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6thStreet.com sets sights on Egypt expansion, plans to open first store in Dubai

6thStreet.com currently has around 800 international brands in its portfolio, and has set a target to hit 1,200 brands by the end of this year

Online fashion platform 6thStreet.com has announced that it has big plans for 2022, which will see the retailer expand its operations to enter the Egypt market, as well as open its first ever brick-and-mortar store in Dubai.

Dharmin Ved, CEO of 6thStreet.com, told Khaleej Times that the omni-channel e-commerce fashion destination from Apparel Group had long set its sights on an expansion beyond the GCC region. He also noted that the nature of the expansion is “multi-faceted.”

“Currently, we operate in six countries across the GCC, but we now have plans to expand into Egypt this year. Egypt is an awesome market with a large population that is extremely fashion savvy, so that presents an exciting opportunity for us,” Ved said.

He also revealed that the launch is scheduled for the second half of this year, and that the decision to start operations in Egypt stemmed from the continuous feedback of many customers who had expressed their hope and eagerness for the online retailer to deliver a way for them to shop for their favourite international brands under one roof. “Looking at the demand that was there [in Egypt], it was absolutely the right move to be making,” Ved said.

“The second element of our expansion revolves around our decision to open a brick-and-mortar store in Dubai,” Ved added. “It is going to be an engaging store that offers unique experiences that have never been seen before in the Middle East region.”

The store, he said, will have its official opening in the second quarter of this year; the location has already been signed and the design elements finalised, so it is now full steam ahead for the official opening.

Highlighting the group’s decision to expand both its online and offline presence, Ved said: “There is no playbook that we are following, instead we are creating the playbook, and that is what makes it exciting! Today, we have around 800 international brands in our portfolio, and our target is to hit 1,200 brands by the end of this year. There is a lot of demand for various different brands that we are actively looking into.”

The CEO also revealed that 6thStreet.com has identified “a few more countries” to expand their operations into, but that the focus this year would remain on its home turf in the GCC and the new entry into the Egyptian market.

Asked about the challenges of translating a strictly online experience into the offline sphere, he said: “What we used to believe is that an online experience is the best way to cater to the customer, however, over time what we have seen is that the best way to cater to our customers is through a ‘hybrid’ model that merges both the power of the online with the offline.”

The experience of having a truly omni-channel approach, he says, will just add various new elements to the customer experience. “A customer can walk into the store and get the full 360-degree experience. You can have instant access to various products, and there will always be a fantastic sales team that will be able to connect with you and step into the role of a fashion advisor by suggesting which items go well with different outfits. These are important conversations that the customers want to have with us.”

Another element of expansion, Ved said, will revolve around the group’s Superstar programme. “Towards the end of last year, we launched our Superstar programme within the app. The central theme involves us working with hundreds of influencers from all walks of life, and them showcasing the products that they love within our portfolio. This is a super exciting part of our business and we are actually expanding this across the region. We want to bring in even more influencers as part of our social commerce strategy; we have over 600 superstars right now, and we want to have over 2,000 of them on our platform by the end of this year. The message we want to send is that everyone can be a superstar.”

Through it all, Ved insists that getting customer feedback remains a critical component of the group’s strategy. “We love getting feedback from our customers because that helps us keep our finger on the pulse of the industry. All we have to do is listen to them and then act on any suggestions and critique that they have. We see it as merging experiences to provide the best possible experience. We also have to make sure that we keep improving the platform to meet the customers’ needs, demands, and suggestions. This is how we have built the platform by the way - even the brands that we select for our portfolio are what the customers have been telling us about.”

rohma@khaleejtimes.com