Shop at Mall of the Emirates through WhatsApp

Dubai-based Majid Al Futtaim, a leading mall operator in the UAE and region, has launched a digital concierge at the Mall of the Emirates which allows shoppers to buy any product across the mall’s 350 local and international brands via WhatsApp.

This service, which is currently free in the UAE, will be expanded later to the group’s entire mall portfolio.

Fuad Sharaf, managing director for UAE shopping malls at Majid Al Futtaim Properties said, “A shopping mall is no longer a traditional business, but more about experiences. In the past, people used to come, shop and leave. But now it is more experiential."

"Now, consumers can buy any product from The Mall of the Emirates through WhatsApp where they can interact and communicate with the concierge team. The team can even help customers in purchasing any item from the mall. It is just like the entire mall coming to you,”

Majid Al Futtaim’s shopping malls portfolio includes Mall of the Emirates, Mall of Egypt, Mall of Oman, City Centre malls, My City Centre neighbourhood centres, and five community malls which are in a joint venture with the Government of Sharjah. It also owns franchisee for Carrefour in over 30 markets across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, operating a portfolio of more than 420 outlets.

People can scan a QR code in the Mall of the Emirates and on its website which will connect to the mall’s representative on WhatsApp live. Once the customer has selected a product, he/she can send the photograph on WhatsApp and the representative will collect it from the store and arrange for it to be delivered to the customer’s home.

“Once the customer and representative agree that this is the product a customer wants, a payment link will be sent to him/her. Once the payment is made, the team will pick up the item from the store, package it and arrange for it to be delivered to the customer’s house. That means everything in the mall is shoppable physically or digitally,” Sharaf said.