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Fri, Jan 16, 2026 | Rajab 27, 1447 | Fajr 05:45 | DXB 
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Drones and AI to accelerate the UAE’s $17 billion e-commerce market
Logistics operators sharpen focus on tech-enabled distribution for faster delivery
As Dubai prepares to deploy drones and flying taxis, the UAE-based e-commerce players look at AI-powered drones for the last-mile delivery to maximise customer happiness that is expected to accelerate the $17 billion e-commerce market.
Although the drone delivery could add extra cost per delivery, UAE’s tech-savvy upwardly mobile consumers are expected to experience it faster than others.
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Blue Ocean Global Group, one of the largest e-commerce distribution houses in the UAE, has announced a new strategic direction for its subsidiary, Blue Infinity LLC. The company will focus on providing a comprehensive suite of services to distribute both global and regional FMCG brands across e-commerce platforms. This move is set to empower brands with more targeted, efficient, and scalable distribution solutions tailored to meet the growing demand for digital retail in UAE and Saudi Arabia markets.
A region powerhouse, the UAE e-commerce market size is forecasted to reach $17 billion by 2025, according to a report by Statista, a global market intelligence provider.
“The country’s recent efforts at economic diversification to decrease reliance on oil exports’ revenues have proven successful in building and maintaining a strong economic ecosystem, which has driven investments and created job opportunities, thus attracting global talents. Furthermore, it facilitated fast adoption and innovation, enabling the UAE’s e-commerce growth,” Statista says. “Another factor contributing to such growth is the high social media activity of the population, where almost all inhabitants were active on social media. By 2026, the number of social media users was forecasted to reach around 11.03 million.”
Blue Infinity is guided by industry leaders, including Shahzad Ahmed, former CEO at Siemens Gigaset Middle East and Africa, and Ravi Narayan, former Director at Godrej, whose collective expertise shapes our strategic direction and fuels our pursuit of excellence. The vision behind Blue Infinity was born from a deep understanding of the evolving FMCG landscape, from strategic innovation to operational excellence.
“Blue Infinity was launched to provide dedicated and focused support to FMCG regional homegrown brands, as well as international brands looking to scale their e-commerce sales, as more and more consumers shift toward online purchasing,” said Shahzad Ahmed, Chairman of Blue Ocean Global Group. “With Blue Infinity, we now have a more focused e-commerce eco-system and a proper sales and distribution gateway for brand owners who want to scale up their business on the e-commerce platforms. The Blue Infinity team specialises on consumer behaviour patterns and analyses the demand of products that helps them to plan and manage channel inventory.”
As online shopping continues to grow rapidly across the Mena region, consumer expectations are evolving, placing greater pressure on retailers to replicate and enhance the in-store experience within digital platforms. Driven by the UAE’s fast-paced, digital-first lifestyle, high smartphone usage, and seamless digital payments, Millennials and Gen Z increasingly prefer shopping online for its ease of product discovery and faster decision making.
Around 14,000 daily deliveries are expected to result in 5 million business-to-consumer (B2C) drone deliveries worldwide in 2024. This number is projected to soar to an impressive 808 million within ten years, according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report released recently.
With unit economics estimating delivery costs to be around $2 in 2034, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) offer an enticing alternative for businesses to penetrate new markets, enhance customer satisfaction, and boost profitability, particularly in areas where traditional last-mile deliveries struggle.
Along with increased adoption, the unit economics are rapidly improving – with the average unit cost per delivery currently ranging between $6 and $25. This price is expected to drop by more than 70% over the next 10 years, which will not only match traditional last-mile delivery costs, but surpass them and create an inflection point for the industry as it achieves widespread adoption.
The value of goods delivered to consumers by drones worldwide will grow by 74 percent on an annual basis, from $251 million in 2024 to $65,177 million in 2034.
“Our projections suggest that advanced air mobility (AAM) of goods could serve approximately 67 percent of the global population, particularly suburban and rural residents, potentially substituting 389 billion traditional deliveries worldwide in 2034,” the PwC report says.
Over the last decade Blue Ocean Global Group has championed the online sales of some of the world’s most renowned consumer brands, building a seamless sales, marketing, and distribution ecosystem. Blue Infinity extends this expertise by delivering an end-to-end process from brand onboarding, right product availability to strategic promotions ensuring the right products reach the right consumers at the right time. Having been in existence for five years, Blue Infinity has quickly emerged as a trusted and dynamic partner for FMCG brands striving to build sustainable and scalable e-commerce growth.
As online shopping continues to grow rapidly across the MENA region, consumer expectations are evolving, placing greater pressure on retailers to replicate and enhance the in-store experience within digital platforms. Driven by the UAE’s fast-paced, digital-first lifestyle, high smartphone usage, and seamless digital payments, Millennials and Gen Z increasingly prefer shopping online for its ease of product discovery and faster decision making.
Consumers are seeking greater convenience, time savings, and 24/7 access to shopping, making brands and e-commerce platforms more efficient than visiting physical stores. In Saudi Arabia, e-commerce market was valued at $27 billion in 2024 and expected to cross $50 billion by 2030.
Seasonal shopping moments such as White Friday, Yellow Friday, Singles’ Day, Ramadan, Eid and Back-to-School further accelerate activity, creating opportunities for brands to test innovative promotional mechanics, introduce bulk deals and increase visibility for well-known brands and particularly for emerging brands.
Ravi Narayan, Co-founder and Director, Blue Infinity says “We partner with brand owners in a 360-degree fashion to strategically identify and bridge product gaps across e-commerce channels via a data-driven strategy and creative execution of product offering. What truly sets us apart is our quick go-to-market execution, adaptation of SKU to suit market requirement, working with brands on optimal pricing strategy, design and implementation of promotional plans and top class in-market visibility. We adapt locally, move fast for seamless brand onboarding and measurable market growth across e-commerce and q-commerce platforms.”
“We ensure that our recipe to success is our close relations with our partner brands, wherein, we elevate their online presence to drive optimised listing, channel sales, and manage channel inventory.”
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