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“Competition is healthy and keeps us on our toes, but the quick commerce companies are more about the items customers forget to buy on their weekly trip to the supermarkets. We operate on a different model, where we supply customers with what they need for the entire week. We have a 45-minute delivery. The 15-minute model of quick commerce platforms is a purely grocery-focused model, and we’re not in that business,” said Al Hashemi.
Mohamed Al Hashemi, who was among the top 60 content creators on LinkedIn last year, also spoke about the importance of customer engagement through social media. “Businesses in our sector sometimes shy away from social media, but it is a powerful tool not just for influencers but for business owners and senior leadership of companies. It should be leveraged to expand businesses, connect with customers, and enhance their experience,” he said.
Toufic Kreidieh, Executive Chairman of the Board, Brands for Less Group, who has over 900,000 followers on Instagram, agreed. “Quality and value for customers come first and foremost, and after that comes personalisation. Talking to people and creating a relationship with your customers is important, and social media helps with this. The founder- or CEO-led social media approach that I have adopted personally has created this bond with customers, because we always look at long-term relationships with them.”
Kreidieh’s views reflected a popular industry study suggesting that as many as 71% of customers are more likely to do business with an organisation if they follow the CEO on social media, because there is an instant connection with the individual, which in turn impacts the business.
Ali Bin Zayed, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Emarat, highlighted the importance of loyalty programmes to enhance customer experience and engagement. “Our loyalty programme is almost three years old, and it puts customers front and centre. It is based on the 4Cs of marketing—cost, customer, communication, and convenience.” Emarat’s loyalty programme has amassed over 800,000 customers in three years, increased the business by 20%, and added 12% from the fuel pump to the non-fuel segment for the station.
Speaking about the future of smart shopping in the era of digitalisation, Al Hashemi noted that the industry is unlikely to go fully digital. “Omnichannel will be the future. We will continue to have online and offline spaces for shopping, and these formats will increase value for money and convenience for customers. Companies will continue to expand the ecosystem of loyalty programmes, for instance, which will give their customers more value for money.”
The panel discussion, The Customer-centric Approach to Market Leadership, was moderated by Reem El Houni, CEO & Co-founder of Ti22 Films.
The eighth edition of SEF 2025, the region’s largest entrepreneurial festival, is taking place from 1–2 February at the Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park (SRTIP). Connecting the global ecosystem under the theme of “Where We Belong,” SEF 2025 champions the impact of community and the spirit of innovation. For more details, visit www.sharjahef.com.
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