KOTRA Hosts Middle East Online Consumer Goods Expo... Over 800 Online Consultations Achieved

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] KOTRA has been strengthening non-face-to-face marketing activities in the Middle Eastern consumer goods market by conducting the 'Middle East Online Consumer Goods Expo' since last month.

According to KOTRA on the 9th, the online consultations of the 'Middle East Consumer Goods Expo,' conducted by the Dubai Trade Office along with local buyers and consultants, have exceeded 800 cases in the third week. This surpasses the initial target of 500 cases.

The Dubai Trade Office has been seeking local consultants to respond to the surge in online consultation demand following the COVID-19 pandemic. The hired consultants received product training on our small and medium-sized enterprises' products for one week and are currently conducting business consultations with buyers from various Middle Eastern countries for four weeks.

KOTRA delivers product samples held by the trade office to buyers who show significant interest during consultations. Additionally, they arrange secondary consultations directly involving our companies to increase the possibility of transactions. From the participating companies' perspective, satisfaction is relatively high as they start consultations with buyers whose purchasing intentions have been verified.

There have also been 60 consultations with buyers from North African countries such as Morocco, which were previously difficult to access. Contract cases are emerging as well. An Abu Dhabi buyer purchased 1,500 mask packs from Company A, and Company B, which distributes nano-filter masks, received a purchase request for 10,000 samples for supply to Dubai government hospitals.

KOTRA is also supporting entry into local online distribution channels. In the Middle East, 'Noon,' invested in by the UAE state-owned company Emaar, is leading the market alongside Amazon. Ten K-beauty and other consumer goods companies have currently confirmed their entry and are negotiating terms.

Lee Gwansuk, Head of KOTRA Middle East Regional Headquarters, said, "We will actively respond to the rapidly changing business environment in the Middle East by expanding non-face-to-face services."

Since last month, KOTRA has been hosting the 'Middle East Online Consumer Goods Expo' and strengthening non-face-to-face marketing activities using local consultants. Local buyers, consultants, and the Dubai Trade Center staff are conducting three-way business consultations online. Photo by KOTRA

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.