Dubai Economy and Amazon set to support start-ups in digital economy

The Business Registration and Licensing (BRL) sector in Dubai Economy and Amazon have launched a new programme to support DED Trader licence holders by providing interactive e-Learning content to help them thrive in the digital economy.

The new programme is part of the cooperation between Dubai Economy and Amazon to support DED Trader licence holders interested in making their products available to more customers and growing their businesses online. The programme will offer access to the Amazon Seller University, which provides a series of training videos and resources that will help participant’s master key tools and applications to build their brand and expand their businesses to reach millions of customers via Amazon.ae.

“Dubai Economy strives to deliver solutions that contribute to enhance the ease of doing business in Dubai and expanding growth, in addition to maintaining a sustainable economy that reflects the emirate’s position as a global economic destination,” said Omar Al Mehairi, Director of Development and Follow-up Division in BRL sector.

“The continuous partnerships between the governmental and private sector will raise the level of efficiency and provide a seamless service environment for the business community as per highest international standards. Dubai Economy aims to accelerate the implementation and growth of e-commerce initiatives and promote innovation and technology integration within the local business community,” added Al Mehairi.

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa (Mena), said: “At Amazon, supporting SMEs is a fundamental part of our work and an extension of our customer-centric culture. Third-party sellers, most of which are SMEs, account for more than half of everything sold across Amazon stores globally. We have faith in the potential and capabilities of start-ups in Dubai, and through such collaborations, we aspire to accelerate their entrepreneurial journey with all the tools and retail expertise we have to offer.”

Amazon will curate a dedicated storefront on Amazon.ae to showcase products available from DED Trader license holders. Once the businesses are registered to sell on Amazon.ae, they will have the opportunity to access Amazon Account Managers who will work closely with them to offer strategic advice and insights to help them sustain and grow their business.  

The Account Managers will also support the start-ups with advice on operational aspects such as listing creations and how to gain visibility on their products. They will offer advice on key areas such as fulfilment and inventory, merchandising and advertising, and ensure start-ups are up to date on the latest programmes that will help fast-track their growth on Amazon.ae.

Amazon.ae has progressively launched tools to help local businesses, including the Amazon Seller Mobile App, which allows Selling Partners to conduct business with more speed, ease, and flexibility.

DED Trader is issued by Dubai Economy to license freelancers in their place of residence in Dubai as well as business activities that operate online or on social networking sites. DED Trader, which is issued electronically through invest.dubai.ae, aims to guide traders towards the right path to start and enter the business world.

Meanwhile, Dubai has managed to place itself within the top 10 or 20 cities globally in more than 100 indicators related to safety and security in several internationally renowned competitiveness reports, according to a policy brief released recently by the Dubai Competitiveness Office in Dubai Economy as part of its mandate to publish research and spread awareness on the emirate’s competitiveness. The policy brief, titled ‘Safety and Security Competitiveness in Dubai: Why Dubai is ranked as one of the Safest Cities in the World’ presents and analyses the factors and elements that explain Dubai’s rise to becoming one of the world’s Safest Cities.

Considered the largest business city in the UAE by the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report, and regarded a major hub for the Middle East, Dubai utilised its fundamentals on safety and security to sustain its top rankings in competitiveness and set standards for effectively managing the global COVID-19 crisis.

Dubai ranks 1st in more than 11 indicators on Personal Safety within different competitiveness indices, mainly the Safe Cities Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit where scores look at Personal, Infrastructure, Health and Digital safety, as well as the Smart Cities report by IMD World Competitiveness Center. The indicators where Dubai ranked first reflects the distinguished role of the local police and other institutions in prioritizing personal safety.

On the Digital Safety front, and with growing cyber-attacks around the world, Dubai is leading efforts in ensuring safety not just within its physical borders, but digitally as well. The emirate ranks 1st in Dedicated Cyber Security teams and Levels of Technology Employed.