Businesses in Qatar should focus on the digitalisation of their operations amid the growing demand in various online services, according to a Doha-based industry expert.
“Digital technologies have changed the way businesses have grown worldwide, as product life cycles have undergone massive transformations,” said Mufti Usman, digital marketing specialist at Nedina.com.
Usman said the strategic blending of technology in business models have been creating new opportunities and streamlining the use of resources. At the same time, it also encourages businesses to be more ambitious in terms of their immediate and long-term goals.
“As more and more businesses around the world are coping with the challenges of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, valuable lessons can be learned: Businesses must diligently identify their weak points and work proactively to mitigate such limitations by incorporating digital technologies in their business models,” Usman said in a statement to Gulf Times.
“The transformation will, obviously, initially require investment. However, in the long run, as customers become adept at using the digital interfaces of businesses, the benefits will far outweigh the initial costs,” he continued.
According to Usman, small businesses that cannot afford bespoke digital transformation plans can begin by utilising tools, such as Google My Business and Facebook Shops to jumpstart their operations.
“This is particularly important for a country like Qatar, which is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of Internet penetration. Even though global online retailers, such as Amazon and eBay do not yet have a localised version of their platforms for Qatar. According to Digital 2020, millions of Internet users visit these platforms to order items online,” Usman said.
Usman defines “going digital” as “to be ready for any eventuality” and to have a contingency plan for every scenario such that disruption, “even in the face of unforeseen events such as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, can be kept to a minimum.”
“How integral digital technologies have become to our lives can be gauged from the fact that in a span of a few weeks the video conferencing platform Zoom has become a household name and its stocks grew by a staggering 129% in a matter of few weeks.
“The penetration of digital technologies in our daily lives has altogether changed the concept of the Internet, which no longer conjures the image of a few servers whirring in a cold store or deliver emails to a tech-savvy society – it has become ubiquitous,” Usman explained.
He said the Internet has become an ecosystem in itself and a cradle of new business models and products, as well as new cultures.
“In this rapidly changing world where digital technologies have established themselves as the new paradigm, businesses must embrace digital transformation or perish. It must be noted that digital transformation is not a one-time thing – it is a daily process because digital technologies are developing almost on a daily basis.
“Hence, the first thing to remember while undertaking a digital transformation is that the small digital initiatives, which can be implemented on a weekly basis, often bring valuable change. Businesses often make the mistake of relying on major transformation strategies but often end up ignoring these small digital initiatives, which drive valuable change,” Usman said.
