Google, PayPal and Aramex Help Middle East Businesses Gain Online Presence
October 14, 2013
By Kasey Schefflin-Emrich, TMCnet Contributing Writer
In response to e-commerce gaining momentum in the Middle East, three popular companies have teamed up to offer a comprehensive solution to encourage businesses in that area to enter into the virtual world.
Google (News - Alert), PayPal and Aramex have partnered together for a new website called ezstore.me, which is operated by Jordanian technology start-up ShopGo and provides a platform for businesses to build and customize an online store.
Once they establish their online store with their preferred theme and template, organizations can promote their products with Google's online advertising program Adwords, manage payments with PayPal (News - Alert) and ship items with transportation and logistics solution provider Aramex.
Through Adwords, businesses can decide where they want their Ad to appear, how much they are willing to pay for it and measure the impact of the Ad. PayPal is a convenient and safe way to conduct financial transactions over the Internet and is even available in Arabic, in addition to English while Aramex provides business with a secured delivery process at an affordable rate.
The price to set up a site on ezstore.me is $650 per year, a 50 percent discount to the amount usually asked of by ShopGo.
Besides Adwords, Google is helping these new online retailers advertise their products even farther by offering them $300 towards Adwords and free training. In addition, PayPal is waiving all payment fees on new websites for the first three months or for up to 25,000 transactions and Aramex is offering customers a $100 top up in their account.
While this e-commerce platform will only be available to businesses with a trade licensee in the United Arab Emirates, it is expected to reach across the rest of the Persian Gulf region and Middle East.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi