Online Shopping in Kuwait

Sumayyah Meehan wrote the following article on online shopping for a local magazine but since the article advertises websites that don’t have ad accounts with the magazine, the story wasn’t published. Since its a good article I asked her if I could publish it here and she was fine with it. Here it is:

‘Cyber Shopping in Kuwait’

As anyone who has tried to order merchandise from online ‘cyber stores’ knows it can be a harrowing experience. It can be a total waste of time in that you surf for a couple of hours tracking down that gorgeous shirt or that must have DVD only to find out that they don’t ship to Kuwait. Or else you find someone who does ship to Kuwait and when your package arrives it is either not what you expected or damaged. No more. Just because you want to buy something online does not mean that you have to cross into another country’s cyber ‘border’ to get it. There are plenty of digital pioneers right here in Kuwait and they are armed with the most cutting edge and interactive online stores around. Are you ready to take shopping in Kuwait to a higher level? Get out your charge card, or even your Knet card, and get ready to do some delectable damage at some of these cyber stores based in Kuwait:

Click N Buy – It takes a team of 9 people to keep up with the orders at Kuwait’s online IT store ‘Click N Buy’ (www.clicknbuy.com.kw). According to Manager Rajesh Chander Singh, “Having an online business is easier in terms of running, but it requires a lot of work in the backend.” Click N Buy is almost exclusively an IT company. They sell different brands of desktop computers, laptops, printers, scanners, iPods and accessories. They have additional items that are not IT based which include contact lenses, mobile phones and water purifier systems. “We have been open for a year and are still a new company,” offers Singh, “we sell exclusively to people living in Kuwait and average about 10,000 hits a month.” In an attempt to keep customers interested Click N Buy plans to offer several more items in the future such as watches, perfumes and handbags. They also plan to extend their ‘cyber-dom’ to include other GCC States. In addition to the cyber store they are taking on a new venture which is a website that will help users create their own sleek website in 10 minutes flat! So, keep an eye out for www.w3monster.com. Click N Buy accepts major credit cards as well as Knet. And they boast the lowest prices for IT products and services anywhere in Kuwait. Delivery is free for orders with a minimum balance of 10KD. And you can expect to receive your purchase within 24 hours of ordering! They also accept trade-ins for old laptops and offer IT rentals. And as if it could get any better there is even a discussion forum for customers!

Q8 Flowers- Whether you forgot your wife’s birthday or need a quick fix to smooth over an argument with a friend, turn no further than Q8 Flowers to save the day! Q8 Flowers (www.Q8Flowers.com) is Kuwait’s first and only online flower delivery service. The geniuses behind this ‘budding’ business are Khaled Al-Rshaid Al-Bader and Abdullah Faisal Al-Khuzam. “We started our business and opened our shop back in August 2006, and then we started our online operations in October 2006,” explains Khaled. Both partners have relied heavily on their educational backgrounds in the launching of their united business venture. Khaled is a Business Administration graduate from the University of Toledo (USA) while Abdullah graduated from Kuwait University with a degree in Finance. Q8 Flowers offers a wide and beautiful array of flower arrangements in addition to balloons and greeting cards. In the 8 months since they have opened their cyber store they have already received 20,000 hits. “We are growing day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute,” says Khaled, “until now we have not even started our advertising campaign.” Despite this, however, word-of-mouth has already put Q8 Flowers on the map! They have already received orders from customers in Kuwait, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland and Canada. Both Khaled and Abdullah have great plans for Q8 Flowers. “ Our future plans include adding a range of gourmet foods and chocolates,” says Khaled,” and we hope to also help customers send flowers overseas.” After selecting the bouquet, customers have the option of choosing from a variety of cards or balloons to make the ‘delivery’ all the more special. Q8Flowers accepts major credit cards as well as Knet. There is no charge for delivery. And they offer same day delivery for orders placed before 7pm local time. With a staff of 8 to maintain the website and fill the orders, you can order a bouquet of Q8 flowers online in less than 4 minutes flat. If you happen to find yourself in pinch any time soon, browse the Q8 Flowers website and order some flowers for your loved one today!

Noutique General Trading Company- If exquisite handcrafted and elaborate caftans or tunics are what you are after look no further than Noutique General Trading Company (www.noutique.com). Operating from Kuwait City, Noutique is an exclusive boutique for women and children. They offer a wide range of unique fashions as well as other items. “Our signature style is the embellished and embroidered caftans, tunics, ponchos, outerwear and staff uniforms,” says owner Mrs. Al-Sabah. In the eight months since she opened shop online, Noutique has averaged 5,000 hits per month. The majority of customers are from Kuwait and many of them love the clothes so much that they have requested that Mrs. Al-Sabah open a physical store. “Having an online business is easy,” says Mrs. Al-Sabah, “we don’t want to promise them anything but we are considering it.” A quick registration is required to view the items for sale but you surely will not be displeased with what is on offer. All orders are processed within 24 hours and delivery rates depend on the size of your order.

So when it is too hot to cruise over to ‘The Avenues’ or you look like a greasy mess because of water shortages in your area, plop yourself down in front of your computer and shop online from the comfort of your home. And support local businesses to boot!