WITH CONSUMERS FINDING NEW SOURCES TO PROCURE PRODUCTS AND ONLINE SALES CHANNELS SPRINGING UP, WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE TRADITIONAL IT RETAILERS?
aJ i Keswani, Sales Manager, Ashley I think that both channels — traditional and online — can work together. The market is huge and the best part of an online site is that you can get updates on the products very quickly. At Ashley we are really interested in the online concept and we have actually started this on our own website, which shows how serious we are. I don’t think the traditional retail channel will see these trends as a big challenge because every day you see a new retailer coming into the market. The entire industry’s eyes are on the retail sector and I am sure you will see many more retailers in the future.
aJ sem Al Roomi, Managing Partner, Buffalo AdvanTec Online is still not well-established in this part of the world. Buying online from other parts of the world, especially IT products, is not really practical because you don’t have the advantage of manufacturer warranties. Taking this into account, you need to have the right products at the right price with the right shopping experience. It is a simple formula and I am sure that consumers appreciate it very much. Regardless of the trends, there is still a big opportunity for the traditional retailers.
aHrrison Albert, Regional Sales Director, D-Link I think the physical stores are here to stay, at least for the next three years, because for an online or e-commerce business to really have an impact on the consumer in this region, the market needs to have very strong consumer protection laws and regulations related to online purchases and return of goods. Right now, consumers are not confident about online purchasing;a lot of people do their research online but they like to feel the product and learn from a sales person in a retail outlet before making a decision.
Sanjeev Gupta, Business Development Director, Razer If you have a good pricing strategy and your prices are uniform then people won’t buy across the markets. We are hearing about the web channels as a threat to retail channels, but I don’t think that is the case. In the broader spectrum of users there will always be some users who would like to buy online and some who prefer to buy through a retailer. The retailer really has to understand the value that it provides, whether that is through its assortment, its solutions or the ease of returns. It has to stock and it has to offer an experience. If you have a clear value you will have customers and business.
Christian Assaf, Channel Sales Manager MEA, Seagate I believe there is an opportunity for both [physical retail and online retail] — u j st look at Europe. There are people who like to go online and choose what they want to buy and others who like to buy the product off the shelf. Our markets haven’t really experienced this kind of online trend — the fear of fraud and using a credit card online seems to be the main concern. o Hwever, I do believe that in other markets retailers do both — they have an online division and they have retail outlets. Traditional retailers in the Middle East have to evolve their model, if not today then certainly in one or two years.
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