Dubai CommerCity showcases region-wide progress deployed in e-commerce sector during Seamless 2020
Dubai CommerCity (DCC), the first dedicated e-commerce free zone in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) joined retailers, leaders and experts in the e-commerce industry at Seamless Middle East 2020 to discuss market disruptors, top industry trends and technologies on which the future marketplace will operate.
The first day of the event highlighted the e-commerce trends that the pandemic has unveiled and the region-wide progress that is being deployed to address the critical issues that have surfaced throughout the past few months. Built on 20 years of history, Seamless 2020 brought together the regional payments, banking and fintech ecosystem to establish connections from all over the Middle East. The event also showcased a wide array of curated content from those innovating and disrupting the commerce industry.
Representatives from Dubai CommerCity discussed how post pandemic consumer behavior is redefining the retail landscape, the growing need for cross-border commerce and the requirements for setting up and expanding e-commerce business in the region.
Amna Lootah, Assistant Board Member Dubai CommerCity and Director General, Dafza said: “In recent years, we have witnessed e-commerce offer unprecedented opportunities to businesses across the region. Now more than ever, many companies require the process of initiating and doing trade to be a lot easier, faster, and more accessible. Since then, the role of e-commerce has expanded and offered several solutions as region-wide progress is being deployed to address the critical issues that have surfaced throughout the past few months.”
“Our continued participation in Seamless 2020 – one of the leading events in the e-commerce space – is a testament to our commitment towards providing companies expanding into the e-commerce vertical the suitable tailor-made ecommerce offerings to allow them to enhance and grow their operations. This year, the technological infrastructure provided by Seamless has allowed Dubai CommerCity to effectively communicate solutions, ideas and moments of inspiration for the e-commerce sector and permitted us to operate with flexibility, scalability and security.”
During the event, deVere Forster, Chief Operating Officer, Dubai CommerCity, participated in a panel to discuss the evolving consumer behavior that has surfaced due to the pandemic and its implications on the retail landscape. Forster highlighted that for a large section of the population, COVID-19 provided an ideal opportunity to re-evaluate their current lifestyle choices and make adjustments. As such, there has been an increased preference of online shopping and buy online and pick up (BOPIS) with total sales of e-grocery doubling in the UAE, according to McKinsey.
Foster also discussed how consumers are expected to make more online purchases even post COVID-19, which has led business to evolve and meet consumer demands. Some changes discussed by Foster included physical retailers and malls are building omni-channel and digital experiences in their business models, allowing consumers to pay for their shopping using mobile devices, e-wallets, and other flexible digital payment options.
In another panel, Foster took center stage to highlight the growth and importance of cross-border commerce, citing increased access to larger audiences with omni-channel presence as contributor to the progression. According to Foster, there have been local strides to look beyond borders with Dubai Customs launching its Cross Border e-Commerce platform to help the emirate become a global hub for e-commerce and encourage e-commerce companies to set their businesses in Dubai. The initiative is expected to contribute AED 12 billion to the Emirate’s GDP by 2023.
The e-commerce market in the GCC and MEASA region inhibits exponential growth opportunities as the retail market in the Middle East & Africa is expected to grow by 20% in the next 5 years to reach USD 26 billion in 2022, which outpaces the global growth of 13%. DCC will play a pivotal role in the development of the e-commerce sector and will provide growth opportunities for global and regional manufacturers, as well as distributors and global e-retailers.
For companies looking to participate in e-commerce ecosystem, Sharjeel Moin Akhtar, Marketing Specialist, Dubai CommerCity highlighted the wide range of services and capabilities provided by Dubai CommerCity to ensure a smooth set-up of business operations. The free zone provides access to a wide variety of government and business services in a single centralized location.
Dubai CommerCity is the first and only free zone dedicated to the growing e-commerce market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It is an investment of AED 3.2 billion spread over an area of approximately 2.1 million square feet. It provides a unique e-commerce ecosystem to global and regional brands to help them set up and operate their e-commerce business in the MENA region.
