UAE’s next-gen ecommerce entrepreneurs and portals want a breakthrough

UAE’s next-gen ecommerce entrepreneurs and portals want a breakthrough

Dubai: A new generation of digital startups and entrepreneurs are trying to break into the UAE's ecommerce marketplace - and stop it from being a two-horse race. It won't be easy - despite recording bumper growth in 2020 as more shoppers picked up their needs and luxuries online, it's not a category where profits come easily. For every gains made by noon or Amazon, there have been casualties such as Awok. com. Then, there is the competition that the ecommerce ventures of UAE's traditional retail heavyweights - Majid Al Futtaim, Apparel Group, LuLu and Landmark - come up with. But even then, recent weeks show that some are willing to give it a try. "Becoming a profitable online marketplace is tough," said Nicolas Bruylants, co-founder of CNNB. "You have the likes of Amazon and noon as direct competitors, two companies that have very deep pockets that are fighting between themselves for marketshare by giving their customers the best price and experience, leaving little chance for other players. "But I believe there are still opportunities in the region for new kinds of marketplaces that address a specific vertical. For example, a marketplace that would focus on everything related to health, sleep