Back to School is fueling an 18 percent rise in online orders in the UAE compared to the same period last year, a study showed.
Flowwow, a UAE-based global gifting marketplace, and Admitad, a global performance marketing company, have conducted a joint e-commerce research by analyzing over 1.3 million online orders placed across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) in July, August, and early September of 2024 and 2025.
While gross merchandise value (GMV) grew by 22 percent, the average order value (AOV) climbed from $98 to $115, reflecting rising household spending, inflationary pressures, and high digital adoption.
With Dubai International Airport (DXB) expecting more than 3.6 million travelers during the back-to-school peak from August 13-25, retailers and online marketplaces are preparing for record seasonal spending.
Between 2023 and 2024, online orders in the UAE grew 15 percent year-on-year, with GMV up 23 percent, 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 percent in 2023 to 47 percent 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. Summer mega-sales such as DSS, which drove a 12 percent rise in orders in 2024, are pulling demand forward — but families still make a final ‘term-start’ surge with a value-driven approach.
In the UAE, fashion dominated back-to-school online baskets, accounting for 27 percent of purchases, followed by electronics (18 percent), home and garden (14 percent), car products (10 percent), and toys & hobbies (8 percent). While ‘fashion’ dominated, 1.5 percent 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 percent year-on-year, while GMV increased 154 percent across the Emirates. Artisan flower bouquets were the fastest-growing product category (+145 percent), followed by gift bundles (+137 percent), bakery (+124 percent), and gift hampers (+96 percent).
The platform also recorded a 19 percent increase in average order value compared to last year, as parents increasingly ordered back-to-school 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 percent of orders, followed by confectionary and bakery products (13 percent), edible bouquets of strawberries (6 percent), balloons (3 percent), and indoor plants (2 percent). All were fulfilled by local SMEs — small, independent UAE retailers including flower shops, bakeries, and confectioneries.
“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. “On Flowwow, 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.”
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 percent) and books (+27 percent) led the way, while sportswear (+25 percent), stationery and office supplies (+22 percent), apparel (+16 percent), furniture (+15 percent), and bags and backpacks (+10 percent) all recorded double-digit growth. The most striking shift was seen in online education services, which recorded sales growth of more than 50 percent, underlining parents’ growing interest in digital learning tools alongside traditional school supplies.
Mena: Distinct consumer behaviours across markets
Across the Mena region, electronics (21 percent) and fashion (19 percent) dominated back-to-school orders, followed by home goods (18 percent), car products (8 percent), and beauty and health (6.5 percent).
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 percent) and electronics (21 percent) led seasonal online purchases, supported by home & garden (15 percent), car products (11 percent), and toys & hobbies (5 percent). This underlines how each market approaches Back-to-School differently: some emphasize higher-value purchases, while others focus on volume, affordability, and mobile-first convenience.
“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.”
Looking ahead
With the GCC student population projected to rise from 14 million to 15.5 million by 2029, at a CAGR of 2.1 percent, 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.
