Al Hokair
Virtual shopping centre in just three weeks
Having to close 1,750 stores overnight, the pandemic brought this leading retailer to its knees. Emakina stepped in to help Al Hokair adapt from bricks and mortar stores to virtual shopping using the e-commerce solution best suited to this challenge: Shopify.
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The challenge
Gulf shopping centres are sought-after destinations, not just for tourists but for locals too. Shoppers in the Middle East visit malls twice a week – something that’s unique compared to the rest of the world. With one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year approaching (Ramadan and Eid), a COVID-19 lockdown couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The 200 brands distributed by the group found themselves without any sales channel in a region with very strong purchasing power. An e-commerce system was becoming vital. Al Hokair turned to Emakina with a crazy challenge: to create a virtual shopping centre in less than three weeks.
Our solution
Emakina's teams started to design an online sales platform from scratch. Collaborating with Al Hokair’s teams and its brands, our Fast Delivery Checklist methodology enabled us to prioritise our efforts by focusing exclusively on the immediate business impact. In just 14 working days, we put a Shopify-based site online in English and Arabic. Among the brands initially present were Okaïdi, Mango, La Vie en Rose, Aldo, Springfield and Flormar. The site was fully integrated with logistics flows and various local payment partners.
The results
Emakina provided Al Hokair with a ready-to-use digital marketing device enabling them to concentrate on their core business. Building on this successful experience, the group eventually onboarded 50 different brands.
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14working days
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2languages
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30+brands