Thamer Bamiah the GM of COBONE.com speaks during the press conference. (R) Screen shot of the website. – SG photos by Mohannad Sharawi By Mohannad Sharawi Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Electronic shopping in the Kingdom has become increasingly popular in the last few years, as the consumer behavior of Arab families in the region continues to evolve with the dramatic changes that modern technology has brought. Saudi families are now becoming accustomed to online shopping, which has proved to be a method of saving time and money. Online shopping is much easier to deal with thanks to the functional websites some local e-shopping services have devised. According to reports, Saudi Arabia has the largest regional growth rate in Internet usage. There are about 13 million Internet users, representing 48 percent of the population, in the country, 21 percent of whom use the Internet for shopping and e-transactions. This was discussed Monday during a press conference at Qassr Al-Sharq Hotel in Jeddah to announce the launch of COBONE.com, an e-shopping website with a unique concept of marketing and selling. Thamer Bamiah, General Manager of COBONE.com KSA, noted during his presentation that the interest of Arabs in online shopping has increased and this is reflected in the figures compiled by COBONE.com. The website, he said, has saved its Arab users more than SR126 million since its launch in 2010. He said the website is used in 10 major Arab cities and has executed more than 610,000 transactions in the past 14 months. “Over 50 percent of the savings have come from the purchase of basic and leisure products that benefit the Arab family,” said Bamiah. “COBONE.com is the first Arabic website that allows its users to benefit from real deductions on their preferred commodities and products through special promotions and limited term sales that offer 50-90 percent discounts. Purchase is done via secure online payment methods such as credit cards, CashU, PayPal, OneCart, and Cash on Delivery, which is also a highly popular method due to its credibility.” The website also allows users the opportunity to experience a selection of best restaurants, services, health clubs, and many other facilities and enjoy great deductions, he added. Bamiah attributed the growth of online shopping to the widespread use of the Internet among diverse segments of society, the increase in the numbers of website users, and the development of digital solutions and software applications that enhance the effectiveness of websites. He stressed that COBONE.com adopts the best standards of information security and management, thus categorizing the website as certified by international standardization agencies. The strength of the growth indicators for the sector and all the positive trends in the Saudi market have encouraged COBONE.com to expand and develop services that guarantee consumers an added value and that aligns perfectly with the nature of the Kingdom's society. __
