Monsha’at and Zoho to accelerate SMEs’ digital transformation and e-commerce adoption

Riyadh – Gulf Tech

In line with the national digitalisation agenda under the Saudi Vision 2030, the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at) and Zoho Corp., a leading global technology company, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims at supporting 30.000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia in their digital transformation journey and help accelerate their e-commerce adoption to drive forward the economic sustainability agenda. The announcement was made on the sidelines of Biban 2023, the Kingdom’s largest entrepreneurship forum.

The MoU was signed by Hyther Nizam, President of Middle East and Africa at Zoho Corp. and Sulaiman Alturaif, Vice Governor of Planning and Development at Monsha’at. As part of the National Transformation Programme by Monsha’at, Zoho will facilitate access to its powerful enterprise applications for local SMEs, thereby removing technology access barriers that smaller businesses face while digitalising their operations. In addition, Zoho and Monsha’at will work closely to help businesses learn how to manage e-commerce channels and deliver high-performance online retail sites by leveraging the unique capabilities of the Zoho Commerce platform.

“We are pleased to partner with Monsha’at to synergise efforts between the private and public sector to accelerate the e-commerce sector’s growth and SMEs’ digital transformation,” said Hyther Nizam. “As part of our transnational localism efforts, which is well attuned to Vision 2030, we strive to help the ecosystem catalyse, innovate and gain scale, in which we provide a unique advantage for smaller organisations to promise entrepreneurship. In joining hands with Monsha’at, we will help make more businesses digital-savvy and lead a smooth transition to a fully-digitised, cashless ecosystem.”

Under this agreement, SMEs registered by Monsha’at who are members of the Mazaya Programme will be eligible for a wallet credit worth $2500. The wallet credits can be used for accessing any of Zoho’s 55+ cloud-based solutions to manage and streamline operations ranging from front office like sales and marketing to back office including human resources management and financial management. SMEs can also tap into Zoho Commerce, one of the few platforms in the market to offer natively-integrated Arabic website building capabilities and regional payment gateway solutions—allowing businesses to cater to a wider Arabic-speaking audience.

“Monsha’at is committed to supporting the digital transformation of SMEs as well as the growth of e-commerce through a set of tailored programmes and services in partnership with key stakeholders and players from the public and private sector, which is an important aspect of achieving Vision 2030. By leveraging Monsha’at digital platforms and reach, we will work with Zoho to accelerate the digital transformation of Saudi SMEs, providing them with a set of cloud-based solutions, self-based learning and services of added value,” said Mahmoud Mazi, General Manager of Retail at Monsha’at.

The Monsha’at Academy will offer digital training through online webinars, and training courses for Zoho’s applications to enable users to fully leverage the apps to grow their business. Monsha’at will also facilitate physical events, including workshops and bootcamps, that will be organised by Thakaa Center, a specialised innovation center for entrepreneurs and SMEs.

Zoho has built all products from the ground up on the same technology stack where they seamlessly integrate with one another, facilitating flow of contextual data. Zoho users benefit from the company’s strong and unwavering commitment to data privacy. The company does not exchange data with third-party applications or show ads in any paid or free versions of its products.

Zoho is participating in Biban 2023 to showcase the advanced capabilities of its products including the flagship suite, Zoho One in addition to ZATCA-approved accounting software Zoho Books, Zoho Invoice, Zoho Inventory, Zoho Expense, and Zoho Commerce, which offer locally-tailored capabilities for businesses including VAT and e-invoicing compliance with an Arabic User Interface.