Top Boosters for UAE Retailers
The future of retail without a doubt belongs to the Internet, from online stores to mobile payments, or from discounts’ websites to classifieds pages of web-based newspapers.
Individuals nowadays live on high speed, juggle many tasks daily and simply have no time to round the shopping malls and the markets, choose and compare styles and prices. UAE major cities are growing up and finding your way through constantly changing infrastructure is a time-consuming challenge.
Online shopping is rapidly becoming very convenient for more and more Internet users in the Emirates, as it can be done from any place and at any time. Consumers can browse through e-commerce websites through their smartphones while riding the metro and buy products with a click. Deliveries are coming right to the doorsteps, and if you are not at home, the building’s concierge, a relative or a housemaid can collect the package, according to your agreement with the shipping company.
Smart retailers, constantly following the industry trends already have built online presence through various channels, such as social-networking communities, e-commerce websites and deals promoters. Here are the top boosters for UAE-based retailers whom we guarantee will drive more consumers to their stores.
1. Groupon
The deals and discounts promoter aggressively expanded its database since its UAE spring launch and now sends email updates every morning to tens of thousand members not only in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but to every Internet connected spot in the Emirates. Retailers and service providers can offer deals as often as it suits them. By offering special limited time discounts, they benefit double. Firstly, they realize direct sales, and secondly, they receive online exposure that will help them building a brand name and eventually stronger business.
2. Cobone
Based on Groupon’s principals, these website is actually older in UAE than Groupon. It has the status of our homegrown e-commerce entrepreneur, which appeals to loyal consumers nowadays. The benefits for retailers are pretty very much the same that the International website offers, but the point is using different email databases at a different time to market your product to larger audiences. If discount campaigns are structured on a seasonal or monthly basis, following the annual calendar, such a strategy can boost the online presence of any brand tremendously. The name and nature of your business will become known even to people who can’t physically visit your store.
3. Souq
The e-commerce website that has been in the Arab virtual world since 2005, always charges various fees, on each individual sale and transaction, but there is no such thing as “free lunch” in the world of business. Many well established Dubai-based retailers have already opened online stores in partnership with Souq. Consumers can browse, review, compare and buy products directly from any individual store on the website’s pages. The main advantage is the organized after-sale delivery. Customer service is very good. Complaints, refunds, replacements and disputes are handled with accuracy and in a timely manner. Everyone can open a store with Souq, from niche boutique to a manufacturer, as long as they play according to the rules.
4. Dubizzle
For retailers who are looking forward to getting rid of unsold stock fast, this website can be very useful. And if you have a physical store and staff to provide extra services, you can divert a huge junk of Internet traffic to your own retail premises. The only thing retailer should keep in mind is that their price should be unbeatable – a figure that no one else can afford to offer at this time . The major advantage is the quick sale, as customers on Dubizzle know that deals disappear very fast if they don’t snap the item right away. This is a strategy that can work wonders if applied rarely and during popular shopping seasons as Christmas. However, the very same strategy can also ruin a brand if it is used regularly.
There is a huge number of a smaller websites that offer deals, discount coupons, classified listings and more, but the above four generate the largest numbers of traffic and therefore, products and services can get better exposure through them. With already developed and constantly updated web platforms these websites are relatively easy to operate, which is a main advantage for professional retailers.[mpoverlay][/mpoverlay]
Comments