(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
Two Dubai government entities have joined hands to launch an online marketplace where the companies and individuals can sell their products, intensifying competition in the UAE's e-commerce world.
Emaratech and Department of Economic Development are expected to launch this marketplace - shari.ae - by the end of the year where the individual investors, retailers and merchandisers can sell their products.
Speaking to Khaleej Times at the Gitex Technology Week, Maher Nassif, senior business analyst, emaratech, said Noqodi will be the payment gateway solution while Zajel will handle the delivery side of the business.
He said the merchandisers and retailers can use their trade licence while individuals who are selling their products on the social media like Facebook and Instagram will have to obtain e-trader licence from the Department of Economic Development which costs Dh1,070.
"On this platform, merchants will get their own portal to upload products as we already have integrated payment gateway as well as Zajel onboard for delivery of the products. If someone wants to create his own website, he has to go and search for payment gateway and courier service where it could take him 5 to 6 months; here in Shari, you are registered within 5 minutes and your website is ready to sell products. You just need to fill in details like bank account and obtain e-trade licence. Once you have fulfilled documentation, you will receive a mail with credentials, website link and logins and you can start uploading and selling products," he said.
"Most of the people who have registered and got e-trade licence are home businesses who don't have shop, preparing and selling goods from warehouse on to social media, but now they have to be licensed by DED which costs Dh1,070," he added.
The registered users will be able to track their return on investments with built-in sales report, increase traffic and sales with built-in social media integration and advanced web analytics, products review and will be bilingual.
In the fast-growing e-commerce, $1-billion Noon.com was the latest entrant which officially launched its operation in the UAE offering a wide collection of products ranging from electronics, fashion, beauty, baby, home and kitchen and grocery. Earlier, global online giant Amazon acquired Dubai-based retail and marketplace platform Souq.com.
In the UAE, online sales are estimated to reach Dh6.6 billion this year, driven by dramatic surge in electronics sale estimated at Dh1.5 billion.
Emaratech's Maher pointed out that the service will be free for the first year and then there will be packages which the business owners will have choose and they will be accordingly charged.
"People can sell their products on Shari based on the trust. We have 12 main business categories covering more than 1,000 sub-categories like fashion, food, electronics, restaurants, and media. The marketplace will cover almost all the activities that are covered by the Department of Economic Development," he added.
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