Pet Supplies Online Surge Across MENA as Checkout.com Data Shows 45% of Consumers Now Shop Weekly
Executive Summary. Checkout.com’s MENA Digital Commerce 2026 report, analyzed by trade title GlobalPETS on 16 September 2026, shows 45% of MENA consumers now shop online at least weekly and 63% expect to buy online more often within the next 12 months. For pet retailers across the Gulf, where internet penetration exceeds 98% and owners buy heavy repeat goods such as cat litter and pet food, the report defines both the opportunity and the operational bar: 62% of consumers walk away after a single payment failure.
Key Facts
- Report
- MENA Digital Commerce 2026 by Checkout.com
- Method
- 26,000 respondents surveyed 2020-2026; 2026 wave: 4,002 adults across Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE
- Weekly+ online shoppers
- 45% of MENA consumers; 51% among ages 35-44 vs 33% among ages 18-24
- Intention
- 63% expect to shop online more often in the next 12 months; Qatar 73%, Saudi Arabia and UAE 67%
- Payment risk
- 62% abandon after one payment failure; 35% switch directly to a competitor
- AI readiness
- 65% familiar with agentic AI; 50% comfortable with AI shopping on their behalf
- Source
- Checkout.com report data via GlobalPETS, 2026-09-16
What Happened
GlobalPETS published an analysis of Checkout.com’s MENA Digital Commerce 2026 report on 16 September 2026, pairing the survey data with interviews from three Gulf pet retailers: Pet Corner in Dubai, Petzone in Kuwait and The Petshop in the UAE. The report found that half of consumers in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE shop online at least once a week, and 12% of Saudi consumers make multiple online purchases per day, double the 2020 share. Social commerce is rising too: 25% of UAE consumers now buy through platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, up from 22% a year earlier, while Saudi Arabia’s share rose one point to 26%.
The payment findings are the sharpest edge for retailers: 35% of consumers rank a fast payment process among their top three priorities, 62% abandon a merchant after one payment failure on the merchant’s end, and 35% go directly to an online competitor after that single failure.
Background
The Gulf is one of the most connected retail environments on earth. Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission reported 99.6% internet penetration in its Saudi Internet Report 2025, and the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait all exceed 98% connectivity. Against that backdrop, pet e-commerce has grown on convenience, trust and fulfillment speed. Siddarth Mahindra, board member of Dubai-based retailer Pet Corner, told GlobalPETS that online spending on pet products in the UAE has grown significantly, driven by busy lifestyles, faster fulfillment and reliable access to supplies. Amin Dolat Shahi of Kuwait’s Petzone added that online orders are typically planned, high-volume stock-up purchases with a higher average basket size than offline impulse buys.
From Cat Litter to Premium Nutrition: What MENA Owners Buy Online
The product mix explains why the channel compounds. Mahindra lists pet food, cat litter, treats, grooming products, supplements and veterinary care products as the growth drivers, and notes rising demand for breed-specific diets, life-stage formulas, hypoallergenic options and fresh meat formulas. Weight is a quiet advantage: heavy goods such as cat litter are increasingly bought online precisely because e-commerce removes the need to carry large bags. Premiumization travels the same route, and owners who already buy pet meds online or order pet supplies online expect the same checkout reliability they get from mainstream retail, which is where the 62% abandonment figure bites hardest.
Market & Business Impact
Three operational implications stand out for pet retailers. First, checkout infrastructure is conversion strategy: Petzone credits integrated buy-now-pay-later options such as Tabby, alongside local payment gateways, with reducing friction and lifting online conversion. Second, inventory data matters more than marketing: Shahi describes natively integrating the e-commerce platform with SAP ERP so demand forecasting keeps specialized food formulas in stock across stores and decentralized warehouses. Third, agentic AI is coming: 65% of MENA consumers are familiar with it, 50% are comfortable letting AI shop on their behalf, and the highest-income consumers are the most willing, which will reward retailers whose product data is structured enough for machines to compare.
Companies & Brands Involved
Named operators include Pet Corner (Dubai), Petzone (Kuwait) and The Petshop (UAE), alongside fintech author Checkout.com. The wider regional supplier and retailer set is catalogued in the GlobalPetIndex company directory.
Data & Evidence
All figures trace to Checkout.com’s MENA Digital Commerce 2026 report (26,000 respondents 2020-2026; 2026 wave: 4,002 adults in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) as published via GlobalPETS on 16 September 2026: 45% weekly-or-more online shoppers; 63% intend to increase frequency; Qatar intention 73%, Saudi Arabia and UAE 67%, Kuwait 62%, Jordan 60%, Egypt 53%; Saudi multiple-purchases-daily 12% (double 2020); UAE social commerce 25% (from 22%); payment-failure abandonment 62% with 35% switching to a competitor; agentic AI familiarity 65%, comfort 50%. Saudi internet penetration of 99.6% is from the CST Saudi Internet Report 2025.
What This Means for the Pet Industry
MENA is becoming the cleanest pet e-commerce laboratory in the world: near-universal connectivity, heavy repeat purchases and a premiumizing customer base. The report’s verdict for operators is blunt — checkout reliability and inventory accuracy decide revenue, because one failed payment sends 62% of shoppers away and a third of them straight to a competitor. Retailers that fix payments and structure their product data for AI agents will compound; the rest will fund their rivals’ growth.
Key Takeaways
- Checkout.com’s MENA Digital Commerce 2026 report found 45% of MENA consumers shop online weekly or more often and 63% expect to increase their online purchase frequency within 12 months.
- 62% of consumers abandon a merchant after a single payment failure, and 35% switch directly to a competitor, making checkout reliability a primary revenue lever for pet e-commerce.
- Gulf pet retailers report that online baskets skew to planned stock-up purchases, led by pet food, cat litter, treats, supplements and veterinary care products.
- 65% of MENA consumers are familiar with agentic AI and 50% are comfortable letting AI shop on their behalf, favoring retailers with structured product data.
- Saudi internet penetration reached 99.6% in 2025 per the Kingdom’s CST, the connectivity backdrop for the region’s pet e-commerce growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Checkout.com MENA report find?
The MENA Digital Commerce 2026 report, based on surveys of 26,000 respondents between 2020 and 2026, found 45% of consumers shop online weekly or more, 63% expect to shop online more often in the next 12 months, and 62% abandon a merchant after one payment failure.
Which countries were surveyed?
The 2026 wave surveyed 4,002 adults across Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
What pet products do MENA consumers buy online?
Retailers interviewed by GlobalPETS cite pet food, cat litter, treats, grooming products, supplements and veterinary care products, with rising demand for breed-specific, life-stage, hypoallergenic and fresh-meat formulas; heavy items like cat litter are increasingly bought online to avoid carrying large bags.
Why is payment performance so important?
Because 62% of consumers leave after a single merchant-side payment failure and 35% go straight to a competitor, so a failed checkout does not just lose one order; it redirects future purchases. Retailers such as Petzone pair local gateways with BNPL options like Tabby to reduce friction.
Is it common to buy pet meds online in the region?
Veterinary care products are among the categories Gulf retailers report growing online, alongside food and litter; the practical bar is the same as for any pet supplies online purchase, a reliable checkout and accurate stock, given the region’s high expectations for speed and availability.
Sources
- Primary — GlobalPETS (Diana Dominguez), “Analysis: E-commerce surge in MENA region opens new opportunities for pet retailers”, 16 September 2026, analyzing the Checkout.com MENA Digital Commerce 2026 report
- Secondary — Checkout.com, MENA Digital Commerce 2026 report
