Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade announced plans of steering local, small family owned grocery shops into digitalization, as e-commerce continues to grow speed and popularity in the Kingdom.
Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade, said on Friday during a discussion session of the ministry’s budget presentation in the House of Representatives that “The grocery shop is an intermediary that enjoys the trust of the citizen, and this matter can be invested in e-commerce to then become a connecting hub between companies and customers.”
Mezzoue confirmed that his ministry is working on this to ensure the reception of grocery shop goods and take an agreed-upon margin of profit.
« This is what provides us a sense of complicity between e-commerce and original commerce, » said the official.
He explained that the merchants in question, with the emergence of distribution networks and the digital economy, have become in need of diversifying and improving their income in the face of the spread of these channels, stressing that e-commerce in Morocco “is moving on an upward trend, as a » Moroccan company, created only two years ago, records 80,000 orders per day ».
The minister underlined that 90% of Moroccans prefer to pay after delivery, and rarely do before.
He used himself as an ex Palme as he did once pay before and did not receive his order. Such instances, he added, exposing why Moroccans trust in e-commerce is still low.
Mezzour stated that 20% e-commerce ordered goods do not find anyone to receive them after reaching their destination, therefore they get returned, causing the company financial losses.
Based on these challenges faced by both sides, Mezzour believes that local grocery shops are an intermediary that has people’s trust, therefore it could integrate digital commerce and become the focus of the delivery process and enjoy a profit margin.
He stressed that this step would ensure integration between e-commerce and commerce and would preserve this class of merchants who play major roles in society.
During the same session the minister mentioned that 25% of local grocery shops revenues come from the express phone credits.
This is proximity commercial service for proximity, which isn’t enough to confront the digital networks that are creeping in.
The minister calls for working to transform the role of the merchant, strengthen his income, and enhance his position.