Dubai B2B BlogAll you need to know about Dubai Business & Companies in Dubai

The ever fascinating Dubai Shopping Festival has started and avid shoppers from all around the world have landed here to buy an array of goods at wholesale rates. Along with unique and rare items to choose between, the shoppers are treated with fireworks and light shows, gold lotteries, impressive promotions by different hotels and of course the extended shopping hours. However, the sale statistics of Dubai Shopping festival this year are not very impressive and it is believed that the sloppy economy of UAE is making the shoppers reluctant while spending.

This, 17 years old, festival lasts for 32 days and is held each year in the first annual quarter. Since Dubai has been in serious real estate crises for many years, the Government of Dubai is promoting the state’s real estate and trade through the shopping festival this year. Before the event started, Wholesale suppliers and economists were expecting increased revenue generated from the event in 2012 as this had been observed throughout the history of Dubai Shopping Festival. According to estimates, a 20 percent increase in sales was anticipated and there were many factors supporting this estimate.

The other side of the picture is that due to the global economic crises, the prices of products are higher this year and many shoppers are disappointed. This has left the buyers hesitant while spending. Although, stalls are buzzing with people from the UK, US, Russia, Iran, India and other Arab countries but the sales persons are loudly complaining of very little sales. The increasing prices have made people think twice before emptying their wallets and they are seen looking for better bargains. The retailers are working hard to give value to their customers, as the buying trends observed in Dubai Shopping Festival 2012 are not very impressive.

The data of money spend at the festival and the revenue generated from it will be released when the event ends and it will surely help the stakeholders and distributors calculate the effects of global crises on the region’s biggest shopping festival.

What kind of website theme or design one should choose for his website? This is a common question that website developers mostly listen when they develop a website for a wholesaler for his business. There are millions of website themes available but wholesalers remain confused while selecting the right theme for their wholesale business website. A web theme is a base on which look and feel of a website depends. An attractive website for wholesale business develops visitors’ interests, draw them to keep on returning to the website, turn visitors into customers and provoke them to share the website with others. How one can collect these things in a website and how these pointers are helpful in developing business success? Following are discussed some important points in this regard. These factors in collaboration, present a website’s message in an elegant and interesting way eventually generating greater sales of wholesale supplies and bringing success to the wholesale business.

Firstly, the uniformity of the website theme must reflect the business and helps in moving forward. It is not necessary that you can not implement a Flash Template because it takes time for a website to open? All that matters is to customize and optimize the business websites options given in the header. Downloading must be faster so that the initial experience must be comfortable and easy with aesthetic visuals.

The website for the wholesale business must be complete in all aspects with no broken links, it appeals visitors when they can conveniently perform all tasks on website and get the maximum information. For this purpose, a website must not be overloaded with ads, banners, popup, chat facilities and book-marking options. Although, you are doing all this to facilitate your customers but they may not understand it. The banners may earn for you but it can cause inconvenience for your customers and they will consider that you are not delivering what you intend to deliver.

The text and the section headings appearing on a wholesale business website should be clearly visible for everyone. The web theme must utilize such font colours that will go with the background and will not create irritation for the visitors. You must enable an option of changing the size of font for visitors according to their needs. At the same time, you must generate an interesting and attractive content that can hold your b2b clients for long.

The web theme or design of your wholesale business website must be according to the nature of your business. Visitors must reach the website by getting attracted with its design but the website should also convey complete and right information about business. Inform your web developers with your purpose of developing the website so that they can show you good results and good returns.

Short-term real estate investors face numerous problems in Dubai as there are certain perils of owning property for shorter duration. For instance, tenant terrors considerably haunt the rental property owners in Dubai. The Dubai rental law is pro tenant. Government’s rent cap policies strictly govern the rent increases, and adequate security of tenure is given to the tenant. Initial rents can be freely agreed upon but no rent increase is allowed during first two years of the tenancy contract. The landlord is required to give a just cause of eviction before being legally allowed to evict a tenant. Thus we can conclude that the Dubai real estate law is quite biased in favour of the tenant and creates significant problems for the landlords as dealing with bad tenants becomes quite difficult for the landlord in light of these laws.

Another problem facing the short-term real estate investors in Dubai is the scourge of zoning. New landlords often buy a property without checking the zoning permits. Similarly rezoning can also create significant difficulties for the investors of Dubai properties. Likewise, new regulations, ordinances and bylaws can create a hassle for real estate investors. Some ordinances are particularly troublesome for the landlords. For example, some municipalities in Dubai hold the landlord responsible if the tenant disturbs the neighborhood in any way or puts other people in danger. It is important for the investors to keep themselves aware of the bylaws to avoid difficulties.

Yet another serious problem faced by short term real estate investors in Dubai is the extreme swings in the property’s desirability and value. In order to avoid this problem, investors should try to select a property in some central location or close to a major university or other important local amenity. In this way, real estate investors can avoid a sudden or unexpected fall in the value of their property.

Revenue sharing contracts are a kind of arrangement between wholesale manufacturers and the retailers in which wholesale manufacturers decide to charge the retailers with low prices as compared to those prevailing normally in the market and in return retailer agrees to share a predetermined fraction of his profit with them. This type of arrangement is advantageous to both the wholesalers and the retailers as it facilitates both of them.

The biggest advantage of revenue contracts is that they eliminate the cost of return of the wholesale goods. Both the Wholesale supplier and retailer share the profit of the sales and if any substandard item is found in the inventory wholesale suppliers easily replace it without charging more because they are the ones who will also share the percentage of profit on sale. So, revenue sharing arrangement works best when the cost of return is high.

Due to revenue sharing contracts some retailers start putting lower efforts to sell the wholesale supplies to the end users. They are sure, whatever sales they would make, they have to share their profit with the wholesalers and the risk of losing the money has covered already by obtaining wholesale goods at very low prices from the wholesale suppliers. So, they do not exert high level of effort and hard work to earn high profit. This arrangement provides benefits to the wholesale suppliers as well but it is also sometimes risky for them. They have to spend extra cost to develop a system to monitor their wholesale retailer’s activities. If they are unable to find reliable wholesale retailers who are unreal and hide the profit from them, they may suffer heavy losses.

In addition to this, revenue sharing contracts are not suitable for the wholesalers who supply wholesale products to many retailers as it would become hectic and difficult for them to keep an eye on their retailers and monitor their activities diligently. Hence, revenue sharing contracts are more beneficial to the retailers because they save heavy amount on not overstocking the inventories and these contracts give them surety of the wholesale products availability at all times.

In order to enhance Dubai real estate business, one can surly go for opening an online real estate portal. To make website go popular, one would need to design website in a perfect order according to the taste and needs of real estate investors. Following are some points, which are must for a real estate website.

Easy sign up process

Aside from tabs, you should have a prominent dialog box for login and sign up options. Sign up process should be easy as online users don’t like filling boxes. It should be a one-page process in which email, password, name, phone number, address, zip code and country must be asked to fill in.

User-friendly tabs and search options

In Buy section, you should incorporate a dedicated search box through which Dubai properties users can search their desired properties. Further, in search box the desired boxes could either be type of properties (such as residential, commercial) or both. Users should also be given choice to select the type of residential or commercial properties, such as apartments, villas, townhouses, plots, offices, shops, warehouses and factories. Option of selecting the desired location is necessary while price range option should also be given. The whole procedure should be on a single page so that the users do not have to go back and forth. Remember, the online users have different mindset and prefer websites that provide maximum user-friendly interface. You should incorporate a user-friendly search box in other sections as well.

Property details

Property details and view also have huge importance, as user should get easy access to all data regarding the property of their choice. In order to optimize your listings you will need to add some attributes about the property. Property description, features, images, floor plans, documents and contact information is must for every property listed as Dubai estate agents and other investors are very touchy about it.

All of these services and facilities are mandatory options for a real estate portal. The owner can include his own unique touch in website to attract more customer base.

The history of trade shows can be traced out as back as the business was started. Trade shows are for commercial purposes and the main aim of trade shows is to market the wholesale business and products provided by that business. In trade shows only B2B traders are invited and it is very rare that end customers visit these trade shows. In wholesale trade shows, the wholesale suppliers and distributors display their stalls while retailers and other visitors visit different stalls to collect information about different products of their choice.

For B2B traders, the trade shows are very effective as they increase the exposure of businesses. Especially for wholesalers the trade shows are very lucrative as the wholesalers can easily market their business and new or upcoming products to wide range of customers. The best thing about trade shows is that it helps the wholesalers to attract new range of customers, which is the most beneficial thing for a business.

In trade shows, the wholesaler is at total ease as he don’t have to bring the whole lot of products. Only sample products, broachers and catalogues are brought in trade shows as no buying and selling deal is taken only orders are booked. The customers only gather information about the wholesaler and products; the products are ordered after the trade conference.

The benefits of trade shows are infinite as the business owners also get lot of experience while dealing with wide array of customers. They also interact with other business owners and estimate the motives and marketing approach of businesses. Trade shows also tends to become trend analyzer as wholesale suppliers comes to know about latest market trends of products they deal in and also of other niches in market.

In order to get most out of trade shows, the wholesalers should remain efficient in the whole event, they should greet every customer and  adopt good marketing techniques to attract more customers.  Besides all, trade shows are also a fun thing to participate in, as after trade show timing B2B traders can visit different places and get rid of hectic and monotonous routine.

Due to recession in Dubai real estate and its effect on Dubai’s economy have led many employees to lose their jobs due to heavy layoffs going in companies. Now as the situation is stabilizing, the companies have started hiring employees but due to vast unemployment the chances of easily getting your dream job is quite difficult. But do not worry, you can be a prospective candidate if fully prepared and loaded. Just practice the below mentioned techniques and you will just roll easily through the employing process.

Attitude

The first thing you will need to practice is to have a positive attitude and nothing will stand between you and your dream job. If interviews made you nervous, then remember that you are not the only one on interrogation seat; you are also interviewing the company. All your nervousness will fade away and you will have confidence on yourself with a positive attitude.

Resume

Having a powerful, up-to-date and resume is the biggest weapon you ever have. Create or update your resume, which should be reader friendly with clear points, achievements and capabilities. Remember that employers do not have enough time to search your resume for relevant and important information, so highlight and prioritize all important information. Never forget to attach a cover letter, which should reflect all your qualities in few lines.

Be Prepared

Before going in for interview get yourself prepared. Research the company you are applying, gather all data about the company specially related to your field. Employers are instantly impressed when they find a candidate fully prepared and already knows what to do and how to do. In an interview, organize yourself in a way that employers want you to be. Be sincere, capable and organized in the interview. Be polite, smile and make direct eye contact while speaking.

It is the most challenging but highest quality to remain yourself, have your own dignity and talk with confidence. Do not get to much excited while explaining things watch the expressions of the employers and mould your answers according to that.

In the previous part of this post we discussed two main points, regarding how to expand wholesale business in other regions. Now in this post we will discuss two more points which are removing the barriers and cutting the cost.

Remove the barriers

People naturally resist foreign products, especially when it comes to dealing with wholesale suppliers. The biggest concern of retailers dealing in foreign products is making people understand their applications and features to later become regular user of such items. And the only way to overcome this problem is to break the cultural barriers and offer the applications which match with their ethics and norms and are as much in accordance to their needs as possible. And of course that can be explained best in their local language only. Removing the language barrier is one of the major factors which can contribute to the success of international wholesale trade.

Cut the cost

Cheap wholesale products are not necessarily the low standard goods offered at cheaper rates. In today’s world, there are goods which are replacing the expensive stuff in terms of quality, durability and price. If you wish to successfully operate in a foreign market, you got to offer them quality goods at competitive rates. Come up with offers which attract the local market and offer value for their money and thus become attractive for the retailers to deal in. In this regard, you can cut on the production cost by using slightly lighter material and lowering the quality control bar. But keep it well in mind that if the local market already has suppliers offering better items at better rates, you have to then reduce the price and increase the product quality.

Conclusion

These are some of the tips to have a successful dealing with the international trade clients. The wholesalers, who export their goods in other regions, have established a complete setup there which they monitor to measure the profit and adjust the investments accordingly. For the beginners, one or two clients and agents can help you manage and expand your wholesale business in other regions.

The more chances current global setup offers to international trade, the more reluctant manufacturers in developed nations appear to be. This offered open grounds for the manufacturers and traders from BRIC countries to take control of the major portion of international trade. Imagine the entire world dependant on few or one country for all its consumer goods. It is impractical to give in before few companies to take control of our defense, food, clothing and medical needs.

One of the main reasons why companies are hesitant to counter the situation is the increased production cost. Many international brands and companies, instead of making measures to reduce the production cost while operating in their countries, have moved the production houses to one of the BRIC countries. This is affecting different economic sectors internationally and we are losing hold of the industry where European companies’ once had a superior upper hand.

Although Europe right now is the wealthiest continent of the world but the speed with which economy of some countries is expanding, it’s not hard to imagine the future. While governments of European nations are bound to make some effective plans to retain their superior global ranking, companies and other smaller businesses too need to look for other regions and countries to venture. This blog discusses some ways which might help you expand your wholesale business in other regions of the world.

Utilize your old contact

Business dealings help you make valuable contacts and these contacts are sometimes the very first step towards making a sound investment. Discuss exporting your goods in bulk to other regions and countries with the suppliers who already do so. Gather as much information as you can about the economic environment of the region, its market conditions, trading laws and competition to assess if certain region or country offers the environment which is conducive for foreign investment.

Understand the culture

Not every market is the right market for the sort of wholesale products which you might offer them. There are cultures which are too conservative to offer potential trade market for, let’s say, contraceptives or adult toys. Similarly, some products are banned in certain countries due to their potential misuse. Figuring out these factors is the basic step of planning foreign investments.

There are also some other ways of expanding wholesale business in other regions but that is subject of another post.

In quite less period of time, the technology has changed the way of doing and perceiving things. Let us take wholesale trade business, some years back wholesalers had very less resources for marketing and get very less exposure. Then computers and internet era started, which change the course of wholesalers as they were able to market and advertise their business on internet. Still they have to bind to their seats to perform different marketing activities. Advent of smart phones has now further changed the course of world as now people have every thing in their pocket.

Smart phones like iPhone, Nokia, HTC, and BlackBerry have various applications in it, which allows the user to connect to the internet, use social media portals, share pictures and videos, check emails, and browse net. Now mobile phones have become everything as they can do anything. All other gadgets have now become obsolete as digital camera, mp3 player, computer and other electronics are included in mobile phone. People can easily access their MS office files, PDF files and other programs on mobile phones.

Mobile marketing has become an essential and compulsory marketing tool as wholesale suppliers can now easily access facebook, twitter and other social media portals. They can also check emails and easily perform email-marketing tasks. Wholesalers now have no need to bind to their office desks for marketing and social interaction of their business; they can remain connected wherever they are in this world. This helps them to remain in touch with their marketing campaigns all the time.

Besides, wholesalers can also develop mobile application of their wholesale websites. Mobile application is quite costly but if wholesaler have resources then it is very profitable in the future as the mobile internet users are increasing day by day. Mobile application is very handy for users; it is kind of alternative to mobile friendly websites. Mobile phones can also be used for tele-marketing and sms-marketing as there are many packages available which offer free sms to all service providers.