03 May 2013
JEDDAH -- Like the idea of shopping for exclusive products from your living room sofa? That's right. Say goodbye to traffic jams, crowded malls and long waiting lines because a unique e-commerce experience is coming your way.
"Dokkan Afkar" (which translates as shop of ideas), a creative e-commerce outfit which offers a wide variety of unique home, kitchen and fashion products, is all set for its launch.
"The idea of the project is bigger than just an e-commerce platform. We would like to help the community to create its own products and introduce them in the market," said Ammar Waganah, CEO of DokkanAfkar.com.
In preparation for the launch of their official website, the company has already created a Facebook page, which has received an overwhelming response from the local community. The page hit more than 4,000 "likes" in just two weeks.
Waganah explained that the project is divided into three phases. In the first phase, he will outsource creative products from different suppliers in Europe and the US and also invite Saudi businesses to market innovative products which will be sold on their website.
Secondly, he will create "incubators communities", which are mainly support programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies.
In this phase, he also plans to hold competitions for people to pitch in their ideas and partner with financial institutes to finance and execute the top rated ideas. In the third and final phase, the official website will feature talk show videos and articles of the latest innovative products.
Until a few years ago, residents of Saudi Arabia were not very fond of purchasing products on line. However, research shows the number of products selling via online marketing has increased exponentially over the years.
"Our studies show that people are becoming more Web-oriented. They make online purchases from international websites and would like a trustworthy e-commerce website in Saudi Arabia and that is what our project is all about," said Waganah.
DokkanAfkar.com, which is the first of its kind in the Kingdom, will offer several competitive advantages to capture the market. Their website will be launched in both English and Arabic; will provide quick shipping (product dispatch within two days), local customer service centers and convenient payment options through credit cards and local Saudi banks.
JEDDAH -- Like the idea of shopping for exclusive products from your living room sofa? That's right. Say goodbye to traffic jams, crowded malls and long waiting lines because a unique e-commerce experience is coming your way.
"Dokkan Afkar" (which translates as shop of ideas), a creative e-commerce outfit which offers a wide variety of unique home, kitchen and fashion products, is all set for its launch.
"The idea of the project is bigger than just an e-commerce platform. We would like to help the community to create its own products and introduce them in the market," said Ammar Waganah, CEO of DokkanAfkar.com.
In preparation for the launch of their official website, the company has already created a Facebook page, which has received an overwhelming response from the local community. The page hit more than 4,000 "likes" in just two weeks.
Waganah explained that the project is divided into three phases. In the first phase, he will outsource creative products from different suppliers in Europe and the US and also invite Saudi businesses to market innovative products which will be sold on their website.
Secondly, he will create "incubators communities", which are mainly support programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies.
In this phase, he also plans to hold competitions for people to pitch in their ideas and partner with financial institutes to finance and execute the top rated ideas. In the third and final phase, the official website will feature talk show videos and articles of the latest innovative products.
Until a few years ago, residents of Saudi Arabia were not very fond of purchasing products on line. However, research shows the number of products selling via online marketing has increased exponentially over the years.
"Our studies show that people are becoming more Web-oriented. They make online purchases from international websites and would like a trustworthy e-commerce website in Saudi Arabia and that is what our project is all about," said Waganah.
DokkanAfkar.com, which is the first of its kind in the Kingdom, will offer several competitive advantages to capture the market. Their website will be launched in both English and Arabic; will provide quick shipping (product dispatch within two days), local customer service centers and convenient payment options through credit cards and local Saudi banks.
© The Saudi Gazette 2013
