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The holiday season is upon us, and Emirati residents’ festivities will heavily rely on a little extra technological cheer. New research by Cisco reveals a remarkable surge in the UAE’s embrace of digital services during this time.

Nearly 8 in 10 residents, a whopping 78%, believe that apps and digital services are crucial for a delightful holiday experience. This figure significantly outpaces the global average of 45%, showcasing the UAE’s rapid adoption of tech-driven celebrations.

Over 65% of UAE consumers (compared to the global average of 45%) harbor deep concerns about tech glitches ruining their holiday cheer.

This tech-fueled fear isn’t just idle holiday grumbling. Emirati consumers have zero tolerance for digital mishaps. A stern 63% say they wouldn’t forgive an app malfunctioning during the holidays.

James Harvey, CTO Advisor EMEA at Cisco Observability, interprets these findings as a wake-up call for brands: “As brands look to take advantage of record demand for applications over the holidays, the findings provide a stark reminder about the importance of application availability, performance, and security.”

“The pressure is on application owners in all sectors to ensure that their applications are operating at peak performance during the holidays; people will have zero tolerance for any brand that delivers a bad digital experience.” 

More than half (53%) feel anxious about digital disruptions affecting family gatherings during the holidays. The main concern? Malfunctioning apps. 

About 45% fear banking app failures, potentially disrupting essential holiday payments, while 43% worry about being unable to connect with loved ones due to messaging platform issues. Additionally, 38% of anxious shoppers fear retail app crashes might hinder their last-minute shopping or festive meal preparations.