Investigating the Online Buying Behavior in the UAE Online Retail Industry: The Role of Emotional Intelligence and Customer Perception

The current research seeks to investigate retail online buying behaviour with the emerging role of emotional intelligence and customer perception in the retail industry in the UAE. To better understand how customers’ emotions and perceptions impact online purchases. It is believed that this study will make a particularly useful contribution to the management of the online retail industry. Data from 248 valid respondents from retail supermarkets in Sharjah, UAE, are used to test the hypothesis through regression. A descriptive, causal and analytical research design was used with a convenient cluster sampling technique. Research findings reported a significant direct impact of emotional intelligence and customer perception on improving online buying behaviour. A geographical limitation is listed, and the business context is limited for generalising the results. Customer intentions and motivations for online buying should be explored for future research. Online retailers can implement the evaluation of previous purchases to determine how convenient customers find online shopping. This will assist the managers in growing their customer base while identifying and removing major barriers through emotional intelligence and recognising customer perceptions.