UAE Ramadan 2026: Steady mood, sharper channel choices, and community-led influence

Ramadan in the UAE keeps evolving, and 2026 is showing some clear shifts in how consumers think about spending and shopping. This year, three signals stand out: sentiment remains strong, but budgets are getting more thoughtful; shoppers are becoming more decisive about where they buy, with online-only picking up; and friends and family continue to be the biggest influence on what people end up purchasing.

Together, these shifts point to a Ramadan playbook that is less about broad presence everywhere and more about trust, relevance, and clean execution in the channels and moments that matter.

Mood is steady, but spending is becoming more thoughtful

Even with a changing environment, the underlying Ramadan sentiment remains stable. Consumers continue to look forward to the season, with excitement levels broadly consistent year on year (around 91% excited or very excited in 2026 versus 2025).

What has changed more visibly is the spending posture. The share of consumers who say they plan to spend more has softened to 67.8% (from 76.8% last year), while the share planning to spend less has risen to 10.5% (from 4.6%). In other words, the season still matters, but consumers are becoming more deliberate about where they allocate their budget.

For brands and retailers, this reinforces a simple implication: value has to be clearer, and propositions need to feel worth it. Assortment relevance, meaningful offers, and confidence builders like availability, quality cues, and service reliability matter more when consumers are in “thoughtful spend” mode.

Shoppers are choosing their lane, and online-only is picking up

The channel story is becoming more decisive. Offline-only is broadly stable, while omnichannel is losing share mainly to online-only. In 2025 to 2026, online-only rose from 12.6% to 22.8%, while omnichannel fell from 65.6% to 56.0%. Offline-only remained broadly flat (from 21.8% to 21.1%).

This suggests that more consumers are settling into a preferred mode rather than splitting purchases across online and offline. For brands and retailers, this matters because it changes how you win. It becomes less about being everywhere with the same message, and more about winning in the channel where the consumer is most likely to complete the purchase.

Practically, that means sharper channel-specific execution. Online needs a clear reason to buy now, strong in-stock performance, and reliable fulfilment. Offline needs confidence, discovery, and a frictionless experience. Omnichannel still matters, but the “one-size-fits-all omnichannel shopper” is not growing the way it used to.

Friends and family are the biggest influence, and community matters even more right now

Across segments, one finding remains remarkably consistent: friends and family are the number one driver of purchase decisions. This is not limited to one cohort. It is strong across generations too, with friends and family ranked #1 by Gen Z (77%), Gen Y (67%), and Gen X (79%).

This reinforces a simple point: trust wins. In periods where people lean more on community and support systems, recommendations and shared experiences become even more important. This is where brands can win without being louder. They win by being credible, helpful, and easy to recommend.

Creators and other influence channels still matter, but they tend to be more cohort-specific. Peer influence is the consistent headline, and it works through practical validation: “this is good,” “this is reliable,” “this is worth it.” That makes community-led content, referral-style mechanics, and utility-driven messaging more valuable than generic campaign noise.

Three takeaways stand out. First, sentiment remains strong, but consumers are getting more thoughtful with budgets, so propositions need to be clearer and more credible. Second, channel choices are becoming sharper, with online-only picking up and omnichannel losing share, which calls for more focused execution by channel rather than a uniform approach. Third, influence is increasingly trust-led, with friends and family consistently shaping decisions across generations, making community and recommendation mechanics a core lever for conversion. If you’d like to discuss other GCC markets or discuss Saudi Arabia in more detail, we will be happy to chat