compared to last year, as parents increasingly ordered BTS gifts both for teachers and for their children — helping to mark the transition from holidays to the new academic term more smoothly.
When it came to gifting preferences, flowers accounted for 65 per cent of orders, followed by confectionary and bakery products (13 per cent), edible bouquets of strawberries (6 per cent), balloons (3 per cent), and indoor plants (2 per cent). All were fulfilled by local SMEs — small, independent UAE retailers including flower shops, bakeries, and confectioneries.
“These seasonal peaks enable UAE-based SMEs to boost sales, reach new customers online, and strengthen ties with their communities. For families, it’s not only about convenience and speed, but also about the satisfaction of supporting homegrown businesses,” says Bogdan.
School-related categories surge in UAE
In the UAE, demand for school-related products accelerated sharply between July and August 2024. According to Admitad’s calculations, child goods (+28 per cent) and books (+27 per cent) led the way, while sportswear (+25 per cent), stationery and office supplies (+22 per cent), apparel (+16 per cent), furniture (+15 per cent), and bags and backpacks (+10 per cent) all recorded double-digit growth.
The most striking shift was seen in online education services, which recorded sales growth of more than 50 per cent, underlining parents’ growing interest in digital learning tools alongside traditional school supplies.
MENA: Distinct consumer behaviors across markets
Across the MENA region, electronics (21 per cent) and fashion (19 per cent) dominated Back-to-School orders, followed by home goods (18 per cent), car products (8 per cent), and beauty & health (6.5 per cent).
Spending patterns differed by country.
Kuwait recorded the highest average order value (AOV) at $124, followed by the UAE at $96 and Jordan at $66, while Saudi Arabia ($49) and Qatar ($46) reflected more cost-conscious baskets.
The regional AOV in MENA in general reached $35, showing how shopping behaviors and household priorities vary across the region.
In Saudi Arabia, fashion (24 per cent) and electronics (21 per cent) led seasonal online purchases, supported by home & garden (15 per cent), car products (11 per cent), and toys & hobbies (5 per cent).
This underlines how each market approaches Back-to-School differently: some emphasise higher-value purchases, while others focus on volume, affordability, and mobile-first convenience.
With the GCC student population projected to rise from 14 million to 15.5 million by 2029, at a CAGR of 2.1 per cent, Back-to-School is set to remain one of the region’s most important retail moments. Analysts expect further growth in online education, school-related supplies, online gifting and mobile-driven purchases, as families balance higher costs with long-term investments in learning.
