“The potential in e-commerce is huge, especially in our region. More and more the demand for online opportunities is increasing, the UAE itself has a large and mature online presence with almost the entire population online. The reason behind this is the ease of Internet facilities in the UAE and the huge mobile penetration that is second to none in the world. And most of all, it’s the ease of use. The true meaning of convenience is being able to shop while sitting on your couch at home, and just by few clicks your product is ordered and delivered to your doorstep.”Said Carl Ghossoub, Managing Director of biddi.com
In an interaction with MediAvataar MENA, Carl talked about their unique platform biddi.com and how they want to keep innovating in order to stay matchless.
Here’s the complete Q&A with him…
MediAvataar: What does biddi.com as a brand stand for?
Carl: The name biddi comes from the Arabic slang meaning of “I want”, and biddi is an intuitive free e-commerce listing site that lets you buy and sell anything. We’re about enabling people to get anything they want at the click of a button in a secure and convenient way.
MediAvataar: How do you look at your competition?
Carl: Currently there are no direct competitors to biddi. Through the indirect competitors we get inspired by their creativity and ease of use and learn from them. At the end of the day, e-commerce has huge potential in the region and we can all learn from each other.
MediAvataar: What makes you unique?
Carl: Biddi.com is unique in a variety of ways. First, it gives small boutique owners the chance to share their offerings with people in the region, as well as giving them a voice to share and educate the region of their brand and how it was established and made. Second, the social engagement of store owners and users on biddi, makes the marketplace experience that much more exciting as users are able to communicate directly with store owners to customize their demands and inquire about latest designs and updates.
MediAvataar: How do you think the e-commerce space in the region evolving?
Carl: As I mentioned earlier, the potential in e-commerce is huge, especially in our region.
More and more the demand for online opportunities is increasing, the UAE itself has a large and mature online presence with almost the entire population online. The reason behind this is the ease of Internet facilities in the UAE and the huge mobile penetration that is second to none in the world. And most of all, it’s the ease of use. The true meaning of convenience is being able to shop while sitting on your couch at home, and just by few clicks your product is ordered and delivered to your doorstep.
MediAvataar: Please tell us more about the creating and selling ecosystem?
Carl: biddi creates an ecosystem for buyers and sellers to interact seamlessly and combines a community and marketplace in one single destination. Sellers can create virtual stores which they can manage and track through their ‘biddiboard’ and buyers can buy from rated sellers, and choose from brand new and used items that are up for sale. We’ve also tied up with payment gateways and a reliable shipping partner to ensure everyone gets an amazing, completely secure experience. The experience is like physically going to a store and speaking to a sales person, but it’s all happening virtually. We’ve taken that conversation online and that’s what makes us different – the social aspect.
MediAvataar: What made you initiate something like that?
Carl: The inspiration behind the original idea of biddi was to create a social marketplace that gives an online voice to local shop owners, so they could benefit from the rise of the ecommerce trend in the region. Furthermore, due to the growth of online shopping in the region, we felt that a fresh and social online marketplace was necessary in the UAE to allow buyers and sellers to connect and interact.
MediAvataar: How do you market the brand? What will be the plan for this year?
Carl: This year our plan is to create brand awareness and give a voice to store owners enabling them to have an online store and to promote their products to the UAE. We’re really focused on building our base and educating consumers on e-commerce as well as finding local talent that are creating unique and innovative products every day.
MediAvataar: Please take us through the creative process you follow to make the platform more appealing.
Carl: Most importantly, we listen to what consumers want. The process is continually evolving as we strive to have a truly intuitive experience for both buyers and sellers. One dimension of convenience is having an innovative, user friendly, website design and interface which will make the shopping experience more pleasing to the customer, so it’s about seeing behavoiur, identifying needs and being able to adapt.
MediAvataar: What’s there in the pipeline for the website?
Carl: We’d like to roll out into the region over the next year. We firmly believe that the region needs a new spin on ecommerce. There are many storeowners and local artisans, with incredible talent, making really interesting and unique products. We want to give them an online presence where they can showcase their talent and innovations, and grow and promote their businesses through a virtual store. By opening a store on biddi it will connect them to an entire region of consumers seeking diverse offerings.