LNME
OP-ED
WELCOME TO THE ECOMMERCE BOOM Rita Huang, CEO of iMile writes how the rapid rise of eCommerce has been shaping transformations across the regional logistics industry
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urrently, we are in the middle of an eCommerce boom. In recent years, the eCommerce market in the Middle East has grown rapidly, further amplified by the global pandemic. This in turn has caused the logistics landscape to experience a pivotal shift, which has transformed the way we shop and ship across the region. 34 | LOGISTICS NEWS ME | OCTOBER 2021
A few key factors have provoked the rapid adoption of eCommerce. For starters, the Middle East has one of the youngest populations in the world, with more than 28% of people between the ages of 15-29. Given the population’s youth, rates of internet penetration are also some of the highest in the world. As rapid digitalisation swept over the region in recent years, eCommerce became
an imminent reality, redefining not only the consumer’s path to purchase, but the way our business models operate. For the logistics industry, readiness has been critical for success. A RIPPLE EFFECT And let’s not forget about the impact of COVID-19. The pandemic has played a key role in unlocking the potential of eCommerce by pushing people further online, creating a ripple effect across the retail, logistics and fintech industries. Prior to COVID-19, the region’s eCommerce sector was already one of the fastest growing in the world, however it still accounted for just 2% of the retail market in the region. Today, 80% of young people in the Middle East shop online frequently and 50% are shopping more online now WWW.CBNME.COM
