Zbooni aims to help small and medium enterprises overcome challenges related to setting up an online presence. The app allows merchants to easily conduct customer transactions via preferred social media and chat services, such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. The company uses advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to protect merchants and their customers.
By and large, entrepreneurial ideas spring from personal experience or observation about a particular gap in the market. Such was the case of Ramy Assaf, co-founder and CEO of Dubai-based social commerce platform, Zbooni.
Officially launched in 2017, Zbooni aims to help small and medium enterprises overcome significant challenges related to setting up an online presence. The initial concept for Zbooni was relatively straightforward: A digital platform to enable businesses to capture customers and convert transactions and payments via social channels. And, under Assaf’s skilful leadership, Zbooni (meaning “my customer” in Arabic) has quickly evolved from an idea into a startup with a fully integrated cCommerce platform that enables a real-time checkout experience for customers. Today, the Zbooni app allows you to discover gems of businesses around you, ‘chat to shop’, and connect with brands that provide an enjoyable shopping experience. The app is developed to allow merchants, particularly SMEs, to easily conduct customer transactions via preferred social media and chat services, such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.
Ramy Assaf, co-founder of Zbooni and CEO of the company, shares information about cCommerce marketplaces, what they can do for your company, and how they can help you grow.
What is the business model behind Zbooni?
Zbooni is a cCommerce (connected commerce) platform that enables businesses to turn the strength of social and messaging channels into a powerful way to engage customers, accept payments and sell seamlessly. With a trackable sales dashboard and convenient invoicing and remarketing tools, Zbooni’s cCommerce solutions are an essential part of the business toolkit. From fashion brands to food, professional services to padel tennis, cCommerce is suitable for many different strands of business.
Why would a newly established company use Zbooni as a business management tool?
Starting a new business can be challenging, especially in terms of cost management and finding the right tools and expertise to help your business succeed. Building a website, selecting a payment provider, and choosing the best tools for analytics, invoicing, and re-marketing can be overwhelming for a newly established company. Zbooni fills that void.
Zbooni is an all-in-one business solution suitable for businesses of all sizes, from small mom-and-pop operations selling cookies on Instagram to friends to medium-sized companies offering products and services to large enterprises like Chalhoub and Tryano. For any new business, it’s crucial to have the best tools to generate sales and help it grow. Zbooni is the perfect solution, offering a range of features and tools that can help you manage your business effectively and drive sales. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for a while, Zbooni is a great tool to help you succeed.
How safe is a cCommerce platform like Zbooni?
If you’ve used platforms like Amazon and Shopify, you’ve probably already come across a lot of similar technology that is used to keep tech business platforms secure. We comply with the PCI DSS (payment card industry data security standard) in all our processes. We also use solutions like advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to protect merchants and their end customers. This includes strong know-your-customer (KYC) checks, anti-money laundering (AML) and fraud prevention via World-Check.
What is a cShop, and what are the benefits of having one?
Having a cShop for your business can provide a range of benefits that can help you reach more customers and increase sales. A cShop is a single place where you can showcase all your products, making it easy for customers to browse and purchase from your business.
Setting up a cShop takes just a few minutes to get your page ready to share on social media, databases, and via messaging channels like WhatsApp. One of the key advantages of a cShop is that it is a free and cost-effective way to get your products and services online, allowing you to reach a wider audience and increase sales. Moreover, you can also feature your products through collections, such as sales items, seasonal items, and personalized collections curated for specific customers. Overall, a cShop is an excellent way to showcase your products and services to a broader audience and drive sales for your business.
Convenience is the secret sauce of digital businesses. How does mobile invoicing fit into small businesses?
Mobile invoicing is a real-time way for small businesses to keep track of their business on the go. A mobile invoicing solution stores all your invoicing information on a dashboard that can be accessed from any device, allowing you to manage your business from anywhere. This convenient, on-the-go solution can be used by single or multiple users, making it easy for small businesses to stay organized and manage their invoicing needs.
Mobile invoicing also reduces the need for businesses reliant on POS machines to carry one everywhere for physical orders, doorstep deliveries, and events. Instead, they can simply use their mobile device to process orders and payments. Overall, mobile invoicing is a powerful tool that can help small businesses stay organized and manage their business more effectively.
What analytics can be derived from cCommerce platforms? Are the leads re-marketable?
cCommerce platforms provide rich data that merchants can tap into. Among these are trends regarding customers’ shopping habits, the products that they have purchased, and the times and days that they tend to shop. This data can help businesses understand the peak seasonality of certain products or services, curate personalized collections for individuals or broader groups, and identify the best-selling products and underperforming items.
Additionally, cCommerce data can be used to retarget and recapture lost orders through abandoned cart campaigns, keep track of payments and refunds, and make data-driven decisions to improve overall performance.
How can customers maximize the potential of cCommerce?
Businesses can maximize the potential of cCommerce platforms by using it as a bridge that connects all of your sales touchpoints into one shop front, making it easy for customers to browse and purchase from your business. cCommerce platforms like Zbooni allow users to bring the retail experience and personal touch that is often missing from traditional eCommerce.
With cCommerce, end customers can interact with businesses and even close a deal, negotiate on price, or receive a discount. This is especially useful for businesses that offer products or services that require personalization, such as bespoke fashion or household items, events, or training.
According to recent data, 87% of shoppers believe that social channels help them make a shopping decision, and 53% of shoppers say they would rather buy from companies they can speak to via chat or social media. Businesses that use cCommerce platforms like Zbooni have an 81% conversion rate on sales, and cCommerce basket values are typically 2.7 times higher than traditional eCommerce.
How will cCommerce marketplaces evolve in the future?
The future of cCommerce is human and hyper-personalized. eCommerce has gone down the route of chatbots, but people are already tired of conversing with faceless technology. Instead, they demand an inherently human experience, which is where cCommerce will thrive on such personal touch.
cCommerce is ideally geared for the future of retail, whether that is a physical store, online shop or metaverse. It allows real conversations between people to easily convert into actionable sales for a business.
We envisage that wherever a customer needs help with a shopping experience, wants to ask questions, or requires personalization, that cCommerce marketplaces will be at the forefront of brand experience.
What advice would you give anyone looking to launch a start-up?
I would encourage people who are thinking about starting their own business, to just do it. It’s gonna take a lot of energy, and you’re not getting any younger. We often get caught up with worrying about what might go wrong or what challenges we might face. Usually, there’s not much benefit to that. If you have a strong conviction and belief in your own resilience, then get started. Nothing is as important as winning your first customers, learning, and taking it one step at a time.
Ramy Assaf
Ramy Assaf is the co-founder and CEO of Zbooni. His vision and business strategy have helped propel the company through the development of business and new products, the acquisition of thousands of merchant businesses, its expansion across multi-territories including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, building a dynamic and talented cross-jurisdictional team, and the scaling to a multimillion-dollar revenue organization. His experience as part of Middle East Venture Partners in selecting appropriate companies for investor funding has enabled Zbooni to become one of the region’s best-capitalized startups. Its latest funding came in September 2021 with the closing of a US$9.5 million Series A round. Prior to founding Zbooni, Ramy held a variety of business development, marketing, and venture capital roles. In the years leading up to his career, he studied Business Administration and Political Science, graduating from the University of California Riverside.