Digital audiences in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are increasingly turning to social platforms, messaging apps and artificial intelligence tools to discover brands, make decisions and complete purchases, according to the 2026 editions of We Are Social’s Global Digital Reports released on Tuesday.
The reports show that nearly half of internet users in the UAE (48.1 percent) and 60 percent of users in Saudi Arabia now use social networks as their primary source for researching brands and products, underscoring the growing role of social media in consumer decision-making across the two markets.
Messaging platforms have become central to daily digital life, with more than 80 percent of the population in both countries active on WhatsApp, positioning chat apps as key environments for communication, trust and utility rather than simple messaging tools.
The research also points to the rising influence of artificial intelligence on discovery and inspiration. ChatGPT ranked as the sixth most visited website in the UAE, with 87.7 percent of AI web referral traffic coming from OpenAI’s large language model, signaling a shift away from conventional search toward AI-led exploration.
Consumer identities are also becoming more fluid, with individuals in the UAE using an average of 7.7 platforms per month and users in Saudi Arabia averaging 8.7 platforms, challenging brands to move beyond static demographic targeting and respond to context and intent instead.
Fast mobile connectivity has further raised expectations around speed and convenience, with the reports highlighting low tolerance for friction and delays during the purchase journey in both markets.
The findings were published by We Are Social, a socially led creative agency specializing in media, social and consumer intelligence, as part of its annual Global Digital Reports program, which has been running since 2011. The reports are free to access and are designed to provide a consistent, long-term view of how digital behaviors evolve over time, rather than a one-off snapshot.
The 2026 UAE and Saudi Arabia editions examine how culture, technology and commerce intersect in two of the world’s most digitally advanced and socially connected markets.
