Dubai Economy, Souq.com launch Digital Protection initiative

The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector at Dubai Economy and Souq.com, the Middle East’s largest online retail and marketplace website, have announced co-operation on the ‘Digital Protection’ initiative for consumer rights protection.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the CCCP and Souq.com aims at promoting consumer confidence in the region’s growing e-commerce industry and makes Souq.com the first certified e-commerce website to display the consumer protection logo of Dubai Economy.

The MoU was signed by Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO, CCCP, and Ronaldo Mouchawar, CEO and Co-Founder of Souq.com. This initiative is the latest in a series of measures adopted by the CCCP to regulate e-commerce in the emirate of Dubai, promote compliance and global best practices among commercial establishments, both online and offline.

The CCCP has been actively ensuring that the retail sector continues to develop in Dubai and remain transparent and regulated as it grows. It has been working closely with Souq.com for many years to safeguard consumer rights in the Middle East, including initiating strict measures against counterfeiting.

Lootah said, "In line with the economic agenda of Dubai, we support the transformation of Dubai into an innovative service-based economy to enhance its business environment and accelerate productivity and growth. The ‘Digital Protection’ initiative certifies e-commerce websites as per our consumer protection policies and focusses on training them on complying with the UAE laws and regulations. We are pleased to co-operate with Souq.com, the largest e-commerce website in the Middle East, in this initiative that aims at providing better customer experience, increased consumer protection, and faster response to customer issues, as well as ensuring the regulations of the e-commerce laws."

Mouchawar commented, "Our customers' trust is a top priority for Souq.com. We have been working closely with the CCCP for many years to benchmark our service standards and policies, as well as any applicable laws in accordance with the global best practices. As the Middle East is increasingly becoming a key player in global e-commerce and the expectations of our connected consumers are rising, there is a need to continuously evolve and enhance the e-commerce experience. Our co-operation with the DED is a significant step in this direction for Souq.com and will help promote consumer confidence and encourage online shopping in the region."

The areas identified by the CCCP and Souq.com in which the former will guide Souq.com are sharing of best practices and training their employees on the consumer complaint resolution mechanisms.