• Home
• /
• Local business
• /
• Business

Jacky's e-commerce site in 'next quarter'

Dubai - Jacky's Electronics will be launching an e-commerce website in the "next quarter" in a bid to further expand its omnichannel reach, a top executive said.

The company - one of the UAE's major electronics retailers - has committed to providing a "more seamless experience to its customers" on all its platforms, said Mahesh Chotrani, assistant vice-president of Jacky's Electronics.
"The line between online and offline has diminished; you cannot say 'I'm online' or 'I'm offline'... you have to be there in both areas," Chotrani told Khaleej Times during the reopening of Jacky's Electronics' refurbished outlet in The Dubai Mall on Sunday.
The event was graced by Anurag Bhushan, Consul-General of India in Dubai, and Jacky Panjabi, managing director of the Jacky's Group.
The company also officially launched its revamped website - www.jackyselectronics.com - which now has a cleaner look, is easier to understand and includes a buying guide, which Chotrani says is "found nowhere else" and contains more in-depth information regarding a product, aside from its technical aspects.
Chotrani confirmed that the e-commerce site of Jacky's Electronics will provide a seamless experience to customers - which is what the company is also offering on its other channels. "Online and offline [platforms] should be one; they need to have the same look and feel, especially the experience, for customers," he added.
Jacky's Electronics' reopened outlet, on the other hand, was based on the concept of promoting more customer experience and engagement.
Chotrani said the company wanted its clients to see, feel and understand products - with ease. "It's all about the right touch and feel, the right needs and giving a product that makes sense and to be used to the maximum," he said. "There are no gondolas or boxes right now [in the store], so it won't block the 'moment' of customers."
A new area in the store, called the 'mobile clinic', comprises a team that knows products inside-out.
Headline sponsor at Gitex
Meanwhile, Jacky's - already with a very large presence at Gitex - will be the headline sponsor at the 3D printing area of the event.
"We will be focusing on emerging technologies - one of which is 3D printing - supporting Dubai's vision [in the lead-up to] Expo 2020 to show that the UAE is a leader in technology," Ashish Panjabi, chief operating officer of Jacky's Retail, told Khaleej Times at the event.
Aside from 3D printing, robotics will also be a key highlight, he added.
Jacky's has invited a number of speakers for the Gitex conferences, Panjabi said. One of them will be the chief executive officer of Mcor Technologies, which focuses on 3D printing for the education sector - one of the segments Jacky's Retail is determined to focus on, aside from many others.
There is a lot of activity in the UAE regarding 3D printing; the company cooperated with the Abu Dhabi Education Council during the summer, in which the latter declared that 3D printing "fits its strategy".
He added that Jacky's Retail has won big tenders from Saudi Arabia.
More new stores are in the cards, Panjabi said, with most planned for 2016. "Leases are signed, contracts are in place," he said. "We are set for further growth."
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com