After existing their first venture cirtuss TV at the end of 2018, Nicolas Bruylants was approached by some of the venture’s clients that were interested in developing their online sales, through the setup of a D2C ecommerce platform.
Bruylants soon realised that there was no online sales accelerators in the region, which were capable of offering a one stop shop for all aspects of ecommerce. This included – consultancy and strategy, tech development, hosting and maintenance, supply chain, warehousing, and deliveries, analytics and optimisation, and customer support.
This led to the birth of Uplo. “We aim to provide all services required to support brands in their e-commerce retail sales,” added Bruylants, who is the co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of the company.
The initial product was a D2C platform that was quick to market, low CAPEX, and low maintenance. Today Uplo is building an online suite answering its clients and its business needs, comprising of a product information management (PIM), an order management system (OMS), an enterprise resourcing planning (ERP), data analytics, and integration with regional platforms such as Amazon, noon, Namshi, amongst others.
The platform works with stores and brands. The pandemic significantly boosted e-commerce in the GCC, accelerating digital transformation. Brands were compelled to adopt technology rapidly, integrating e-commerce platforms, utilising data analytics for consumer insights, and enhancing online customer experiences.
This shift helped companies reach wider audiences and adapt to changing consumer behaviors, emphasising the importance of digital presence and online sales channels in the current market.
The market is evolving rapidly across the region. Huge investment into e-commerce infrastructure and an overwhelming demand from consumers is propelling this acceleration. Government support and digital infrastructure investments are also pivotal in nurturing the e-commerce ecosystem.
The GCC, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, leads this growth. Product categories like fashion, electronics, and groceries are particularly popular among consumers.
Some of the key things to look out for over the coming year include an increasing variety of ways to ‘virtually’ try products using augmented reality and the growing use of ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL), which is displacing cash on delivery.
Today, the team releases updates that facilitate processes, increase sales for the clients, and saves time. It aim is to help the clients generate greater revenue.
“Technology has revolutionized e-commerce by enhancing online sales platforms: customer experience (recommendation engines, virtual try-ons, chatbots for sale or customer support), improving data analytics for better consumer insights (conversion rates, predictive stock, dynamic pricing) and facilitating seamless global market access,” added Bruylants.
He explained, Uplo assists in this transformation by optimising brand sales on various marketplaces. It helps brands adapt to e-commerce through inventory management, sales optimisation, and leveraging insights for margin improvement. This approach allows brands to effectively navigate and grow in the digital marketplace.
With the world working towards digisation, there are growing number of ecommerce management platforms and systems. There are platforms like BrightPearl, Celigo, and Singuli to name a few.
These platforms are only further growing, with the growth of ecommerce in the region. The market value for ecommerce in the region is pegged at $8.85 billion in 2023, and until 2029 it is believed to touch $16.53 billion, with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.52 per cent.
Bruylants added Uplo is nevertheless different. He added, “We are different because, we are not only some of the best e-commerce experts in the region, but we also support the brands in the execution strategy, focusing on multiplying their sales and maximising their profitability, all this supported by a proprietary suite of tech products (such as predictive forecasting, dynamic pricing, data management platform, market place integrations, and analytics).”
Uplo currently aims to become the reference for predictive forecasting, dynamic pricing, and data management (PIM, DAM, and analytics) in one platform. They also aim to have their tech stack become one of the most sought after platforms for any brand in the region.
