Doha: Online groceries shopping is rising in Qatar, taking benefit of country’s strong Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and high-income population. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the top items being bought online through online applications (apps) in Qatar.

“When we were starting Suncart, the biggest feedback we received was that people might order non-food or packaged food online but will never order fresh fruits, vegetables or meat online” Khawaja Jaffer, Founder & CEO, Suncart — an app for food delivery — told The Peninsula. 

“To our surprise, 18 out of the top 25 sold items are from the fruits and vegetables category, people enjoy the high-quality fruits and vegetables sourced and delivered through Suncart,” added Jaffer.

With the rising demand for delivery of food items, several apps have come up in Qatar for food items delivery.

Along with Suncart, several other players such as Baqaala, Getit, Jeeblina, Beelivery are some of the other players jostling to create space for themselves in Qatar’s fast-growing e-commerce market.

Suncart app features over 8,000 grocery items including fresh fruits, vegetables, household, personal care, baking and cooking, baby, pet care and many more.

Khawaja Jaffer, Founder & CEO, Suncart

Within the next two-three month, Jaffer aims to increase the number of items in Suncart to 1,500.

“While placing the order, users can select from five delivery slots during the day for same-day or next-day delivery (i.e: 12noon-2pm, 2pm-4pm, 4pm-6pm, 6pm-8pm, 8pm-10pm),” he said.

“Grocery is the most basic consumer need, and we believe that accessibility for all types of customers should be prioritised,” he said.

“We are proud that Suncart is the only grocery delivery venture, which is servicing all of Doha and its surrounding municipalities from Day one,” claimed Khawaja.

With strong IT infrastructure, high-income populations and high level of smartphone penetration, online buying in Qatar are set to grow exponentially in Qatar. The e-commerce market in the country is set to grow exponentially in the coming years. Qatar’s e-commerce market is expected to witness a sharp double-digit growth over the next few years. The combined size of e-commerce transactions, which stood at QR4.36bn ($1.2bn) in 2017, is estimated to reach around QR11.65bn by 2022.

“Though up-scale areas like Pearl Qatar or West Bay had the highest order density, the service is also seeing great demand from Doha downtown areas and various family compounds all over Doha, especially Duhail.

Further, Western, Qatari & Indian females dominate their user profile, though men are also strong users in the mix,” explained Khawaja Jaffer.

E-commerce in Qatar is already on the rise now with more and more consumers purchasing various types of goods and services online, including restaurant food, taxi/limo rides, electronics, cosmetics, clothes and shoes.

“Buying groceries on your own is a time-consuming effort because you have to pick fresh and good quality vegetables. Home delivery of groceries by online apps is a good option for me as it saves my time and efforts,” Subhash Ghosh, marketing officer with IT company told The Peninsula.

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