The Week in eCommerce: Week 39 (Sep. 26 – Oct. 02, 2021)

Welcome back to your Weekly Wrap-Up! Expo 2020 Dubai and the international Seamless Middle East 2021 conference have had the largest share of this week’s news of the latest updates in the field of e-commerce.

The two exhibitions witnessed several events, during which new technological innovations and government facilities were announced to enhance e-commerce and support its smoothness in the region.

During this new weekly report, we’ll highlight the highlights of this hot news and innovations.

Check it all out for us!

New Family Member: “Talabat” Celebrates the Launch of Talabat Kitchen at Expo 2020 Dubai

The region’s leading food delivery and e-commerce platform, Talabat, celebrated the launch of its modern and innovative kitchen, Talabat Kitchen, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Expo 2020 Dubai.

The smart kitchen, powered by robots, was launched by Ammar Al-Barzanji, Senior Vice President, Treasury, and Commercial Affairs at Expo 2020, in the presence of “Onur Elgun”, Talabat representative in the Middle East and North Africa.

During the opening ceremony, coffee cups made by the automatic coffee maker of the Talabat stand were presented to the attendees.

Talabat revealed the technologies used in its kitchen and the different delivery modes that were first introduced at Expo 2020, stressing that it is preparing to serve millions of visitors via autonomous delivery robots to e-scooters, smart food, and grocery lockers.

It is noteworthy that the Talabat platform is the official food delivery provider during the Expo 2020 held in Dubai.

Ajman Free Zone (AFZ) Launches New Packages and Announces Facilities to Support E-Commerce

Ajman Free Zone (AFZ), during its participation in Seamless Middle East 2021, announced the launch of new packages, exclusive offers, and facilities on its registration and licensing packages for entrepreneurs and merchants to support the e-commerce industry.

The Ajman Free Zone offers an exemption from registration fees for companies in the e-commerce sector, as well as a special package for start-ups worth 5,600 dirhams to help them start their businesses at slightly lower costs.

“Ali Al Suwaidi”, Director General of Ajman Free Zone, said: 

“Ajman Free Zone houses more than 9,000 companies across all industries and is known for its attractive environment suitable to ensure the success of all types of businesses, including those in e-commerce.” 

To further support their business expansion, we offer Special packages as well as comprehensive assistance and value-added services. This is part of our commitment to strengthening the local e-commerce sector as an active participant in Seamless Middle East 2021.”

“Astro”: Amazon Launches a Robot to Work at Home

The global e-commerce company, Amazon, has announced the manufacture of a dog-like home robot named “Astro” in cooperation with Walt Disney. Astro robot is designed to perform certain tasks indoors, such as home monitoring, routines, and reminders, and it can also play music and TV shows while on the go.

Amazon offers its new smart device with an initial price of $999.99 and a commercial price of about $1,449.99. Every year, the American company launches a number of new gadgets and smart devices, including sunglasses with voice control and a drone at home.

After Government Demands, “Alibaba” Applications Provide The Option To Pay WeChat Pay

China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has started offering online payment options via Tencent Holdings Ltd’s popular Chinese app WeChat on a number of its apps.

The move comes after the Chinese government ordered all major technology companies to stop blocking each other’s services and links.

Users of Alibaba’s food delivery app Ele.me, luxury goods app Kaola and e-book app Shuqi can now purchase goods via WeChat Pay, one of China’s most popular online payment options.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology asked internet companies to end the longstanding practice of blocking each other’s links and services on their sites. Such practices have prevented app users from seamlessly jumping into services between competing companies.

Accordingly, days later, Tencent’s WeChat messaging app began allowing users to access links from competing platforms.

New Expansion: “EZDubai” Expands With 4 Facilities to Facilitate E-Commerce

The free zone entirely dedicated to e-commerce, “EZDubai”, announced the establishment of 4 additional facilities for it with the aim of meeting the increasing demands, in conjunction with expectations that local e-commerce will contribute 12 billion dirhams ($ 3.3 billion) to the gross domestic product within the next few years.

The Dubai Media Office confirmed that the four new facilities will span an area of ​​270,000 square feet in addition to the 1.3 million square feet that have already been developed and delivered.

This announcement came on the sidelines of the company’s participation in the Seamless Middle East 2021 exhibition held at the Dubai World Trade Center in line with the goal of the UAE to become the fastest-growing e-commerce market in the Middle East.

The EZDubai Free Zone is located in the logistics district of Dubai South and was launched in January 2019 as part of Dubai’s goals to establish itself as a global e-commerce hub.

These were the highlights of the 39th week related to e-commerce and entrepreneurship in the MENA region!

Wait for our report next week; To see all the latest in e-commerce first hand. ✌️💙