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Visa Reveals How Mothers in the UAE are Dealing with Increased Grocery Prices

New research from Visa reveals 9 out of 10 mums surveyed have been impacted by increased cost of groceries

38 per cent of mums polled are reducing their grocery spend as a result of the rising food costs

Visa helps relieve the pressure by offering cardholders the chance to win AED 12,000 every time they use their Visa Debit card to buy groceries
Dubai, UAE, 14 July 2011 - A new survey by Visa , one of the world's leading electronic payments providers, has unveiled insights into how mothers* across the country have been affected by increases in their most significant everyday cost - household groceries.

The research, which was conducted among 160 mothers in the UAE to raise awareness of a special summer-long Visa debit grocery campaign, has revealed the impact that the increasing cost of groceries experienced across the region over the last 12 months has had on families here in the UAE. In fact, almost all of the mothers polled (94 per cent), reported noticing a significant increase in the overall costs of groceries, with many saying that they have taken measures to reduce their grocery spend as a direct result, including cutting down on the amount of groceries they buy (38 per cent), changing the kind of groceries they buy (24 per cent) and even changing where they shop for groceries (5 per cent).

The survey also revealed that 96 per cent of them do their own grocery shopping rather than relying on household help, with two thirds of them (66 per cent) finding it an enjoyable task. And it seems that UAE mums are creatures of habit, with almost half of the respondents (49 per cent) saying that they do their grocery shopping once a week; and 80 per cent admitting to generally buying the same grocery items every time.

To help ease the pressure on shoppers, Visa is currently running a promotion across the UAE offering cardholders the opportunity to win AED 12,000 every time they use their Visa debit card to buy groceries before the end of September. To enter the draw, simply SMS " Visa " to Etisalat 4848 or Du 2883 (rates are 30 fills per message), or register online at www.visamiddleeast.com/debit until September 30^th.

"This campaign hopes to boost Visa debit card usage by enabling cardholders to reap rewards for everyday spending. The size and importance of the grocery sector in the GCC prompted us to focus on this sector. From our experience, grocery shopping is an area where consumers have had the greatest spend, and the transaction is very often done by mothers as they are usually the ones keeping track of family expenses," said Maysara Ghadban, Visa 's Head of Marketing Communications for MENA.

"Aside from this promotion offering cardholders the chance to win money back, there are lots of other real and tangible benefits to using your debit card over cash, and it's particularly true for grocery shopping. It is an extremely positive outcome to see that 28 per cent of the mothers questioned are regularly using their debit cards to make payments at grocery stores. However, almost the same again (30 per cent) are still choosing cash as their preferred payment option," added Ghadban.

More benefits for Mums

To reward mothers who participated in the nationwide survey, Visa has partnered with the MORE Café team to create an exclusive cooking class aimed at educating mums on how to create quick, easy and cost effective family meal options. In total, 20 mums gathered at MORE Café in Gold and Diamond Park, Dubai, to learn the skill of making homemade pasta under the guidance of one of MORE Café's talented chefs, a skill that is sure to impress family and friends alike, but which requires minimal ingredients so is easy on the pocket.

Commenting on the activity, Chef Gert, the Corporate Chef of MORE, said: "The results of this survey inspired us to partner with Visa to give mums a helping hand when it comes to dealing with the challenges they face at home in the kitchen in response to the ever-increasing cost of groceries. We've worked with Visa to create a special cooking class that will to not only give mums the confidence and skill set to prepare creative and tasty meals for the entire family, but also share with them cost saving tips in preparing dishes for their families."

Throughout the GCC, there has been a marked increase in the use of debit cards among consumers. Last year, during the first quarter, Visa reported a growth of 25.6 per cent in debit card payment transactions across the region.

-Ends-

About Visa :
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks--VisaNet--that is capable of handling more than 10,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa 's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

Media contact:
Rijosh Joseph
DABO & CO
Tel: +971 4 344490
rijosh.j@daboandco.com

© Press Release 2011