E-commerce giant Amazon.ae has announced the launch of the international shopping experience which allows customers in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman to shop thousands of items that can be shipped to them from the UAE.

Customers will be able to choose from products across 31 categories, including electronics, clothing, watches, and toys, the online retailer said in a statement.

Available in Arabic and English, the international shopping experience customises each user's experience depending on their location and customers can complete payments using both local and international debit and credit cards, it added.

The move comes as experts predict the GCC ecommerce market is expected to reach $19.7 billion by the end of this year, spurred on through necessity, given the coronavirus-enforced lockdowns and curfews across the region.

A panel of experts at the recent virtual roundtable on Intelligent Orchestration of Retail Experience said that Saudi Arabia is expected to claim the majority of the total ($8.3bn), followed by the UAE, with $7.5bn.

Amazon.ae said customers shopping on Amazon.ae from Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman will see clear pricing, delivery times, and shipping costs fully inclusive of import fees, adding that all cross-border customs clearance is managed by Amazon’s couriers on the customers behalf.

“We are always innovating on behalf of our customers, and with the launch of the International Shopping experience, we are making shopping on Amazon.ae accessible to even more of them across the region,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, vice-president of Amazon Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

“Customers have been asking us for a selection tailored to their location, and the International Shopping experience solves this customer need and makes it simple to browse, shop, and ship thousands of products across the Gulf region.”

Customers in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman need to get on the Amazon app or visit Amazon.ae, sign in with their current account details or set-up an account.

The e-commerce boom has been driven by a surge of DED Trader licences, which enables start-ups in Dubai to conduct business activities online and across social networking accounts.

They saw an 83 percent growth in the first six months of this year with Dubai Economy’s Business Registration & Licensing (BRL) sector saying 1,947 licences were issued during H1, compared to the 1,064 licences in the same period last year.

The latest figures also show that in the month of June alone, 577 licences were issued - an increase of 163 percent compared to June 2019 (219 licences).