Bahrain “ready to compete globally in the e-commerce sector”

Bahrain is ready to compete regionally and globally in e-commerce, said Sadiq Abdul Rasool, digital director of Bahrain’s leading e-commerce platform, Homiez.me.

According to Rasool, this depends on several factors, including the availability of fast, reliable and widespread Internet service, the orientation of more citizens and residents towards digital purchases, the availability of banking services and services financial transfer channels, and the presence of national skills capable of creating and developing more digital stores and platforms.

During his participation in the Seamless Middle East 2022 which recently concluded in Dubai, Abdul Rasool stressed that this development observed by Bahrain in the field of electronic commerce is part of the development of the GCC States in this field.

“Individual e-commerce experiences in the GCC states are now similar to those of major developed countries in terms of infrastructure, logistics network, advanced FinTech, participation and other elements, because the difference in index of e-commerce between the six Gulf countries and the top six countries in the world, decreases to less than 17% in 2021, compared to more than 35% before 2019,” he said.

Rasool explained that the habits of Bahraini consumers differed due to the Corona pandemic and the direction of digital solutions, these transformations which were imposed on many large markets and brands which quickly transformed into digital solutions, including the most notable was the significant increase in the number of apps for shops and stores, and e-commerce platforms that mediate between merchants and consumers.

“Many consumers today interact with brands in innovative ways. Today’s Bahraini consumer is more interested in value than brands. Every Bahraini household now has access to e-commerce to find consumer goods. It used to focus on intangible values such as brand appearance and personality,” Rasool said.

In his speech at the conference, Abdul Rasool touched on more technical topics, such as meeting user needs in the shadow of technology and basic market drivers, even in the retail and of distribution, pointing out that the digital experience today is very different, and it has its own identity that affects the feelings and desires of consumers.

He said the “Homiez” platform aims to support national efforts to revitalize markets and trade movement in Bahrain, as well as encourage more Bahraini business owners and traders to enjoy the benefits of this type of purchase, in addition to providing consumers, citizens and residents with a variety of options in one place.

Abdul Rasool pointed out that the “Homiez” platform, which was launched in Bahrain in 2018, now provides more than 50,000 products from 400 Bahraini suppliers and 1,000 brands, noting that this expansion was based on many factors, including the preemptive vision of the future of e-commerce and innovation, in addition to benefiting from the integrated support system that Bahrain offers for entrepreneurial projects capable of growth, the growth of the Internet and the development of artificial intelligence. – TradeArabia Press Office