(MENAFN-Khaleej Times) online shopping gains from city?s status as a global retail hub
Several observers might argue that online shopping in dubai suffers due to the vast number of shopping malls that the city offers. debbie baertschi the ceo of mox it — middle east feels otherwise.
“one thing that i love about dubai is that it is a shopping city. we are a beautiful amazing shopping city where millions of people from all over the world come to shop” she said in an interview with khaleej times.
“people might say that dubai is not the ideal place for online shopping because of the number of malls that it boasts but i tell them that is not the case” she explained.
“online shopping in dubai benefits from the city’s status as a world renowned shopping city; it capitalises on it. under the leadership of our fabulous leader his highness shaikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum vice-president and prime minister of the uae and ruler of dubai and his government we’ve created a strong shopping brand in dubai.”
The middle east is rapidly becoming a premier hub for online retail with an estimated 90 million internet users. recent reports reveal that almost 50 per cent of consumers across the mena region reported making an online purchase at least once a month driving b2c e-commerce sales to an estimated $9 billion in 2012. sales in the region are expected to hit $15 billion by 2015.
This growth is mirrored in mox it’s success across the region with the e-shopping website experiencing a growth rate of more than 1800 per cent from may 1 2013 to december 31 2013. falling under the umbrella of mox telecom arabia the middle eastern arm of german telecoms group mox telecom mox it offers shoppers secure and reliable access to some of the world’s top brands.
“my aim is not to tell people not to go to the mall; malls will always be there as will retail shops. we simply offer a hassle free method of shopping for people who for whatever reason can’t or won’t go to a mall” baertschi explained.
She added: “we are trendy and we are trustworthy because our website offers security to our customers. this is something we really emphasise because i truly believe that it is important for our customers to feel secure when shopping online. in addition our products are genuine and they are authentic. this combination of a secure website environment where the customer can feel secure about his personal data and knowing that the product he is buying is genuine is what makes us different from other online shopping sites.”
Baertschi also denied that the website is only for “rich individuals.” “if you go to dubai mall you will find that most of the shops there cater to high end customers. now if you go to our website you will notice that it looks sleek; it looks sophisticated and clean. it looks luxurious but that does not mean that someone who is not extremely wealthy would not love to shop there” she explained.
“i don’t like to classify our customers. i won’t say that a person is middle class or higher middle class since i don’t like society clusters but i will say that we have a very healthy mix among different demographics. our website is for everyone who appreciates trendy brands which you can rely on. shopping is an experience everyone enjoys over here. for me its online retail where you give customers the best possible experience” she noted.
Highlighting the issue of certain websites which harm the online retail industry by selling fake merchandise baertschi stressed that all the items on the website were authentic and came with a proper identification and authenticity code.
“we do not pay very expensive retail rents which is why our products are cheaper than those one would find in a mall” she said on the topic of customers being suspicious of and hesitant to purchase the items posted on the website.
She added that customers who felt that they had received a fake product could easily contact a company representative and have the matter resolved.
“the client comes first is our policy and motto. the client always comes first. trust convenience and authenticity is in our dna and work culture” she stressed.
Speaking on the company’s aggressive expansion plans baertschi revealed that the company had plans to launch operations in vietnam and in singapore. the company also had plans to expand in the gcc and africa.
“in may 2013 we recorded over 10000 visitors” she said. “in february this year we had over 420000 visitors. by end of 2014 our growth will be 10 times more than what we started with; this includes our expansion in the gcc region. our revenue target is over $300 million to be obtained within the next three years.”
— rohma?khaleejtimes.com
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