BoxCommerce, a South African e-commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has launched in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), capitalizing on the country's booming mobile commerce market and vast SME sector. The move marks a strategic entry point for BoxCommerce into a region with strong consumer demand but limited user-friendly solutions for small businesses.

The UAE's e-commerce market is projected to hit $8 billion in revenue this year, surpassing $10 billion by 2029. With mobile commerce dominating the market, BoxCommerce is well-positioned to tap into this growth. The company's platform offers tools for building online stores, managing inventory, processing payments, and handling logistics, making it an attractive solution for SMEs looking to scale.

Launched in 2017, BoxCommerce has already made a significant impact in Kenya, where it began operations in 2022. The company claims to have onboarded more than 5,400 merchants in its first year, 16 times the number reached by Shopify over the same period. This success has given BoxCommerce the confidence to expand into the Middle East, with the UAE representing a key market.

"The UAE is a strategic market for BoxCommerce," said CEO and founder Craig Mcleod. "With mobile commerce dominating and over 70% of the population shopping online, the country is on track to grow its e-commerce market size to AED 48 billion by 2028. Our platform is designed to help local businesses tap into this explosive growth."

In the UAE, BoxCommerce will focus on helping SMEs set up their online store in minutes with no technical expertise required. The platform will also support sales across websites, social media, and marketplaces, helping merchants expand their reach. This is particularly important in the UAE, where SMEs are the backbone of the economy, representing 94% of companies and employing over 86% of the private sector workforce.

"Despite having around 600,000 SMEs in the UAE, there are still very few easy-to-use eCommerce solutions designed to help local SMEs grow and scale," added Rahul Vaish, MENA Director of BoxCommerce. "SMEs are the bedrock of any economy, and we believe our platform can make a significant difference in the UAE."

BoxCommerce is backed by MasterCard's Start Path program and previously participated in Facebook's Commerce Accelerator in 2020. The company aims to become the go-to platform for emerging-market merchants looking to build omnichannel retail operations without technical complexity.

The expansion into the UAE marks a significant milestone for BoxCommerce, as it looks to establish itself as a leading e-commerce platform in the region. With its user-friendly solution and focus on SMEs, BoxCommerce is well-positioned to capitalize on the UAE's growing e-commerce market and make a meaningful impact on the country's economy.