Wednesday 24 / April / 2024
Muscat: Moving business towards e-commerce and digital platforms is the best way to grow as an entrepreneur, says a top official from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Talking exclusively to Times of Oman at the Oman E-commerce Conference that kicked off on Monday, September 16 and will run for two days at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mohsin Khamis Al Balushi, Advisor at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said that heading towards e-commerce will help SMEs to grow and be more creative in their business.
“The actual challenges local SMEs face are those of marketing; the costs of running a proper traditional shop; the financial costs of showcasing their products when they are shipped and the challenge of storing their products and moving them around the country. Therefore, moving towards e-commerce and digital platforms is the solution which is not only cost effective but also effective in terms of marketing and promotion
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“We could be sitting in any small village in the country, producing what we are doing in terms of ideas, services, products, and could reach to a larger audience through this platform with just a click via tablets, phones, computers, and so on. Moving towards e-commerce will connect us to our customers anytime and anywhere.
“I think this platform will also help people to be more creative in doing business rather sitting at their shops, showcasing their products and services at various exhibitions,” said Al Balushi.
He continued saying that there is no doubt that this platform will not only help SMEs and new start-ups at large but also create jobs. “People are still debating whether this will affect certain jobs or provide other job opportunities – I would say it will do both. We have to be a part of the international community and can’t isolate ourselves from where the world is heading to in terms of digitalisation,” Al Balushi added.
