In Part 1 of our panel on the Hot Top Models of E-Commerce at our June CoE E-Commerce event, moderator Nina Curley, Editor In Chief of Wamda, asks panelists Ahmed Khatib, Founder of MarkaVIP, Mona Ataya, Founder & CEO of Mumzworld, and Paul Kenny, CEO of Cobone to reveal the major challenges to starting an e-commerce business in MENA.

Khatib explains that e-commerce is still a new concept to many in the region and so it is up to e-commerce companies to both build a company and build an industry, educating consumers about the convenience of shopping online.

Ataya explains that a flawless customer experience and truly helpful service is what keeps customers interested in returning.

Kenny explains that in the face of extreme growth, which Cobone has seen since its initial launch, it is tough to hire enough capable people to keep up with consumer demand. It is a challenge to attract the top talent in the region for e-commerce when such a market is still new itself.

Please Note: Panelist Demet Mutlu asked to be removed from this video.