Dubai: Residents stay awake at midnight for online sale, reveal top 5 deals

Several major brands and malls are offering discounts between 30-95 per cent

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Fri 14 Apr 2023, 5:24 PM

Last updated: Fri 14 Apr 2023, 10:23 PM

Many UAE residents stayed awake online in the early hours of Friday to take advantage of The Great Online Sale (TGOS) that kicked off at the stroke of midnight on April 14.

Due to the high volume of online shoppers, some told Khaleej Times they found it difficult to connect to the stores.

“I had to refresh the page a few times,” said Dubai resident Robert R.

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“I think a lot of people had the same idea as me, to get in there early and get the best deals. However, within a minute or two, I was able to get in.”

The Lebanese expat said that he was in the market for a specific item. “I am a cyclist, and my cycle is almost falling into pieces because I have been using it so much over the last five years,” he said. “When I saw that cycles were on sale, I browsed through the deals and found a good one on sale. I got a 25 per cent discount on it, which I thought was a really good deal for that particular brand.”

Top-selling items according to respondents were toys, gift items, cookware and kids' items. The mega 3-day event organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) has several major brands and malls participating that will offer 30-95 per cent discount on a wide range of items. Some of them are Ounass, Noon.com, Mall Of The Emirates, Carrefour.ae, Virgin Megastore, Jumbo, Lacoste, Centrepoint, and Puma

Eid gifts

Pakistani expat Fara Khan said that the online sale was a perfect occasion for her to shop for Eid gifts. “I have a lot of kids to buy for,” she said. “Usually for Eid, my siblings and I gather together at my parents’ house, and we bring something for all eight of the grandchildren. There were some good deals on Lego sets and other toys.”

According to Fara, she spent a good couple of hours going through the different brands. “I went through some of the aggregators, and I also went through some individual brands,” she said.

“There are some good offers. You just need to look around to find them. For example, Carrefour has a good sale on electronics. I also found a good pressure cooker on the Mall of the Emirates website.”

This is the first time ever that DFRE is launching an online sale to its retail calendar and according to a spokesperson, it would be a unique experience for shoppers.

Shoppers who signed up early on the website of TGOS got an exclusive promo code that gave them access to even further discounts. One such person was Neimat. “I signed up as soon as I heard about it,” she said.

However, she didn’t find many things that she was interested in. “I browsed through several brands but I didn’t find anything I liked. The only thing I bought was diapers. There is a particular brand that I use for my newborn. The discount on it was good so I stocked up for a couple of weeks.”

At the right time

For expectant mum Karina, the sale came at the right time. “I am due to deliver next month and I was looking to shop for some baby items,” she said.

“I had no clue this sale was coming but the last few weeks have been a little too exhausting for me. When I heard about the sale, I decided to just browse through. They had the exact same brand I was looking for and that too at a discount of almost Dh 1,800. I immediately ordered it.”

The organisers have termed it an unmissable event as it provides customers with great deals that they can shop from the comfort of their homes, just in time for the Eid holiday. Ranging from electronics, fashion, health, beauty, kids and jewellery, there are over 60 brands participating in the shopping extravaganza.

“It provides a brand-new consumer experience, in one single platform that offers amazing discounts and offers, while being accessible from anywhere, anytime,” said Mohammed Feras Arayqat, Director Retail Registration at DFRE.