Agility Helps Businesses Ramp Up Online Sales
Agility and partners have taken the initiative to help retailers and small businesses start or grow online sales through efficient, easy-to-build digital stores and easy-to-use shipping, fulfillment and delivery services.
Agility has formed partnership teams with online enabler ExpandCar and with Shipa, Agility’s digital innovation arm.
ExpandCart, a UAE company, lets small businesses and retailers move online quickly by building branded stores in English and Arabic, then plugging into the simple Shipa platform so they can manage first-mile, fulfillment, freight movements, customs clearance and last-mile deliveries.
Henadi Al-Saleh, Agility Chairperson and leader of Agility’s logistics venture strategy, said the partnership would help traditional retailers and others that have seen store traffic, in-person sales and overall revenue plummet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Al-Saleh said: “E-commerce and logistics have become lifelines to consumers who are confined at home and to businesses that have lost all or part of their in-store revenue.
“We’re seeing a surge in online sales across the region that could signal a permanent shift in the way people buy in the future. Companies must recognize the need to strengthen their online sales through trusted partners who can guide them and help them grow.”
Watch: Agility Sets Up JV for Ethical Procurement of COVID Supplies
The Agility partner group - Shipa Ecommerce, Shipa Delivery and ExpandCart – can help merchants and social sellers with no technical expertise establish online stores in as little as a couple of hours and choose their own shipping, fulfillment and delivery solutions so they can get up and running right away.
ExpandCart’s six-month free trial allows sellers and merchants to build their websites with mobile-responsive online templates available in Arabic and English.
Its suite of services including: integration with more than 20 payment and shipping options; digital marketing; handling and fulfilment; a point-of-sale system; branded native mobile apps; and after-sale service. The free trial is good for six months for customers who register during June 2020.
Shipa Ecommerce gives online merchants easy access to some of the world’s fastest-growing and most complex e-commerce markets with integrated freight, fulfillment, delivery and returns solutions across the Arabian Gulf, with additional reach into the EU and Africa in the near future.
Shipa Delivery offers businesses and consumers on-demand same-day, next-day or cross-border delivery across the Arabian Gulf. The platform is accessible by mobile or directly integrated with its business customers’ systems, and provides solutions to optimize for speed, convenience, and affordability.
Agility has invested more than $100 million in Shipa.com to allow businesses and consumers to manage freight, e-commerce and urban deliveries online.
Through the ExpandCart partnership, the company aims to help get more businesses trading online and across borders.
Read More: Retail Making a Shift Towards e-Commerce Globally
