Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has officially launched an online marketplace through carrefouruae.com that provides the company’s shopping mall tenants and other businesses across the UAE with a new e-commerce channel to reach their customers.
The platform, which has been successfully piloted for six months with third-party sellers, is available on the popular Carrefour mobile app and website which draws millions of visits per month, making it one of the most visited e-commerce platforms in the UAE. A wide range of Majid Al Futtaim shopping mall tenants have already joined the platform, including Borders, LUSH, Tavola, Arabian Oud and Jacky’s.
Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim commented, “The new business environment that we are operating in is challenging us all to find solutions that benefit our partners, communities and society-at-large. At Majid Al Futtaim, we are working hard to support our stakeholders’ needs today, while putting in place initiatives that keep the economy moving and prepare us for tomorrow’s world.
“In preparation for the future of retail, we are accelerating our digital transformation and ensuring that a digitally integrated model is delivering innovative customer-centric solutions. Through this Carrefour-enabled marketplace, we are ‘going back to the future’ and replicating our traditional shopping model, where grocery retail and lifestyle brands are brought together in one location and customers can access everything they need. While this new destination is digital and is here to stay, the current situation highlights the true value of shared experiences in the physical world and we look forward to welcoming customers back to our assets soon.”
The marketplace on carrefouruae.com currently lists more than 250,000 products, with sales increasing by more than ten times in the last ten weeks, already reaching over 1,300 average daily orders. While the platform represents an opportunity for businesses to continue reaching their customers at this time, it also has the potential to enable significant growth for businesses looking to begin or expand their online offering and reach a much larger customer base.
As part of Majid Al Futtaim’s commitment to its partners during this challenging time, tenants who signed up have benefitted from commission free transactions during April and thirty days free last mile delivery. Commission free transactions will remain in place throughout May. Non-tenant sellers continue to have the advantage of competitive rates for selling on the marketplace.
A dedicated account management team has been formed to directly support businesses as they establish their presence on the e-commerce platform to become sellers and list their products. Within three to five days of signing up, brands will be able to list their products on carrefouruae.com, under the guidance of an experienced retailer with a robust e-commerce infrastructure. Aramex is the official logistics provider for the marketplace sellers who require a reliable and efficient last mile delivery experience for their customers.
In addition, customers will be able to use SHARE, Majid Al Futtaim’s lifestyle rewards programme, to pay at checkout for marketplace items.
