In less than six months since securing a $5.2 million funding round, store management platform DukkanTek has expanded to Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. This takes the UAE- headquartered company’s presence to seven countries as it seeks opportunities in North Africa.

 

This happens at a time the region's e-commerce market is expected to reach $49 billion in 2025, up almost 55% from 2021, according to a report by EZDubai, an e-commerce zone in Dubai, and Euromonitor International showed earlier this year.

 

The UAE’s e-commerce market alone is forecast to grow 60% to more than $8 billion by 2025 from 2021. Community retailers in the UAE without a digital presence, who were unable to accept online payments during the pandemic, were severely affected due to the drop in customer footfall.

 

More than 5,000 customers

Dukkantek was founded in January 2021 by Ali Al Sayegh, Sanad Yaghi and Shadi Joulani. It has already attracted more than 5,000 customers for its suite of services empowering traditional merchants with end-to-end digital technology that improves all business processes.

 

Dukkantek believes that traditional merchants and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) remain the backbone of the global economy, and their transactions should be digitised to keep pace with market developments. 

 

Suite of offerings

To this end they platform provides: 

Cloud POS: The Cloud POS is a Point-of-Sales system that can be accessed online, from anywhere. It allows businesses to keep track of transactions & sales, calculate VAT, generate reports and calculate profit margin.

Inventory Management: The Cloud IM is an online software that helps businesses track, manage & organise the inventory. It allows users to keep track of stock, measure stock value, manage fast-moving products and generate reports for analysis.

Payment Options: The platform offers a variety of payment options including cash, card payments or credit payments. Reports can be generated to track payments.

E-Commerce: The e-commerce functionality allows stores to sell their goods online or through an app. One of its features includes live inventory, as it’s linked to the IM & POS software. Another feature is that stores can choose what items to put online and their corresponding prices. Moreover, it sends push notifications to customers.

Companion App: The companion app is a mobile application that helps manage the store online. Its features include: Automated Inventory Reconciliation, live store data, linked to IM & POS, ability to track daily sales on the dashboard, ability to review all transactions, and track cash movements and payment methods.

 

On the fringes

Yaghi commented: “For too long SMB store owners have been left on the margins of the tech shift. We are serving the unmet need observed in these businesses with the adoption and usage of comprehensive online shopping technologies. It’s a severely underserved market and we are trying to get to as many people as possible. Our growth is testament to our efforts in empowering traditional merchants to thrive in a digital world with premium end-to-end technology.”

 

The UAE has one of the most vibrant and attractive startup ecosystems in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. Dukkantek provides a one stop shop for local community retail stores, supermarkets, small grocers, service shops and dark stores who are seeking to use the latest technology to serve their customers.-- TradeArabia News Service