Under the Patronage of H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Al Zayani the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, the eCommerce Conference for SME's which shall highlight the topic of “Business Digital Transformation" launched today Tuesday 23rd November 2021 and will be continued till Wednesday 25th November 2021 in Crowne Plaza Hotel and attended by participants from several small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs, either through physical attendance or virtual attendance via ZOOM platform.
The conference began with presenting a speech by H.E. Mr. Zayed R. Al Zayani the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, in which he explained the importance of continuing to organize these events that are aimed to encourage owners of small and medium commercial enterprises towards the digital transformation that the world is witnessing today through creating a link between entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium enterprises and those interested in the field of eCommerce to discuss the most important developments of technical solutions and eCommerce tools.
From this perspective, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, will introduce initiatives related to the national strategy to support eCommerce in the Kingdom of Bahrain and to contribute in encouraging the adoption of the latest eCommerce tools to enable commercial enterprises to move towards entrepreneurship and innovation. The combined efforts of government and private agencies will contribute to increase awareness of procedures and facilities, enhance competitiveness for the sustainability of small and medium enterprises, and move towards their expansion into global markets.
In this context, His Excellency indicated that “given the Kingdom of Bahrain's advanced and secure infrastructure in the communications and information technology sector, this has resulted in a rapid and remarkable transformation in eCommerce, as it has become increasingly popular, which has caused a remarkable qualitative leap in electronic stores. The local economic indicators also showed that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are one of the fastest growing eCommerce markets in the world. The eCommerce sector's sales witnessed a tremendous growth of $24 billion for the year 2020, and the eCommerce market in the GCC countries is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 20% between 2020-2022, according to the latest update from Kearney, which is a global management consulting firm with offices in more than 40 countries worldwide. And considered one of the top companies in administrative and strategic consultations.
As for the Kingdom of Bahrain, it is expected that the annual rate of its electronic markets will grow by 27.3% by 2022, which is a unique opportunity for Bahraini merchants to develop their e-businesses locally and internationally, according to the MEASA eCommerce Landscape report prepared by Dubai CommerCity in June 2021,which is the first dedicated eCommerce free zone in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA)."
And then, the conference began with more than 500 participants in both physical and online platform via zoom, in which the first panel discussion entitled “eCommerce Solutions" began with Mr. AbdelKarim Abu Jaber, Territory Sales & Channel Manager from Microsoft Bahrain and Oman, by raising the topic of “Becoming Digital", and then the Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) highlighted on "Digital Solutions for Small Enterprises in the Kingdom of Bahrain" presented by Mr. Abubaker Bassam Bukhowa , Enterprise Digital Products Manager in the Company's Commercial Sector. The panel discussion was continued by hosting Mr. Munther AlArayedh, Managing Director of HA Consultancies, added the experience of his leading company in the field of providing eCommerce solutions. In the conclusion of the panel, Mrs. Abeer Ali, Business Development Manager at Maroon Frog, presented the topic of "Digital Marketing Strategies" and its importance in the field of eCommerce for SME's.
The second panel discussion covered the topic “ePayment and banking services" and began with the presentation of BENEFIT Company presented by Mr. Ahmed Fuad Al-Mahri, Senior Manager of Business Development, which he discussed “Wallet and ePayment gateway". The conversation continued with CrediMax with Mr. Ali AlMeshal, Head of Digital Business and Innovation, who highlighted the importance of adding a digital partner and ePayment gateways for SME's. While Mrs. Amira Ismail Mohamed, Head of Acquiring Bahrain and Oman Operations, from Arab Financial Services Company (AFS), and she introduced to the visitors the latest technologies in the field of "eInvoices " and how it facilitate the electronic services in the field of ePayment for commercial establishments. The second panel discussion concluded with Mr. Ahmed Alaradi Head of Business Development in Tap Payments company, presenting his company's success experience in the field of ePayment.
The conference will be accompanied by an exhibition for the companies and commercial establishments to present the most prominent projects and online solutions, and to provide exclusive packages and offers for SME's owners.
