Consumers: Provides more alternatives to obtain goods at lower prices

“Qualifiers” at the end of the season raise the competition between “malls” and “online”

• Competitive discounts between traditional malls and electronic platforms aimed at attracting consumers.

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Recently, the country’s markets witnessed a remarkable competition between e-commerce platforms and outlets in shopping centers “malls” about the end-of-season offers or “qualifiers”, at a time when the rates of discounts in the stores of those centers ranged between 20 and 60%, and in e-commerce platforms “On” Line» between 40 and 90%.

Consumers told «Emirates Today» that this competition provides more alternatives to obtain goods at low prices, even if they are models of previous seasons, in what officials in the retail trade sector and shopping centers saw, that the competitiveness of discounts between traditional shopping centers and electronic platforms, aims to Attracting consumers, achieving higher sales quotas, and disposing of inventory before the end of the current year.

They pointed out the link between shopping patterns of a number of consumers with "malls", and their preference to buy from them, as a kind of "lifestyle" followed.

Consumer Reviews

In detail, consumer Ahmed Abdullah said, "The recent period witnessed expanded competitive manifestations between e-commerce platforms and a number of sales outlets regarding the end-of-season qualifiers, especially ready-made clothes, shoes, and furniture," noting that local markets witnessed unprecedented discounts.

In turn, the consumer, Siham Khattab, said that the end of the current season offers are different from any period of this year or last, due to the expanded competition between e-commerce sites and traditional outlets, especially in shopping centers.

She added that the reductions in a number of electronic shopping sites ranged between 40 and 90%, and in outlets within "malls" between 20 and 60%.

As for the consumer, Abdul Hamid Mahmoud, he confirmed that the competitive offers during the recent period, which was reflected in the rates of discounts compared to previous years, positively returned to families by providing options and alternatives, and obtaining goods at low prices.

In the same context, the consumer, Yasser Ibrahim, stated that the diversification and increase in the offers currently on the market, including the qualifiers and the end-of-season offers, provided consumers with an opportunity to obtain more discounts compared to the previous year, to buy gifts on the occasion of the New Year and holidays.

He pointed out that e-commerce platforms, especially in the ready-to-wear and footwear sector, offered extended discounts and cashback offers of up to 10% through vouchers for purchases.

"Lifestyle"

For her part, the Director of Corporate Communications at Mercato and Town Center Jumeirah, Nisreen Boustany, confirmed that the remarkable competitiveness between e-commerce platforms and sales outlets in the framework of “end-of-season” offers or even qualifiers is for the benefit of consumers, and does not affect Negatively on the demand for shopping centers, for several reasons, most notably the association of shopping patterns of a number of consumers with “malls”, and their preference to buy from them, as a kind of “lifestyle” or “lifestyle”.

She added that some people mix traditional methods with shopping through electronic platforms, but without relying completely on the latter, in addition to the continuity of a number of families' preference for shopping from "malls" because there are entertainment areas and restaurants during shopping operations.

Boustany confirmed that the multiplicity of discount offers in shopping centers, whether related to the "end of the season", or the Dubai Shopping Festival offers, and the accompanying entertainment events, was one of the motivating factors that increased the demand for commercial shopping centers, and contributed to supporting sales growth by rates exceeding about 30%. during the recent period.

She pointed out that the expansion of a number of stores in offering expanded discounts recently, keeping pace with the end of the Gregorian year, and consumers' preference to buy gifts during the current period, with the same outlets wishing to raise sales rates at greater rates before the end of the year.

Electronic trade

In turn, the head of “Al Bahar Consulting Company”, an expert on retail trade affairs, Ibrahim Al-Bahr, said that the current competition between e-commerce platforms and outlets, about end-of-season offers and “qualifiers” is an extension of the signs of the growth of the role of e-commerce, and the rise in its shares in the markets, which is Which has gradually increased the intensity of competition since the beginning of this year, within the repercussions imposed by the emerging pandemic of the Corona virus “Covid-19”.

Al-Bahr stressed that the high competition, in turn, contributed to the expansion of the rates of discounts, to attract consumers, to rates that are the largest, compared to even the years before the pandemic.

Al-Bahar explained that the increase in the discounts within the “end of the season” offers aims to obtain higher shares of market sales before the end of this year, and to dispose of stock in warehouses and stores, and to benefit from the periods of the current festive season, to attract consumers.

He stressed that the recent period witnessed a good conclusion for the retail sector, with the support of the offered offers, which contributed to raising sales rates by more than 30% compared to last year.

Shared benefits

The sales official in a chain of ready-to-wear stores in Dubai, Hani Samir, considered that the end-of-season offers that coincide with the end of the year period witnessed high competitiveness during the year 2021, with e-commerce platforms, which prompted a large number of sales outlets to keep pace with that competition, through Discount offers through its electronic platforms, in addition to the offers offered in traditional outlets. He added that these offers offer joint benefits, for consumers to obtain gifts and winter season supplies at low prices, and for stores to increase their sales rates.

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