E-commerce portal launched in Qatar

Doha Bank has launched a bilingual e-commerce portal, www.DBankSooq.com, that’s believed to be the first of its kind in Qatar.

The Arabic and English business exchange portal was developed by LINK Development, a subsidiary of LINKdotNET and Orascom Telecom.

Initially, two portals will give retailers in Qatar and Dubai the opportunity to showcase their products online and reach a global customer base.

Customers, in turn, will have the convenience of purchasing goods online by debiting their Doha Bank account or using their credit card. Purchased items are then delivered anywhere in Qatar and Dubai.

“We are very excited to work with Doha Bank on this project,” says Sherif Dahan, gulf territory manager of LINKdotNET. “Doha Bank is a very active institution that values technology and who is always keen to deliver state of the art services to the market. Their trust in LINK Development is a fact we value and that comes as a base of this new long term partnership for us in Qatar.” “The site is a further illustration of how LINK Development’s solutions are increasingly helping many companies and institutions across the region expand into new business areas,” Dahan added.

The portal includes a host of features including supplier registration and profiling, supplier catalogues, business directories, reverse auctions, e-tenders, supplier reports and order management, and classifieds along with advertisement management that aims to bring an additional revenue stream for the portal.

“The project will eventually integrate the whole array of services of the bank to complement the online marketplace extending the reach of Doha Bank clients to the online world with a set of options tailored for individuals, small and medium businesses as well as large corporations," said Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank.

"We are looking forward to extending the reach of the 'Sooq' Concept across multiple markets in the Gulf," he added.