Qatar’s e-Commerce Forum, to be held at Ritz-Carlton on October19, will bring together businesses, policymakers, and movers and shakers from Google, PayPal, Uber, PayFort and Visa, among many others to discuss the latest trends and developments in global e-commerce and the state of e-commerce in
Qatar.
The discussions also will centre on how Qatar can capitalise on its strengths to grow its e-commerce market. The forum will discuss Qatar’s National e-Commerce Roadmap, a blueprint that represents the nation’s commitment to ensuring that it can capitalise on its strengths and overcome the current challenges to growing its e-commerce market.
Speakers at the forum include Minister of Information and Communications Technology Dr Hessa al-Jaber, who will set the agenda for e-commerce in Qatar.
Charbel Sarkis, sector lead for Telecom Technology, Retail, and e-Commerce, Mena at Google will discuss how to unlock the potential of e-commerce. Faleh Mohamed al-Naemi, chairman and managing director at QPost, will address Qatar’s delivery ecosystem.
Global e-commerce business-to-consumer sales were at $1.5tn in 2014, and are expected to reach $1.76tn in 2015. The Mena Business to Consumer (B2C) market was at $15bn in 2014. Qatar is the seventh largest B2C market in the Mena region at $1bn with the potential for doubling its e-commerce market size by leveraging the large investments in ICT, the growth in the SME sector, and the ongoing investments in the logistics sector.
Four panel discussions will explore key e-commerce issues:
“Business Model and Funding: The Changing Landscape of e-Commerce” looks at the drivers behind innovation, the new business models, and the different ways to fund them.
“Payments and Logistics: The New Age of Personalisation” will explore the solutions to today’s payment and delivery issues that are inhibiting e-commerce growth, and how technology can drive disruption in these areas.  
“Qatar-Based e-Commerce Startups: Prospects and Challenges” will examine the challenges businesses face to scaling up and growing locally or regionally. In this panel, e-commerce start-ups will share their experiences, successes, challenges, and potential.
The fourth panel, “Shared Economy - People, Policy, and Technology” - looks at the potential impact of emerging technologies on current e-commerce practice and address the challenges policymakers face in encouraging a robust e-commerce ecosystem while also protecting consumers.