Monday, May 29, 2017

Dubai: Online shoppers are now able to log on to Souq’s website using their Amazon credentials, two months after the American e-Commerce giant acquired the company.

Speaking to Gulf News on the phone, Ronaldo Mouchawar, the founder and CEO of Souq, said the ability of Amazon users to log on to Souq using the same details was a logical step.

“Many expats have Amazon accounts, so we thought this would be a quick and easy step towards integration,” he said on Monday.

Mouchawar added that it would “make it easier in the future for sellers.”

He dismissed the notion that streamlining of login details was a significant change to the company’s technical infrastructure.

Since the deal was announced on March 28, details on the technical aspects of how the two platforms will merge have been scarce.

It is unclear, for example, if or when customers in the region will be able to order items from across Amazon’s website.

Regarding integration, Mouchawar said the two companies “will have a series of activities that will come up soon.”

“We are in the planning phase right now, going step-by-step,” he said, adding that this move to link user ID’s was a “logical step.”

Purchasing the payments technology ensured that the US-based company received a localised platform with regional expertise.

Simultaneously, Amazon is recruiting an expert in integrating payments systems based in Dubai, according to a job posting which appeared on its website May 16.

According to the job description: “The Digital Payments team is recruiting for a Manager, Program Management to plan and manage critical initiatives focused on meeting payment capability needs for our newest subsidiary, Souq.com.”

As a Program Manager, the successful candidate “will be responsible for end to end delivery of integrating the payments capability for Payfort and Souq.com,” according to the Amazon website.

Payfort is Souq’s online payments gateway, and was acquired as part of the Amazon deal.

Amazon acquired the Dubai-founded online marketplace in March for an unspecified amount. Media reports placed the value of the deal at $650 million.

The acquisition will allow Amazon, which has never done any business in the Middle East, to immediately begin trading on a well established, market-leading platform.

By Ed Clowes Staff Reporter

Gulf News 2017. All rights reserved.