Amazon Becomes First Online Retailer on UAE Government's Grocery Price Comparison Platform

The ministry said on Wednesday that Amazon's price records are already live on its Essential Goods Prices Platform. The platform launched in April 2026 and until now only covered physical stores. The deal gives the government a direct data feed from an online retailer for the first time, as it tries to make prices of everyday goods more transparent while household costs are under pressure.

The platform covers 33 product categories, 17 essential consumer goods and 16 other key commodities, and tracks prices at 12 major physical retail outlets as well as Amazon.ae. Users can see minimum and maximum prices for a product across outlets and branches. They can also build a custom grocery basket, and the system finds the cheapest option from the prices it holds.

Under the agreement, Amazon UAE will supply pricing data to the ministry with regular updates under approved technical standards. The ministry said the integration is designed to keep pricing accurate and reliable while meeting data security and cybersecurity requirements.

The two sides formalised the arrangement in a memorandum of understanding signed at the ministry's Dubai headquarters. Abdulla Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, and Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East, Africa and Turkey, signed it in the presence of Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri.

"The new collaboration with Amazon represents a transformative step forward in this direction by enhancing digital connectivity between government and e-commerce retailers," bin Touq said. He added that the ministry plans to expand partnerships with other local and international e-commerce companies as it develops its digital price-monitoring services.

"We are proud that Amazon.ae is now integrated onto the Essential Goods Prices Platform as the first e-commerce retailer," Mouchawar said.

The announcement leaves one question open for online shoppers. Gulf News noted that it does not say whether delivery charges, online promotions or membership discounts are included when baskets are compared. Those costs can change the final price of an online order, so a basket that looks cheapest on the platform may not be cheapest at checkout.

The ministry said the platform will keep its focus on essential consumer products. The next step to watch is which other online grocers and delivery platforms follow Amazon and start sharing their price data with the government.