UAE families flock to back-to-school sales as retailers expand discounts and rewards

Dubai: Retail markets across the UAE have witnessed intensified competition during the back-to-school season, with stores and e-commerce platforms expanding promotions, offering larger discounts and introducing prize draws and additional rewards aimed at attracting shoppers. Many outlets in shopping centres have offered discounts on clothing, footwear, school supplies and stationery, with reductions ranging from 20 per cent to 60 per cent. Shopping centres in Dubai and Sharjah recorded strong demand from families over the weekend as parents made last-minute purchases ahead of the start of the new academic year. Consumers said many traditional retailers and online platforms have broadened their back-to-school campaigns this year beyond school supplies and equipment to include household appliances, cleaning products, food items, leather bags and other consumer goods. They said prize draws, additional discounts and the growing number of retail outlets have expanded shopping choices and provided added value for consumers. Demand was concentrated on clothing, shoes, school bags and lunch boxes, in addition to food products and beverages used in preparing school meals. Retail specialists said the market is witnessing an unprecedented expansion in back-to-school promotions, driven by the entry of new retailers and online platforms, as well as increased competition among stores through deeper discounts, wider product ranges and additional incentives. Expanded offers Consumer Mustafa Kamal said many retailers, both physical and online, had significantly expanded the range of products included in back-to-school campaigns to cover household appliances, detergents, personal care products, food items and perfumes, in addition to school supplies. Consumer Ali Shaaban said prize draws and additional discounts offered as part of back-to-school campaigns had increased the benefits available to shoppers while providing greater value. Wael Saad said the expansion of offers and prizes had benefited consumer families, adding that higher discounts on products such as school bags, shoes, socks and lunch boxes would further increase consumer savings. Consumer Asmaa Hussein said greater competition and an increase in promotions during the back-to-school season were positive developments, particularly when larger discounts were offered on school bags and related supplies. Expanded product ranges Faisal Khalid Al Nabooda, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Sharjah Cooperative Society, said the cooperative had launched back-to-school campaigns featuring discounts of up to 68 per cent on more than 1,500 products, including bags, stationery, food containers, water bottles and food items. He said the promotions would continue until 9th September. Al Nabooda added that the cooperative had allocated Dh2 million to the campaign and used artificial intelligence technologies to forecast demand and manage stock distribution across its branches. He said prize draws had provided additional momentum to the campaign, but stressed that the focus remained on ensuring shoppers benefited from the products they purchased, with prizes serving as added value. According to Al Nabooda, customers spending Dh300 or more in stores or through the online platform are eligible to enter a draw to win one of 15 cars. Rising competition Dilip Vishal, a purchasing manager at a retail outlet, said increased competition had resulted in what could be described as some of the largest back-to-school discounts in recent years. He said retailers were adopting different marketing approaches, including varying discount levels and prize offers, creating greater diversity and choice for consumers. Mohammed Idris, a sales manager at a retail outlet, said back-to-school promotions had expanded at an unprecedented rate this year, with stronger competition among retailers translating into greater benefits for shoppers. New market entrants Retail expert Ibrahim Al Bahr said the entry of new retail outlets and e-commerce platforms had intensified competition in the retail sector, contributing to a broader range of promotions than in previous back-to-school seasons. He said varied discount structures, prize draws, gifts and additional incentives had increased consumer choice and delivered added value for shoppers purchasing school supplies and other products.