AppsFlyer today released its mobile app trends findings from its White Friday 2025 data pull for the United Arab Emirates, revealing the country has had one of the strongest growth surges worldwide across installs, remarketing, purchases, and conversions. The UAE cemented its position as one of the fastest-expanding Shopping app markets globally, fuelled by intense consumer demand and rising advertiser investment ahead of the sale season.
Shopping app installs climbed 38 percent year over year, with both Android and iOS showing robust gains. This momentum carried through the entire purchase funnel, with total conversions up 68 percent, led by a remarkable 95 percent spike on iOS and an appreciable 45 percent increase on Android. These sharp rises reflect not just higher traffic, but more decisive consumer action suggesting that UAE shoppers were entering White Friday with strong purchasing intent and a greater readiness to transact across multiple touchpoints. Remarketing activity strengthened this picture further, growing 75 percent overall and more than doubling on iOS, indicating that brands were highly effective in re-engaging users and converting latent demand.
In-App Purchases (IAP) also delivered notable uplift. Year over year, IAP volume grew 10 percent, while revenue rose 22 percent on Android and 21 percent on iOS compared with the day before White Friday. This behaviour signals that once users were in the app environment, they were more willing to complete higher-value transactions. The share of paying users increased accordingly, up 28 percent on Android and 11 percent on iOS. This shows that platforms were not only attracting more traffic, but converting a larger share of that audience into paying customers. At the same time, rising delivered ad spend (up 21 percent on Android and 18 percent on iOS) highlights how competitive the landscape has become, with advertisers pushing harder to capture share during the biggest shopping moment of the year.
“White Friday 2025 paints a clear picture of a market where consumer confidence is strong and ecommerce maturity continues to deepen,” said Sue Azari, Industry Lead for Ecommerce at AppsFlyer. “This year’s growth wasn’t just about increased activity. It reflected more intentional, high-quality engagement. Shoppers in the UAE are more decisive, more responsive to remarketing, and more willing to complete purchases on mobile than ever before. As we move into the end-of-year holidays, brands have a prime opportunity to build on this momentum by investing in better personalisation, tighter multi-channel journeys, and smarter retargeting. The data shows that when marketers meet UAE consumers with relevant, well-timed experiences, the conversion potential is extraordinary.”
