E-Businesses constitute one among the fastest growing businesses in the UAE, with more and more UAE residents and national investing in the e-commerce realm. Currently, UAE leads the GCC in e-commerce growth and in 2015, the number of B2C e commerce in the MENA region reached an estimated height of $15 Billion rising from $9 Million from 2012, according to recent surveys from Frost and Sullivan and web-design company Go-Gulf.
Commenting on the rapid growth of the e-commerce industry in UAE and the GCC at large, Adham Saleh, the CEO of EZHeights stated: “e-commerce has definitely increased in popularity over the past five years, and more services are being offered on e-business websites and mobile platforms, making the user experience easier and better.”
However, Saleh added, “e-commerce still has a long way to go to get on par with the retail trade as it is very hard to compete with the shopping experience in the malls in Dubai. However, the growth has been promising and will continue to burgeon.”
Saleh continues to be a key player in the e-commerce market, encouraging more UAE-based entrepreneurs to follow suit and enter the field of e-commerce.
What makes UAE a great place for e-business?
According to Adham, the future for e-commerce is bright in the UAE. “We have great internet access across the UAE, the highest smart phone penetration in the world, and as people become more confident at the prospect of using their credit cards online, it will only get better and better,” said Adham. Given that the UAE government has launched several initiatives launched to make e-commerce payment gateway to government services easier, making online transactions have become far easier as compared to before.
Acorss the GCC, residents use EZHeights for real estate, job search, automobile purchase, and purchase of used furniture, in that order.
Small beginnings
“Growing up in the UAE, and knowing the market quiet well, I found that there is a huge gap in the classifieds market. Sections that suffered in online classifieds were- job classifieds, provision of quality services, used products, real estate and jobs. Understanding the culture, and having a keen understanding of what people are looking for, helped me form EZHeights,” said Adham.
He added, “I think growing up in Dubai, and witnessing the transition of it becoming one of the most popular cities in the world, has given me the inspiration to become an entrepreneur. The environment is great, creating businesses and looking for support is easy as well.”
After completion of his school-life in the UAE, Adham pursued his Bachelors in Univeristy of Manchester, UK and completed his Masters in Pharmacy, and MBA from Imperial College in UK.