The Middle East has always been a treasure land for the e-commerce market, and Souq, as the e-commerce platform with the largest market share in the region, not only has a large user base, but also enjoys up to 10 million independent visits per month. After years of deep cultivation, Souq has established its own logistics system Q Express and payment system. Especially after Amazon acquired Souq, this platform has relied on the support of global e-commerce giants and its position in the Middle East e-commerce market is unshakable. Therefore, for Chinese e-commerce sellers, if they intend to expand into the Middle East market, entering Souq is definitely a shortcut.
The first step: register a Souq account.
The first step to entering the Souq platform is to register a Souq seller account. However, it should be noted that it is relatively complicated for individuals to directly register a Souq seller account, because they need to provide a series of information such as Middle Eastern ID cards, telephone numbers, delivery addresses, bank card numbers, business licenses, etc., which is not realistic for domestic small and medium-sized sellers. Therefore, generally speaking, sellers will register accounts through agents. At present, there are four main agent methods.
The first is undertaken by agent points under large state-owned enterprises. They have signed a cooperative relationship with Souq to help introduce Chinese sellers.
The second type of agent is a logistics company, which uses its business license in the Middle East to register an account and then resells it to e-commerce sellers. The advantage of this method is that sellers can directly use the logistics services and overseas warehousing of the logistics company.
The third method is to find a partner in the Middle East and work with it to conduct e-commerce business.
The fourth method is to buy an existing second-hand account.
Each of these four methods has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it is not possible to simply evaluate which one is better or worse. For example, from the perspective of payment delivery, the first two methods require the agent to collect the payment and then transfer it to the seller; while the latter two methods do not require the agent to collect the payment, but may involve other risk factors that are difficult to control.
Different registration channels involve different document requirements. Usually, the agent needs to provide the ID card (or business license) and bank account information of the merchant. If the agent is a logistics company, other documents need to be provided according to its needs.
In addition, the prices of different channels are also different. The first method has relatively low risk, but the price is the highest, usually between 20,000 and 30,000 RMB; the second method is slightly cheaper because it includes logistics services, generally below 10,000 RMB; while the third and fourth methods have higher risks but the lowest prices. Sellers can choose the appropriate registration method according to their own situation.
Step 2: Product selection.
Before entering the Souq platform, sellers need to pay attention to the culture and regulations of Middle Eastern countries. There are many taboos in Middle Eastern countries, such as alcohol and *** are prohibited from entering local customs; if there are female patterns on the product packaging, the clothes cannot be too revealing, etc. Therefore, when selecting products, sellers must carefully consider whether their products comply with local regulations and cultural habits.
Step 3: Upload products and descriptions.
Once registered and prepared, the next step is equivalent to putting the product on the supermarket shelf. When uploading products, the picture is required to have a white background, and only product photos are required. During the upload process, you can choose to upload multiple products in batches or upload individual products separately. In addition, for product descriptions, the Souq platform provides an automatic translation function. When you enter an English description, the platform will automatically translate it into Arabic.
Step 4: Logistics.
Logistics is one of the key links to join the Souq platform. First, you need to ship the goods from China to Souq’s warehouse. Different registration channels involve different shipping methods. If you register an account through a logistics company, you are usually required to bind with the logistics company. If the goods are not shipped to the Souq warehouse in time, you may face the risk of being blocked, so you need to carefully choose a logistics partner at this stage.
The second logistics link is local delivery. Souq stipulates that only their own express delivery service can be used for local delivery, so you don’t need to consider the logistics issues of this link.
Step 5: Customer Service.
On the Souq platform, sellers cannot communicate directly with customers, unlike Taobao in China, which has Aliwangwang, where customers can contact sellers directly. In addition, unlike Amazon, sellers and buyers on the Souq platform cannot communicate directly through emails. On the Souq platform, unless the customer complains, the seller can only respond based on the customer’s message.
In short, entering the Souq platform is an important step to enter the Middle East e-commerce market. Although there are some complexities and risks in the process of entering, if there are products suitable for the Middle East market and suitable partners, Souq will provide sellers with broad business opportunities and help buyers open the door to the Middle East market.