UAE companies are in key position to take advantage of the next evolution in commerce, according to an official.
All thanks to “the availability of advanced network infrastructures and technology, positive government policies, educated workforces and investment liquidity,” added Etisalat vice-president marketing - enterprise solutions Abdulla Hashim at E-Commerce Forum.
Abdulla Hashim used the key note address to lay down a challenge to business owners and managers to develop strategies based on an All-IP, Broadband Everywhere future, where the consumer is a continuous participant in an endless series of negotiations and purchase decisions.
“Today’s consumer is no-longer the defensive, unwilling, target for marketing communications – but the active and omnipresent participant and collaborator in a perpetual series of ongoing negotiations involving themselves, friends and also – completely unrelated individuals and companies,” he said.
Etisalat’s Vice President described the evolution of trade and commerce from traditional retail outlets – commerce v1.0, through early electronic innovations to modern day, permission-based marketing which uses social networking sites such as Facebook.
“The future of commerce will be based on a consumer who is continuously connected with the world – with their friends, with the news and with pervasive and rich multimedia. This will be driven by interoperability of communications technologies – an All-IP future – and the advances in mobile data connectivity and the progression to Broadband Everywhere.”
“The UAE is highly rated amongst all the countries in the world for its level of technical advancement – not just in the Middle East. This means that companies in the Emirates have the opportunity to access the latest technologies first, giving them the opportunity to innovate rapidly. They are also able to tap into one of the largest electronic communities in the region valued at around Dh3.3bn in 2007 ,” said Hashim.
Etisalat revealed the latest research and statistics from the fields of electronic commerce and mobile commerce, and Abdulla Hashim explained how mobile financial services were taking off in emerging markets as successfully as might be expected in more developed countries.
“In Africa as well as Asia, mobile financial services are proving highly popular especially amongst those who have limited incomes and access to legal documents or transport to major population centres. We expect our mobile remittance services to the Philippines and to India will prove extremely popular with our customers and form good case studies for further projects.”
Etisalat’s Vice President predicted two changes that would be seen in the new evolution of commerce.
“One of the first changes we will see will be driven by Near Field Communications, effectively creating a form of electronic ‘Mobile Money’. The industry has already seen how the popularity of security hall-mark protected digital cash can be, such as E-Gold , now, with advances in mobile communications we will see more person-to-machine and person-to-person electronic cash movements without the need of an intermediary bank.”
Hashim also announced that the company is in the initial phases of a pilot project to launch a Near Field Communications solution with a UAE bank, details of which will be announced shortly.
“The mobile will be the key that unlocks the potential of e-commerce. Given that the mobile phone is with you wherever you go, and is your most convenient access device to the Internet and general connectivity, it is the most logical commerce tool for the future. It will interact with local wireless devices, providing you with information on products that you usually buy, or generally instructing the environment on how to make you in a mood to buy,” said Hashim.
Etisalat has constructed an All-IP Next Generation Network across the UAE and is in the process of laying the final cables to residences and office buildings. This will enable a television to operate as a telephone or Internet device, and vice versa.
“Electronic shops can be with us anywhere we go, either through widgets or other applications yet to be developed,” said Hashim. – TradeArabia News Service