There are 269 accredited eMerchants in total in the country.
Qatar’s e-commerce market is predicted to grow by $3.2 billion this year, according to government figures, local outlet The Peninsula reported.
E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the purchasing and selling of products and services, as well as the transfer of payments or data, through an electronic network, most notably the internet.
These transactions might be business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), consumer-to-consumer (C2C), or consumer-to-business (C2B).
“The e-commerce market in Qatar stood at $1bn in 2014, increasing to $2.4bn in 2020 and is expected to reach $3.2bn in 2022. According to Qatar Central Bank data the value of transactions made through e-commerce channel stood at QR0.68m in 2018 reaching QR2.8m and QR7.2m in 2019 and 2020 respectively,” stated the newsletter.
Authorities are assisting in the development of e-commerce in Qatar by establishing regulations and requirements, as well as introducing several initiatives to support the ideas of entrepreneurs in the field of e-commerce, according to a recent newsletter published by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).
As e-commerce grows in Qatar, so does the demand for new high-value services.
Online entrepreneurs are increasingly hiring specialists to help them with tasks such as fulfilment, shipping, web hosting, technical assistance, website development and design, customer service, and administrative support.
In Qatar’s e-commerce system, there are three sorts of service providers: eCommerce Website Services, Payment Gateways & Payment Solutions, and Logistics Providers.
The ministry also collaborates with local businesses to provide the finest solutions for eMerchants, supporting the growth and competitiveness of the country’s e-commerce ecosystem.
The e-commerce portal offers various benefits to firms registered in Qatar, and the website is meant to expedite e-commerce enterprises’ online communications services and operations.
According to The Global State of Digital 2021, Qatar is the world leader in Internet Adoption.
The eCommerce Guidelines were developed by MCIT to inform and assist Qatar’s eMerchants in understanding and achieving eCommerce’s best practises. They are the first of their kind in the country and were developed with crucial input from industry professionals. They include security, technology, terms and conditions, user experience, and user interface design.
According to the newsletter, a 12-seminar e-commerce series for existing and potential eMerchants was organised to give knowledge on practises and standards linked to online business in Qatar.
The total number of webinar attendees was 2,430, all of whom were taught about e-commerce principles, best practises, and international standards, as well as address the issues that e-commerce enterprises confront, and attendees profited from the experiences and success stories of Theqa certified SMEs.
Theqa, Qatar’s e-commerce trustmark, is an active initiative that will accredit local online retailers based on a set of established criteria and monitor its members’ compliance with the code of conduct. It enables consumers and businesses to rapidly and safely expand the local e-commerce industry.
There are 269 accredited eMerchants in total. After satisfying the prerequisites for receiving a Theqa mark by the e-commerce team at MCIT, any eMerchant in Qatar is able to proudly display the e-commerce Theqa emblem.
