Monsha’at and Zoho will hasten the adoption of e-commerce and digital transformation in SMEs
Riyadh – Asdaf News:
The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at) and Zoho Corp., a top global technology company, recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims to support 30.000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia in their digital transformation journey and help accelerate their adoption of e-commerce to advance the economic sustainability agenda. This agreement is in line with the national digitalization agenda under the Saudi Vision 2030. The statement was made in conjunction with Biban 2023, the largest entrepreneurial conference in the Kingdom.
Sulaiman Alturaif, Vice Governor of Planning and Development at Monsha’at, and Hyther Nizam, President of Middle East and Africa at Zoho Corp., signed the Memorandum of Understanding. Local SMEs will have easier access to Zoho’s robust enterprise apps as part of Monsha’at’s National Transformation Project, lowering the hurdles to technology adoption that smaller companies must overcome when becoming digital with their operations. Additionally, by utilizing the special features of the Zoho Commerce platform, Zoho and Monsha’at will collaborate closely to assist businesses in learning how to manage e-commerce channels and offer high-performance online retail sites.
“We are pleased to partner with Monsha’at to synergise efforts between the private and public sector to accelerate the e-commerce sector’s growth and SMEs’ digital transformation,” said Hyther Nizam. “As part of our transnational localism efforts, which is well attuned to Vision 2030, we strive to help the ecosystem catalyse, innovate and gain scale, in which we provide a unique advantage for smaller organisations to promise entrepreneurship. In joining hands with Monsha’at, we will help make more businesses digital-savvy and lead a smooth transition to a fully-digitised, cashless ecosystem.”
This arrangement allows SMEs registered by Monsha’at and participating in the Mazaya Program to get a $2500 wallet credit. The wallet credits can be used to access any of Zoho’s 55+ cloud-based solutions, which range from front office functions like sales and marketing to back office functions like human resources management and finance management, to manage and simplify operations. Businesses can use Zoho Commerce, one of the few platforms on the market that offers natively integrated Arabic website creation capabilities and regional payment gateway options, to reach a bigger audience of Arabic-speakers.
“Monsha’at is committed to supporting the digital transformation of SMEs as well as the growth of e-commerce through a set of tailored programmes and services in partnership with key stakeholders and players from the public and private sector, which is an important aspect of achieving Vision 2030. By leveraging Monsha’at digital platforms and reach, we will work with Zoho to accelerate the digital transformation of Saudi SMEs, providing them with a set of cloud-based solutions, self-based learning and services of added value,” said Mahmoud Mazi, General Manager of Retail at Monsha’at.
To enable users to effectively utilize the apps to build their businesses, the Monsha’at Academy will provide digital training through online webinars and training courses for Zoho’s applications. Monsha’at will assist Thakaa Center, a specialized innovation hub for businesses and SMEs, in organizing physical events like seminars and bootcamps.
