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UAE and Saudi residents are last minute Eid shoppers, with nearly one third (31%) planning their festive gift buying one week in advance, while 27% only planning two to three days before the event, according to a YouGov survey.
More than half (51%) of residents in both countries, say they plan to spend on gifting or shopping for Eid.
UAE residents are more likely to shop at the last minute, with 44% saying they plan their shopping a week or less in advance, compared to 32% of those in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, 11% only plan their Eid buying on the day.
According to the survey, 54% of respondents said that the most popular gift they are planning to give is cash, followed by clothes or footwear.
More Saudi residents than UAE residents said they planned to give confectionary or video games as a gift.
The power of social media in Eid purchasing was shown, with 61% saying it was the main source of gift ideas, followed by instore browsing, brand websites, then TV advertising. More Saudi residents rely on TV advertising than UAE residents.
(Writing by Imogen Lillywhite; editing by Daniel Luiz)
