A major online shopping site, Uaemall.com, has been approached by several major IT companies in the West and South-East Asia to help them set up similar online malls. Uaemall.com is one of the region's pioneer netshopping sites. Established in May 1999, it offers 128,000 products and services through distributors. It is the biggest online shopping mall in the Middle East, and claims to receive two million hits per month.

Recently National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) tied up with Uaemall.com to provide its services. An individual can open a bank account, apply for loans or credit cards and other banking services online. It is now extending technical support to a major German IT firm which expressed interest in acquiring its technical knowhow.

Managing Director Mohammed Seddiq Almutawa said, "Some major IT companies from Europe and South-East Asia have approached us to lend our expertise in building similar netshopping portals for them. We are now negotiating a deal with one of them in Germany, the name of which I cannot disclose right now.

"This is the first UAE-based portal to generate interest among Western companies, and we will be the first to lend technical support to them. "A Malaysian IT company has also expressed similar interest and we will also send a team shortly to assess their needs.

"This is a result of our expertise and a direct reflection of our popularity in the e-commerce field. We are going to lend expertise to the West on what we had learnt from them."
According to Almutawa, the site was developed by a group of IT professionals "to give the customer maximum options and bargains".

"We have created a platform for customers to choose the best products and services and for business organisations to offer their best prices in a single site. It gives the customer the widest possible choice for any kind of product. It is consumer-friendly and it educates a consumer on the product specification, availability, choices and pricing.

"Even if a customer doesn't buy through us, he is better informed about the products by just browsing through the site. They can take printouts and go to the stores and bargain for a better deal. "If a customer doesn't find a product, we have a suggestion box for him. We can source the product for him."

Almutawa said the payment terms for purchases through the site have also been simplified. "Our payment terms are very easy. A customer can opt for cash-on-delivery, a credit card payment or money transfer. For corporate clients we accept LPOs."

Almutawa said that his site caters only to UAE-based companies. "But we deliver goods outside the UAE. This way we are contributing to our economy as it encourages exports.

"If for instance a customer wants the best bargain for a Dubai-London-Dubai flight on economy class, our search engine will search for the best options and offer the best bargains within a few seconds. All you have to click on the 'buy' button. The ticket will reach your door two or three days later."