Larger baskets, essentials and amenities signal changing trends

One of the clearest signals of this change lies in the way people are filling their carts.

Ankit Manchanda, Assistant Vice President, Growth Strategy, supermall from Noon an e-commerce platform that offers everything from electronics to groceries, explains that there has been a clear shift here towards larger and more considered baskets. People are adding more items to their order, with a significant increase in pantry stalls, water and household necessities. This shows a sense of efficiency; people are consolidating purchases, choosing fewer shopping trips while ensuring they have what they need on hand. You transcend convenience and care and stay prepared without going overboard.

What people buy is just as important as how they buy. Water for daily needs, along with first aid kits and emergency lights, provides a clear picture of changing priorities.

Manchanda adds, “At the moment, the main items are bottled water, rice and first aid kits. We are also seeing strong demand for power banks and emergency lights.”

Abu Dhabi-based Nisha Chaturvedi, a homemaker, explains her priorities: A stocked pantry, a charged power bank and medical supplies. “That’s what we’ve been focusing on lately,” she says

And yet, not everything is strictly functional. You need joy to survive.

Manchanda adds that while practical purchases such as kitchen staples and household staples trump all, people have also found a way to entertain themselves. “We see a steady demand for things like board games, puzzles, often in the same basket.”

After all, preparation need not be entirely clinical. You also need some comfort. Trying to figure out a Rubik’s Cube keeps the mind busy and distracted for a while, and spending hours playing board games with the family reminds you of some normality, even if you worry that the world isn’t like that.

Additionally, in addition to board games and puzzles, there is also a demand for wellness and self-care items.

While uncertainty in the region may have shaped behavior over the past month, it has also coincided with a familiar retail cycle: Ramadan and Eid.

“Initially, there continued to be strong demand for abayas, sandals and dresses until Eid,” says Vladislav Kashirin, Product Owner at Fortis. However, this momentum now appears to be cooling, with spending gradually moving away from fashion categories.

Part of this is seasonal. Eid naturally encourages occasion shopping, new clothes, accessories, festive shopping. Once that moment passes, the demand decreases.

But there is more at play. “This reflects a typical post-Eid trend where people shift from casual shopping, clothing and accessories to everyday pleasures and essentials,” he adds.

This pivot is now being felt more strongly. Without the lure of events, promotions and social occasions, spending is getting back to basics with a greater purpose, prioritizing utility over show and function over show.

If Ramadan and Eid are typically defined by surge, late-night shopping, last-minute shopping, high-traffic windows, this intensity has now softened.

Kashirin adds, “Even though volumes are down, retail activity has spread more throughout the day, rather than being concentrated in the short windows seen during Ramadan.”

In fact, the transactions start earlier, around 11 am, and continue steadily till the wee hours. People are now shopping at their convenience, which reflects a move towards more flexible and routine shopping behaviour, rather than event-driven impulse spending, he explains.

In other words, shopping, again, becomes part of a daily routine rather than a time-sensitive rush.

In the earliest days of uncertainty, there were signs of backlash.

In an email to us, Careem Quik, a quick delivery service, explained in a statement to us that they noticed a strong increase in demand for staple products in the first days of the situation, especially in all categories that included rice, pasta, canned goods and pulses. The demand has already been normalized.

However, there now appears to be a return to balance. Broader shopping behavior has largely remained in line with traditional Ramadan trends. “There has been no significant change in when or what customers are buying, with basket sizes gradually increasing as customers shop more deliberately for the essentials.”

In other words, after the initial adjustment, consumers did not engage in panic buying.

While consumer behavior has evolved, the infrastructure that supports it has remained stable. As Careem says, as they are aware that their communities depend on them for daily essentials, ensuring continuity of supply was their immediate priority. “Our distribution network has been operating at planned buffer capacity and we have diversified our resources across multiple locations to protect product availability, particularly for fresh produce.”

In fact, even though logistics tend to become complex, the emphasis has been on continuity. Overall supply operations remain stable.

Careem explains: “Our network sees two distinct peaks in demand each day, between 7am and 11am and again between 3pm and 8pm, and our operations are structured to meet that pace continuously and without interruption.”

And so, as retailers point out, the model shows a sense of nuance, with people fitting just enough, buying a little more, planning ahead and opting for practicality without sacrificing comfort. Indeed, while larger baskets filled with essentials predominate, the addition of board games and health products point to a dual instinct: To prepare and maintain a sense of normal life.