For retailers, gaining trust is a deal-clincher

Dubai - Retailers must be prepared for anything customers throw at them: ECity CEO

Amidst the ever-growing competition in the consumer electronics sector, selling products has become more difficult as customers are increasingly well-informed about the products they aim for; as such, retailers have to be ready for anything thrown at them.
"You have to be well-prepared... otherwise, customers would buy online or even from the competition," Jaouad Dakir, CEO of ECity, told Khaleej Times on Thursday. "You need to give them a better experience. They want to touch and feel the product... they have to trust you."
Dakir was speaking on the sidelines of the opening of ECity's newest Bigbox Consumer Electronics Store at Dubai's Ibn Battuta Mall. The 2,000sqm retail outlet - the company's 10th in the UAE and one its biggest - marks a key milestone in ECity's ongoing expansion strategy in the local market.
He added that the company plans to open more stores in the UAE, including in Abu Dhabi soon. In Dubai, three outlets are being eyed next year, while one at Palm Jumeirah is currently under construction.
Dakir was joined by ECity officials Dirk Raemdonck, marketing and retail/business development manager, and Faisal Chaudhary, head of buying and merchandising.
He also said that multichannel retail "is the future", owing to its complementary nature of bridging brick-and-mortar outlets and online portals.
Dakir added that aside from smartphones, which has been dominating the scene, computers, smart TVs and lifestyle products are also "very important", owing to the idea that "everything is now connected".
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com