E-commerce: A wealth of opportunities for women
By Sofya Shamuzova / Khaleej Times
SOURCE: Khaleej Times - E-commerce: A wealth of opportunities for women
Nobody can predict exactly what technology will mean for the future. However, we can expect a lot of opportunities for both men and women. As technology is changing business-to-consumer transactions it's interesting to see how "women are increasingly more reliant on the Internet to make purchases, while men still prefer brick-and-mortar", highlights a 2018 report from First Insight.
In fascinating contrast, on the "running-the-business" side of this sector, it is not uncommon for a female entrepreneur to not receive funding for an e-commerce business idea because "investors simply presume that the women founders don't have technical knowledge" as stated Boston Consulting Group's study, Why Women-Owned Startups are a Better Bet.
Now we all know what wise people have said about assumption, don't we? If the female population of e-commerce users can contribute to robust business growth, there is a fair chance that women also have the foresight and aptitude to run an e-commerce business successfully.
Here is another interesting point reported by First Insight, "women have fuelled a demand for better mobile apps. Forty per cent of women report frequently using their phones to shop, compared with just 22 per cent on men". So, what does all this translate into for women entrepreneurs who want to dip their feet, and manicured nails, in e-commerce? In one word, opportunity.
The article, E-Commerce Industry Creating a World of Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs, presents a compelling point: "women are born multitaskers" and the "minimum investment, maximum profit" model in e-commerce business is apt for women entrepreneurs to start their businesses while working from the comfort of their homes'.
Global Media Insight reports that the "e-commerce market in UAE has witnessed a substantial increase during the period 2014 to 2018. In fact, from just $2.5 billion in 2014, the e-commerce market in the UAE is projected to reach $10 billion in 2018". Online regional payment platform PayFort reports that "the UAE's $27 billion e-commerce market and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's $22 billion market, will be the two largest markets dominating the region by 2020".
Source: khaleejtimes.com