E-commerce August 2021
E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the purchasing and selling of goods and services, the processing of payments over the internet. Business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), consumer-to-consumer, or consumer-to-business transactions are all possible functions.
E-commerce at its essence is a virtual shopping catalogue that offers products and services such as plane tickets and financial services (stock investing, online banking), and music and books. Statista has estimated that there are 2.14 billion online shoppers in the world, and it’s predicted to reach more than 6.5 trillion by the end of 2023. E-commerce is a huge part of the economy and is the fastest growing market trade.
Global e-commerce platforms like Amazon and eBay have risen in the last decade. Platforms that host e-commerce transactions include online marketplaces where sellers can simply join; software as a service (SaaS) solutions that allow consumers to rent online store; or open-source tools that enterprises can use in-house.
Customers can explore online stores and place orders for items and services using e-commerce platforms. It gives accessibility, availability, both local and international reach 24 hours a day. E-commerce has emerged as the greatest way to make products and services available globally.
We’ve seen an increase in e-commerce activity in Sudan, especially since COVID-19. Business owners have used platforms such as Oreeed, 3amir, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Business, WhatsApp Business and Soug al Sudan to reach their target audience in seconds and do business easily.
3amir, an online marketplace established in 2018, is an easy-to-use platform that enables sellers to promote, sell, and manage their products while providing customers with products from the local and global markets. 3amir provides sellers with effortless tools to increase their revenues and customer experience by handling the logistics of payment, marketing, customer care and delivery.
Oreeed, a Sudanese e-commerce and online shopping platform established in 2020, provides a variety of international and local brands and supports various payment methods so that products are one click away. The team at Oreed uses the latest technologies to connect customers with products from their favourite brands.
E-commerce is considered disruptive technology because it is shifting the way that consumer, industry, and businesses operate. For many businesses, the transition to e-commerce has been a challenge. But it is one that many have managed to overcome and have reaped the benefits of in terms of sales. Businesses all around the country are coping with the effects of the current economic situation, but e-commerce is an innovative way to broaden reach. E-commerce is helping businesses’ presence by providing them affordable and more structured distribution channels for their products and services. We believe that this is the future of small businesses in Sudan and hope to see more businesses on platforms like Oreeed , Soug al Sudan and 3ameer, where entrepreneurs are able to sell their products and provide their services online.
August Journal
- In this episode of “The Story Behind Innovation in Virtual Reality” ,we had the pleasure of sitting down with Abdalsalam Alhaj, Managing director at Rift Digital Lab, a Sudanese creative enterprise that promotes AR/VR and contributes to the creation of a thriving Digital community in Sudan.
Find out about Abdalsalam’s journey with Rift Digital Lab, and how they use extended reality technology to impact lives of individuals, while fortifying their digital presence
To see the interview check out our Facebook page and Youtube channel
- The multimedia project “Old Wishes – أُمنِيات قَديمة -“ revives the wishes of the Friends of Al-Sibayan magazine, the first magazine for youth in Sudan and the Arab world, and tracks the wishes that the children sent to the magazine from 1946 to 1988.
Artist and initiator of the project Abdalsalam Alhaj visited these children – who are now adults – more than sixty years later. In a video interview, he explores whether their wishes came to reality, what happened and asks how they have been affected by the reality of Sudan today.
A live exhibition that includes photography, documentaries, audio, virtual and augmented reality experiences of all the different stories of the project, will be held in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Sudan, Rift Digital Lab, AFAC – The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and curated by The Muse multi studios.
The mixed media exhibition will be available for viewing at Omdurman Cultural Centre from August 30th to September 3rd and at SAVANNAH Innovation Lab from September 5th to September 9th.
Suggestion of the Month
In continuation on our topic, e-commerce, this month we highly recommend “Bilail (بليل)” podcast with Mustafa Faiz produced by Rift Digital Lab. Mustafa spoke on the challenges that the Khodorgi team has faced when launching their business. Khodorgi is a farm to table online business that provides you with fresh vegetables daily without having to leave the comfort of your home.
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