UAE businesses are making AI expansion a top priority as shoppers increasingly use AI assistants to discover products and make buying decisions, according to Salesforce’s latest State of Commerce report.
The shift is pushing companies to invest in AI search, product data and omnichannel commerce. At the same time, businesses are working to improve how their brands appear in AI-generated answers.
AI expansion tops UAE commerce priorities
For UAE commerce leaders, expanding or implementing AI now ranks ahead of several other business priorities.
These include growing the customer base, adapting to changing buyer behaviour, expanding omnichannel capabilities and improving data quality and management.
The trend reflects a wider change in how consumers search for products. Globally, agentic search as the first step in the shopping journey grew 200% year on year.
Meanwhile, traffic referred from AI chat services rose between 150% and 428% across the quarters measured in the Salesforce research.
As a result, UAE businesses are looking beyond traditional search engines. They are also preparing for customers who ask AI assistants for product recommendations and information.
UAE companies adapt content for AI search
Businesses are already taking steps to improve their visibility across AI-led shopping journeys.
About 62% of UAE businesses have created or optimised content for conversational and question-based searches. In addition, 61% have improved the quality of their product content.
Another 61% have increased their presence across third-party sources. Meanwhile, 58% have submitted data feeds directly to AI search platforms.
Businesses are also changing how they write and monitor product information. Some 37% have optimised product descriptions for natural-language queries.
Furthermore, 31% are monitoring how their brands appear in AI-generated responses.
Mohammed Alkhotani, SVP and GM, Salesforce, Middle East, said UAE businesses were moving beyond early AI experiments.
“UAE businesses are already moving beyond experimentation with AI.”
He added that companies are increasingly focused on using the technology to improve customer experiences.
Better data strengthens AI outcomes
The Salesforce research also points to the importance of a strong data foundation.
Among UAE organisations that have unified customer data, 48% reported better outcomes from AI and automation.
Similarly, 47% reported stronger alignment between sales, marketing and commerce teams.
The benefits also extend to pricing, sales and customer service. About 46% reported more consistent pricing and contract application.
Meanwhile, 43% said unified data helped increase conversion rates. The same proportion reported better customer retention and loyalty.
Another 41% said they could resolve customer issues faster.
These findings suggest that AI investment alone may not be enough. Businesses also need accurate and connected customer data to get better results from AI tools.
Omnichannel systems remain a challenge
Despite the progress, UAE businesses continue to face problems when connecting different sales channels.
Siloed ordering channels across multiple systems were the most common issue. They affected 44% of businesses.
Another 37% said their real-time inventory data was not synchronised across channels.
Meanwhile, 35% struggled to consistently recognise customers across different channels. The same proportion reported problems with complex or inconsistent returns and exchanges.
Pricing and promotions also remain a challenge. About 33% of businesses reported inconsistencies across channels.
Only 1% of UAE multichannel organisations said they had no significant breakdowns.
AI reshapes the UAE commerce journey
The findings point to a broader change in the way customers discover and evaluate products.
As AI assistants become part of the shopping journey, UAE businesses are adapting their content, product data and digital channels.
However, the shift also highlights the need for stronger data systems and better integration between commerce platforms.
For UAE businesses, the next phase of AI adoption is therefore not only about deploying new tools. It is also about ensuring that the data behind those tools is accurate, connected and ready for AI-led commerce.
