The development of technology is an inherent feature of this era, and this development is accompanied by changes in lifestyle and increase in facilities in various fields. Human beings provide means of comfort and renewal for everyday life. For example: He can now buy products just by clicking a button on his smartphone or through a computer screen, saving time and energy by not having to go through the hassle of shopping.
This development is known as e-commerce, which is defined as the process of buying and selling products and services over the Internet. We often hear the term “online store”, which is a platform or website for buying and selling goods over the Internet, whether those goods are services, products or information.
Given the huge revolution in the digital economy, creating an online store and entering the world of e-commerce is one of the best investment ideas. There are two main reasons for this:
The first is the sheer size of the e-commerce market, including in the Arab world. The e-commerce market in the Arab world is estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars, although its small number of stores means there are many huge opportunities to capitalize on.
• The second is that the cost of creating an online store is relatively low compared to a traditional store From renting or buying a shop to sell and store and get permits to pay for operating expenses like electricity, water, internet and other expenses.
One of the most famous electronic stores in the world is Amazon, which is an e-commerce and cloud computing website headquartered in Washington, USA. It is the world’s largest Internet-based online retailer in terms of total sales and market value.
There is also the Jumia store, because Jumia is an African online shopping company for electronics, fashion, etc., established in Lagos, it is the largest online store in Africa and the Arab region, and the most popular online store for Egyptians.
Speaking of this, you may think, facing fierce competition from Amazon, Jumia, etc., is it a successful and applicable idea to build an online store and enter the e-commerce market within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? !
In order to know the correct answer, you must understand the pros and cons of human traffickers. In order to benefit from and grow the positives, avoid the negatives and find solutions to any problems you may have while creating your online store.
Advantages of Buying from Amazon Saudi Arabia Ecommerce Platform
- Get free shipping when you buy Amazon products with an Amazon Prime subscription, Amazon’s paid subscription that gives users access to additional services that aren’t available to regular Amazon customers, or are specifically available.
- One-day express service to major cities including Mecca, Medina, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Taif and Khobar. And free shipping within two days to all other parts of the Kingdom.
- Exclusive deals for Amazon Prime membership holders, especially during holidays and special occasions.
- Free shipping from the US and the United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia.
- Prime Video service, which includes a large collection of Arabic and foreign movies and TV series.
- Excellent customer service; you can get help from Amazon Saudi Arabia customer service 24/7.
- Shipping and return policies are in place.
- Amazon contains a large number of items in various categories.
- Enables the customer to track his purchases.
- Customers get the Amazon Guarantee, which protects customers against products arriving late, products arriving damaged, or customers wanting to return products because they don’t fit.
Cons of Buying from Amazon
- For a small amount of money you get a 10-year product warranty, whereas with dropshipping you only get one year.
- The price of the product fluctuates greatly. After the product is displayed for a period of time, the price may rise or fall.
- The number of items shipped directly is less than the number of items shipped through an intermediary company between Amazon and the buyer.
- Amazon Prime is expensive.
Advantages of Buying from Jumia Ecommerce Platform
- It offers a wide range of products of the highest quality, including electronics, mobile phones, homeware, accessories, fashion, and more.
- Exchanges and returns are provided within 14 days from the date of receipt.
- Offers Jumia deals, coupons and discount codes.
Disadvantages of the Jumia e-commerce platform
- Some products are poorly packaged.
- It is very difficult to return a product if a manufacturing defect is found.
- Money in bank accounts is difficult to get back.
- Electronic products that are not sealed and unpacked cannot be returned; if they have packaging and are not damaged, they can be returned.
The most important criteria to consider when creating an online store
So that you can compete with the most famous online stores in a professional and powerful way, I present to you the most important criteria that you must consider when creating an online store:
1. Design your store for smartphones
Design your online store in a way that is suitable for use via mobile; be able to reach the maximum number of customers anytime, anywhere.
(Related article: 5 Reasons to Make Your Online Store Smartphone Compatible)
2. Add a search bar
Designed to provide customers with an easy and smooth shopping experience, driving them to spend more time in your store, thereby enhancing their comfort and loyalty to your store than others.
(Related article: The Importance of Search Bars on Ecommerce Sites)
3. Enable voice search
Statistics show that a large number of shoppers prefer voice searches over written ones. Save time and energy.
(Related article: Voice Search in Ecommerce Projects)
4. Activate chatbot or automated chat
A chatbot is an automated chat process that takes place between a human and a machine, where the bot is responsible for responding to customer messages based on artificial intelligence. When this feature is available, customers can instantly and quickly respond to any questions or inquiries they need.
(Related article: Live Chat Rooms in Ecommerce: Best Practices and Top Tips for Delivering Great Service)
5. Publication of Privacy Policy and Return Policy
In the world of e-commerce, products may be returned or exchanged, so privacy and return policies must be in place before launching a store to customers.
(Related article: 5 Questions You Need Answered to Create the Perfect Returns Policy for Your Online Store)
6. Provide multiple payment methods
This is for the convenience of the customers, which helps in gaining the maximum number of potential customers.
7. Add cart button on all pages
This helps customers ease through the buying process, especially when purchasing more than one product.
8. Choose the right name for your online store
Getting a name for your online store is not easy; therefore, don’t try to find the perfect name. If you provide valued service to your customers, they’ll remember your online store’s name even if they haven’t heard it before.
An easy-to-spell name for your online store should be relevant to the products you offer, and it’s best to name your online store the same as your brand name with a domain suffix (.com) as it is more popular than other domains and reliable.
When you are familiar with the above basic criteria before opening an online store, and understand the nature of competing online stores, take advantage of their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, you will surely be able to successfully create an online store in the presence of many competitors such as Amazon and Jumia stores. Understanding the nature of the market before entering it is key to your success in your eCommerce project.