Oman’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) and the Information Technology Authority (ITA) will together ensure that Oman keeps track of the latest e-commerce developments in the market, to ensure that the country can adapt to such changes accordingly.
The announcement was made at the Oman e-commerce conference, which saw the participation of more than 40 local and international companies, as well as 50 speakers from different countries.
Bader Al Lawati, an academic researcher in digital technologies, said: "The conference comes at an important time with the government's orientation and the efforts of the MoCI and ITA to keep pace with the global technological developments.
It comes parallel to the vision of Oman 2040, especially after Royal Decrees were issued over investment laws such as the foreign capital investment law and the commercial companies’ law. The e-commerce department has also been established at the ministry to deal with and develop e-commerce."
He added: "E-commerce started 25 years ago as an idea of selling from a seller to a buyer only. Today, the term e-commerce refers to everything that happens online, such as exchanging information or providing services and benefit from remittances and electronic payment, as well as the process of buying and selling. Every service provided by the government or the private sector via the internet falls under electronic commerce."
Adnan Al Lawati, who participated in the exhibition that accompanied the conference, said: “During the conference, we launched our electronic platforms which called ‘Jabali Online’ which was the first Omani electronic platform that brings together a number of local and international brands and stores."
"The consumer can choose and order products electronically through the platform and will be delivered within 48 hours across the Sultanate. The platform is witnessing a large turnout of brands and stores that want to show their products through the platform and there are about 60 brands and shops in the platform. The Oman e-commerce conference is an opportunity to meet and communicate with local and international companies and exchange experiences,” he added.
Majid Al Ameri, the founder of the Thawani platform, said: “Thawani platform for electronic payments using a mobile phone is a free application on Android and iOS, and the platform can be used by traders and consumers. Payments by phone are available round-the-clock and our platform allows consumers to pay for their purchases via mobile phone without the direct use of bank card or PIN."
The second and final day of the conference included a presentation of a number of working papers, including Oman 2040, the transformation of business, the growth of electronic payment in Oman as well as a working paper on the best policies for innovation in the field of electronic services and how to expand the scope of start-up through e-commerce in the world.
Additionally, working papers on how to benefit from technology to digitally enhance society, improve customer experience, business management, future trade regulatory approaches, convert data into actionable visions, shape business practices, and the role of e-commerce in empowering women and youth, were presented.
The conference also included a number of discussions where the revolution of electronic commerce and the factors leading to change and the impact of electronic commerce on the economy and how it would impact the future were discussed, while another session discussed blockchain technology.