Meet Dhari AlAbdulhadi, founder of Ubuy
My name is Dhari AlAbdulhadi and I founded Ubuy in Kuwait, 2012, because I saw the vast potential of the international ecommerce market and felt that it could be brought to new heights. I was born and raised in the Middle East and the region has always had impressive growth potential, that I felt was not being expanded upon. I noticed very quickly that online consumers were drastically hindered in their shopping by barriers such as language issues, inconvenient payment methods and country-wide unavailability. I began formulating a solution to the problem and in my mind it was simple: create a platform that supports the consumer, whether they are from Kuwait or the United Kingdom.
Today, I am the proud founder and CTO of Ubuy which has grown into one of the most popular international shopping platforms, offering millions of products from thousands of brands across multiple categories. The company has also expanded its operations into countries such as India, Egypt and South Africa, establishing itself in the European market, in the UK, Ireland, Germany and further afield. It has been an incredible journey, building a company from the ground up and seeing the fruits of our labour reap such personal and professional rewards has outmatched even my own expectations.
What does your business offer its target audience?
Ubuy is operational across 180 countries and our core focus is to give our customers access to an enormous range of products at competitive prices. We understand that for some, the online shopping experience can be inconvenient. Alternative payment methods and language settings are just two of the major contributing factors to a stressful experience and many platforms don’t offer a large database of languages or region specific payment options. Ubuy does exactly what it claims to do, by placing you at the start. We ensure our website is user-friendly, as is the mobile app. People should not be denied access to the items they require, simply because of cross-border politics, so Ubuy accepts 220 forms of payment, in 81 different languages.
What's the most common problem your customers approach you with?
You always want to provide your customers with the best possible service and at Ubuy we have always strived to meet those high expectations, placed on us not just by the consumer, but also by ourselves. Sometimes our customers come to us with issues relating to international shipping and product delivery, as extended arrival times often result from the rules and regulations set out by individual countries. It’s a pleasure to assist in this area, as this was one of the issues at the core of the decision to establish Ubuy. Consumers were having trouble navigating the purchasing of products due to cross-border complications. Ubuy lays it out as clearly and simply as possible so that any confusion that arises, can be resolved quickly and you get what you need.
What plans do you have for Ubuy over the next two years?
We are looking excitedly to the future and over the next two years, Ubuy has an ambitious plan to grow the customer base, expand our offering and reach new markets. We will be incorporating innovative new products and services that will further the customer experience and also plan to utilise the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. In addition, we will be focusing on expanding our global presence by entering new markets and significantly increasing our presence in existing ones. Finally, we aim to develop partnerships with other businesses to help us reach more customers and further develop our services.
How does technological advancement speak to the strategic direction of your business?
Today’s technological advancements have enabled businesses to widen their nets and reach their customers with increased efficiency. Because of this, companies need a broad understanding of how technology can be leveraged to advance and stay ahead. At Ubuy, technology has empowered our message of putting the consumer at the heart of our decision-making, by helping us reach our customers. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, we can create more personalised experiences for our customers and ensure that they are getting the best value from every purchase. Furthermore, we can also use analytics to gain insights into customer behaviour and preferences, enabling us to optimise our operations.
Is word of mouth working to your advantage?
Word-of-mouth is considered to be one of the most powerful marketing tools available to businesses today. At Ubuy, we understand the importance of word-of-mouth and have made every effort to use it to our advantage. Any business that does not recognise how crucial word-of-mouth marketing is, is failing to leverage a vital entrepreneurial tool. Plain and simply if a consumer likes a product or service they will spread the word and on and on it goes, increasing sales and boosting the company profile.
To maximise on word-of-mouth marketing we run campaigns and promotions to encourage customers to share their positive experiences with others in their network. I really can’t emphasise enough how important it is in forging a sustainable business and it is a model we will continue to use as Ubuy grows.
Does your company help the community that you're located in?
At Ubuy, we are very conscious of giving back to the communities we are operating within and we have always aimed to be a socially responsible company, committed to making a positive impact. We recognise that our continued success is intertwined with the well-being of our communities and we have taken an active role helping those who have not been as fortunate. Our initiatives include the provision of financial assistance, educational resources, and job opportunities. We have also partnered with several local organisations and we work with them to help achieve their goal of improving the lives of the people who live in the area.
Describe your business in three words.
Innovative
Convenient
Global
Tell us about your journey into this market.
It all started when we noticed there was a definite gap in the market for a new, innovative cross-border ecommerce platform. Ubuy's journey into this market began with a focus on providing customers with an easy-to-use shopping experience backed by exceptional customer service. Ubuy invested heavily in developing its technological infrastructure and expanding its product range to achieve this goal. The company also worked hard to build relationships with global suppliers and partners, allowing us to offer competitive prices for quality products worldwide. It was incredibly important to us that we have a significant global reach. Initially we only had five employees and worked exclusively from Kuwait. Now we have over 240 employees, we ship to 180 countries and a presence in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the America’s. Similarly, whereas at the beginning we could offer language settings in 10 different dialects, now, consumers have a language database of 81, including some lesser known, region specific languages.
Over the past few years, Ubuy has successfully established itself and is driven by its commitment to offering customers an unbeatable shopping experience every time they visit the site, with a wide selection of over half-a-billion products and a dedicated customer service team ready to assist shoppers.
What's the biggest risk to your business and why?
As a business, Ubuy faces various risks that can seriously impact its operations and financial performance. From the threat of competitive disruption to the risk of cyber-attacks, Ubuy, like all companies, needs to be prepared for anything. Certainly, one of the international ecommerce industry's biggest dangers right now is data privacy issues and security breaches.
As customers become increasingly aware of their data being collected and used, they are likely to be wary of companies that don't take data security seriously. This could lead to a decrease in customers for Ubuy and an overall decrease in revenue, as well as distress for the consumer, but at Ubuy, we are committed to making the platform secure. The key here is transparency and swift action.
Why do you think your business has had such a positive impact across your industry?
Ubuy has been a game-changer in the global e-commerce industry. We have cornered a gap in the market and made cross-border online shopping, particularly in the Middle East, significantly easier and pain-free. We have also taken moves to personalise the customer experience and hope that it becomes common practice for other ecommerce platforms to similarly engage with their clientele. We strive to truly understand our consumer-base, first by researching the needs of our valued customers and then providing them with exactly what they are looking for. The quality of our products, the depth of our research, the analytics and large, cross-border database has allowed us to stand out from the competition. We are also constantly trying to elevate the sector by innovating and evolving our platform to advance ecommerce as a whole.
