The Marjane group has just positioned itself on this form of trade of the future whose turnover in Morocco should be multiplied by six by 2030. A dedicated subsidiary which operates in start-up mode has just set up a new mall on line.
It is especially not to be confused with the Marjane application which allows you to do your shopping online or in a pick-up… The virtual mall of the supermarket chain does not even have a mobile application yet. The soft opening, performed this Tuesday, February 21 at 12 p.m., is limited so far to the website version. A shopping marketplace, this modern-day souk that attracts more and more consumers. Including virtual food courts for fast delivery, the online purchase of consumer products currently totals 5 billion dirhams in turnover. “The Covid has accelerated everything and the pace will go crescendo,” says Kamal Moukhliss, CEO of Marjanemall. “We expect this market to double by 2025 and the volume of activity should reach 30 billion dirhams in 2030,” he adds.
Marjanemall is certainly a 100% subsidiary of the Marjane group, but the group wanted it a bit like its start-up with autonomy and a mode of governance capable of ensuring the success of this digital shift. It is a separate entity, with a new operational team set up in separate premises, but also with distinct commercial and financial objectives.
“We have taken the time to develop with local and international companies an unprecedented platform in Morocco with transparent services and respecting regulatory provisions,” says the CEO of Marjanemarket. The prices of products shipped from abroad are for example invoiced at the displayed price (and not at the theoretical exchange rate) and include all customs taxes. “It is our responsibility to pull this market up and out of the gray zone. A module dedicated to the calculation of customs duties and another allowing direct payment in foreign currency, via the e-commerce endowment, with its own bank, have been developed in this direction”, continues Moukhliss.
The rise of e-commerce must be accompanied by innovation and solutions that remain respectful of regulatory provisions and social responsibility. Marjanemall thus intends to make it a hobbyhorse to carve out a place for itself among the marketplaces by relying on the credibility and values of its parent brand. This explains why the brand took its time before slowly but surely starting this project with a fairly selective start: 200 sellers offering some 150,000 products. The ambition is to reach one thousand sellers and one million products before the end of the year, with the prospect of regional positioning in the medium term. As for profitability, the start-up Marjane should wait much longer…