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Patchi to launch UAE e-commerce site 'very soon'

Dubai - Physical, online stores must still go hand-in-hand for that full shopping experience

For a company like Patchi, it's hard to believe that it only delivers to two countries.
Sweet change, though, is coming.
The Beirut-based company, which has become synonymous to indulgence in the region, is prepping up to launch an e-commerce portal for the UAE, a top official says, a move that would definitely whet the appetite of its loyal fans and the chocolate-loving public in general.
Though the brand technically does have an online site - its e-commerce platform started in February last year - it only delivers to Lebanon and the United States.
This is about to change soon.
The website "has opened up a whole new thread of opportunities, as well as challenges, for us," Aline Ashkarian, general manager of Patchi UAE, told Khaleej Times in an interview.
She pointed out that Patchi's online platform was limited to those two countries as they meticulously developed it. For their customers in the UAE, the good news is this: the country will have its very own e-commerce site "very soon".
"We will be providing a convenient and pleasant shopping experience for all of our online UAE customers," Ashkarian pledged.

Aline Ashkarian, general manager of Patchi UAE.
The shift to online sales was a no-brainer for the brand, given the explosion of e-commerce platforms in recent memory. Data from Statista shows that the industry's market value in the UAE will reach $10 billion (Dh36.73 billion) in 2018, a very healthy 300 per cent rise compared to the $2.5 billion figure in 2014.
Ashkarian, however, believes that, in order for customers to get that full shopping experience, physical and online stores must still go hand-in-hand.
"Online retail has been a growing trend for some time. buying food - especially confectionary - online has really taken off in recent years," she says.
"However, we believe that online retail compliments the traditional retail experience, with many customers often researching products online, and then proceeding to visit the store to try-and-buy."
 
The 'Willy Wonka' of the region
Ashkarian briefly told the story of how Patchi came into fruition: its founder, Nizar Choucair, had always been fascinated by chocolates. This served as his inspiration to create a premium line of the sweet treat; hence, the company was born in 1974.
"Nizar decided to innovate the [chocolate] industry by transforming chocolate into gift items," she recalls.
Asked if Choucair could be considered the equivalent of the popular character in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ashkarian did not mince words.
"Willy Wonka is a character known for his out-of-the-box, innovative and creative ideas. In that respect, I would consider Nizar the Willy Wonka of this region, as he has revolutionised the chocolate industry, and continued to do so for many years," she stressed.
 
Behind the scenes
Unseen to its customers, Ashkarian revealed that innovation, research and development are a constant at the company - a "key part of the business model", as she puts it.
In 2017, Patchi UAE became the first company at Dubai Industrial Park to earn a halal certification from the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology.
And while indeed limited online, and aside from the UAE, Lebanon and the US, Patchi has set up shops in several countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, the Philippines and the United Kingdom.
"We are constantly looking to create something completely new," she says. "Chocolate is something that is only limited by the imagination, and so we are constantly creating new medleys of flavours for our customers to try, and love."
And speaking of imagination and with the recent discovery of pure pink chocolate, Ashkarian - who personally ranks popular regional sweets maamoul and kunafa as second only to Patchi's very own Croq' Amande Noir - admits she wants to see a hue that, arguably, most of us would not think of.
"My favourite colour is grey, so I would like to see grey chocolate," she quips.
 
Gift of indulgence
As popular as it is, Patchi has become a staple for festive occasions, especially in the UAE, a country where gift-giving is widely practised.
And with the holy month of Ramadan fast approaching, it's sure to be another busy month for the company.
"Patchi is tied to an exclusive heritage, and we intertwine our attention to fine detail and an emphasis on uniqueness, into each of our gift creations," Ashkarian says.
Happiness, she adds, isn't just reserved for hallmark occasions, "so chocolate shouldn't be either".
"Chocolate has the power to bring joy to others, and one of the reasons we first started creating chocolate gifts was so this joy could be shared with others," Ashkarian stressed.
"By sharing, we form connections, uniting all different kinds of people, and so this is a value which is intertwined into the core identity of Patchi. Every moment can feel like a special occasion."
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com