Nearly half of Middle East shoppers now use AI to decide what to buy, but most are still making up their minds about trusting it, Tabby survey finds
43% of shoppers across Saudi Arabia and UAE now use AI to help make purchase decisions. Only 30% fully trust its recommendations, but the majority who don’t remain open to it, according to new research from Tabby, the leading financial services app.
The findings come from Tabby’s third annual Ultimate Middle East Shopping Survey, based on responses from over 20,000 shoppers across Saudi Arabia and UAE.
The data points to a market in transition. AI adoption is real and growing, particularly among younger shoppers, with 51.8% of 18 to 29 year olds having used AI as part of their shopping experience. But trust is conditional across both markets. Shoppers are most open to AI when it helps them compare options and move faster. They pull back when recommendations feel opaque or when they can’t see the reasoning behind them.
Notably, only 30% say they fully trust AI recommendations, but 43% say they might. That means the majority of shoppers haven’t written AI off. They’re open to being persuaded, and that middle ground is where the next wave of retail competition will be won or lost.
The survey also maps how shoppers discover products, choose where to buy and decide how to pay, and the findings point to a set of shifts that retailers across the region will need to account for.
The store isn’t where decisions start
The survey reinforces a structural shift in how products are found and bought across the region. 77% of product discovery now happens through digital channels, even when the final purchase is made in a physical store. Social media is now the leading driver of product discovery, followed closely by browsing stores online. By the time 68% of your shoppers walk into your physical store, they already know what they want to buy.
Flexible payments are now a baseline expectation
70% of shoppers said they would avoid retailers that do not offer flexible payment options, making payment choice a deciding factor in where customers buy. One in five actively walk away from stores that don’t offer them. The data shows this behaviour cuts across all income levels, from low to super-high.
Hosam Arab, CEO and Co-founder of Tabby, said:
“We wish we were sharing this at an easier moment for the region. Many of the businesses we work with are navigating a difficult period right now, trying to plan with limited visibility. If this research helps even some of them make better decisions in the months ahead, it feels worth sharing.”
