The growth of Arab trade exceeded $250 billion in 2003, out of which $400 million was the volume of e-commerce, according to a business expert.
According to statistics, the UAE is the most Internet-penetrated Arab country compared to other AGCC nations and statistics show that the percentage of using Internet at peak times in the UAE reached 37 per cent compared to Oman with 4.44 per cent.
By 2006, it is predicted that the e-commerce will grow by more than 5 times, but the share of the non-Western world will grow only if a major initiative is taken to promote e-commerce by trade business associations, chambers of commerce and the government, according to a study.
B2B (business-to-business) or wholesale business dominates most of the e-commerce and many companies in the UAE are moving towards e-commerce as the tedious job of contacting suppliers, keeping inventories, updating stocks and ensuring quick delivery has been made smooth and efficient by the Web.
Even government departments are increasingly managing their procurement through online marketplaces like Tejari.com. This has boosted numerous benefits to all parties in the chain and boosted overall efficiency.
Tejari is a success story in e-commerce business. It is a business -to-business marketplace launched in June 2000, and since then has created and maintains the highest standard of B2B customer services and trading facilities in the Middle East region.
According to Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, chief executive officer, Tejari, “The mission of this company is to maximise the business potential of our customers in the Middle East by providing them with innovative online B2B services, enabling them to extend their reach and enhance their competitive standing. ’’
According to reports, since the past four years, Tejari has expanded to Kuwait, Syria, Iraq and generated transaction of more than $600 million through online market. It has 2,500 members with online sales soaring tremendously year on year.
Tejari Mobile, launched at Gitex, will give both Tejari members and the general public access to the online marketplace information through mobile phone and users can access a range of information including daily auction activities and the latest news from Tejari to new tendering opportunities without connecting to the Internet through PCs.
In the UAE, the emergence of the Dubai Media City and the Dubai Internet City which complement each other, offers a unique opportunity in further developing e-commerce publishing in the country. E-publishing is a major emerging business which opens new diversification opportunities. The impact of the Internet on the publishing industry is very important as the country is rapidly developing and the variable cost of e-publications are considerably cheaper than of traditional printed products such as production and distribution.
Of the total B2C e-commerce transactions, more than one-third would be cornered by online bookings for airlines and hotels. The other popular categories for online shopping were books, clothing, gifts, flowers, electronic products including music CDs and DVDs, computer software and hardware, according to a report released by Dubai-based Madar Research Group.
Globally, B2C e-commerce has seen remarkable growth, despite the setbacks suffered by a few players. Independent studies estimate that the global B2C e-commerce market would be worth more than $428 billion by the end of 2004, said Diyaa Zebian, regional manager, Middle East & Egypt, eSolutions.
The new emerging medium to replace the PC is the mobile phone which has given rise to the term m-commerce. M-commerce is business using wireless mobile telephones and personal data assistants. M-commerce is likely to make a much lesser impact on B2B business.
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