When a shopper in Dubai asks, “What’s the best smartwatch under Dh 1,000?”, it’s no longer a search engine that answers first. Increasingly, it’s an AI assistant. These large language models (LLMs) do not just list products, they filter, compare, and recommend, changing how people discover, choose, and buy the product. For retailers, that means the battle for visibility is shifting from keywords and ads, which have long been the default go-to, towards putting their trust in algorithms instead.
Across the Middle East, this transformation is unfolding at an extraordinary speed. E-commerce in the UAE alone is forecast to grow at double-digit rates over the next few years, and more than 80 per cent of online transactions now happen on smartphones. Fintech innovation, from digital wallets to the UAE’s new Aani instant-payments platform, has made going to the checkout almost frictionless. With just one tap, a purchase that once took minutes is complete in a matter of seconds.
At the same time, AI is also resetting consumer expectations. Shoppers are now starting to assume that brands will know their preferences, anticipate their needs, and offer seamless experiences across apps, stores, and social platforms. But many businesses still treat AI as a “nice-to-have”, rather than it being rooted in their retail strategies. But in reality, it is fast becoming the foundation of visibility, pricing, and customer loyalty.
So how can companies in the UAE stay ahead of the curve, as algorithms become the new storefronts?
Be Ready for the Machine Shopper
AI assistants rely on structured, trustworthy product data. If your catalogue is missing details, for example, sizes, imagery, availability, or delivery terms, your products may simply not appear in AI-generated recommendations. Think of it as the new form of search optimisation: it is integral to have all of your information readily available. Retailers should standardise their product data and make sure every item page is clearly marked up with accurate information that machines can read. Consistency matters here, the same price, image, and policy across your website, marketplace listing, and social store help algorithms recognise authenticity. This helps to provide front-line visibility.
Master the Mobile Moment
The UAE is one of the most mobile-centric shopping markets on the planet. Consumers browse, compare, and pay within the same small screen. Recent research shows two-thirds of local shoppers made their most recent purchase via smartphone, and a growing share already use biometric authentication for checkout. Winning this audience means removing every possible obstacle: one-click payment, clear delivery timelines, and transparent return options. Retailers integrating Aani can offer instant pay and refund capabilities, while digital wallets and Buy-Now-Pay-Later features appeal to younger consumers.
The more frictionless the journey, the higher the conversion, and the better your ranking with AI assistants that monitor completion rates.
Treat Retail Media as the New Shelf Space
A major shift is also happening inside stores. Retail media, the ads and digital screens within retail environments, are evolving into measurable, AI-driven performance channels. Majid Al Futtaim’s new AI-powered media network at Carrefour, for example, connects in-store audiences to digital campaigns, giving brands real-time visibility on how physical traffic translates into sales. This is a glimpse of where marketing is heading; closed-loop measurement where every impression, digital or physical, can be linked to an outcome. For retailers, this means re-thinking store space as a media asset and planning campaigns around contribution to their profit margins.
Build Trust and Honesty
Despite this, with personalisation comes scrutiny. The UAE’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) has established clear rules around consent and transparency. Shoppers here value convenience, but they expect honesty about how their data is used. Retailers should focus on zero-party data, which zones in on information that customers willingly provide because it improves their experience. Companies can collect their audiences preferences by explaining the benefits of doing so. And it’s important to always give customers the option to talk to a human when AI falls short. Trust will soon be a measurable asset, one that algorithms use to determine which brands deserve to be recommended.
Experiment with Agentic Commerce
This is the era of agentic shopping, which means we are in an age where digital assistants can autonomously compare products, check stock, and even place orders. Gartner recently advised retailers to test these scenarios now. The practical starting point is simple: run prompts through popular AI tools (for example, “the best protein powder for a post-workout”) and note whether your brand appears. If it doesn’t, identify why this is the case. Could it be that there is missing metadata? Or do you have weak reviews? Is there poor availability? Each gap at every step of the way is a lost recommendation. In this context, tools like Pattern’s Geo Scorecard can be a valuable asset for brands, helping them assess their digital presence and identify these critical areas for improvement. Online, it’s important for retailers to publish machine-readable FAQs, warranty details, and delivery policies. They can also create concise landing pages with clear specifications and verified certifications. So, ultimately, retailers are teaching machines to trust their products.
Harness the UAE’s Digital Advantage
There are very few markets that offer such supportive infrastructure. The UAE aims to double the digital economy’s contribution to GDP by 2031. Logistics capacity is expanding fast, and Amazon’s new fulfilment centre in Abu Dhabi brings same-day delivery to even more customers. And furthermore, regulators are actively shaping frameworks for fintech, privacy, and digital trade, so there are solid parameters in place. For retailers, this means the opportunity is global as well as regional. The UAE’s combination of young, affluent consumers and world-class digital infrastructure makes it an ideal test bed for AI-enabled retail to expand their operations and market-base overseas. Ultimately, the visibility game has changed. It is no longer about who spends the most on ads, but whose data machines can understand and trust. Retailers that optimise for AI today for clean catalogues, smooth mobile journeys and transparent data practices, will be the ones agents recommend tomorrow.In a market as advanced as the UAE, where consumers are already comfortable letting technology make the decisions for them, the future of e-commerce will be shaped by brands that treat AI as a partner in the customer experience journey rather than simply a tool. The winners in reality will be those who stop asking how to sell more, and start asking how to be discovered first.
