Whether your practicing social distancing or working from home, online grocery shopping apps are fast becoming the go-to choice for residents in Dubai during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are readily available on Android and iOS.
Whey step out to buy groceries when you can simply order all you need – dairy items, fresh vegetables or meat products, from any one of these popular apps and get all the items delivered to your doorstep.
Instashop
One of the first and well know delivery apps for grocery in Dubai, Instashop grocery delivery app covered just a small part of Dubai Marina when it started out in 2015. But it has gradually grown to most of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, making it one of the most well-known mobile apps in Dubai.
It gives you the option to choose from several stores and it tells you where your nearest participating grocer is. A minimum order of AED 20 applies for free delivery which can be paid in advance or by cash or card on delivery. The app also lets you check how long how long your order will take to reach you
El Grocer
Similar to Instashop, El Grocer lets you pick from a list of supermarkets and place an order.
El Grocer claims to offer an online catalog of over 40,000 items. The app has a great interface, is multilingual (English & Arabic) and keeps a handy record of your previously ordered items for easier re-ordering. El Grocer offers weekly and monthly retailer promotions on grocery items.
Kibsons
Kibsons International offers up a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, meats and poultry on their app and website for all your grocery shopping, along with DIY boxes for family. Kibsons is popular for delivering fresh fruits and vegetables and guarantees free replacements. Aside from regular grocery items, you can also shop for meat, chicken and fish, raw nuts, healthy drinks, and boxes of meal-prep ingredients.
Delivery is usually on the same day depending on how busy they are and the minimum order amount is Dhs100. Orders order late at night are usually scheduled to be delivered the next morning at no extra charge. Payment can be made in advance or by cash or card on delivery.
Carrefour
A well-known supermarket and hypermarket group in Dubai, Carrefour offers an app called MAF Carrefour that allows you to shop for groceries and other daily-use items. Offering a wide range of grocery and household essentials, Carrefour has stores spread throughout the city. You can find out all the latest discounts, deals, and offers on the app, and can even get notifications when there are sales.
MAF Carrefour app is multilingual and offers English & Arabic language options. The app can be used to shop all of the Carrefour store brands – Hypermarket, Carrefour City, Carrefour Market as well as Carrefour Webstore.
It also notifies shoppers on latest offers and deals available at the stores and connects with your MyClub loyalty card information to collect points and view vouchers.
LuLu Hypermarket
Another well know hypermarket in the UAE especially among the Asian expat community, Lulu offers a good grocery shopping experience and has a wide range of fresh food products and dairy items. The app and website lets you find grocery items and household essentials instantly, although navigation can be a bit difficult sometimes. With supermarkets and hypermarkets chains spread across the emirate, Lulu lets you schedule order deliveries as per your convenience.
Other notable features include their latest news, offers and deals at your nearest LuLu Hypermarket as well as LuLu Webstore. The hypermarket will deliver your groceries on the same day, the day after at the latest.
Honorary Mention: Mix N Match
Offering fresh produce daily, Mix N Match Groceries is a new online grocery shopping venture in Dubai by parent company Mix N Match. The website allows you to shop vegetables, fruits, meats, condiments and more, delivered in 60 mins or a money back guarantee. They also have a promotion running giving you 15% off your first order.