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ilounan.info : What is the concept of your web site?
Karim R. Saikali: BuyLebanese.com is a Lebanese Online Shopping Mall which allows users to buy hundreds of first quality products and receive them worldwide and door-to-door, directly from Lebanon. Our products include Oriental Sweets (Baklawa, Maamoul, etc...), Bakery (Lebanese Bread, Kaak, etc...), Coffee, Halawa, Pickles, Pudding, Roasted Nuts, Jam, Dried Fruits, Herbs and Spices, CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, Marble Mosaics, Narguilehs, etc...
Users can also Send Flowers to their families and friends inside Lebanon.
When and why did you get the idea to launch your E-commerce web site?
BuyLebanese.com was launched in November 2000. The idea came some 7 months prior to the launching. In 1998-99 I had spent a year in the USA for my Graduate studies. During this period, I used to buy online very often. So I thought I should probably work in e-commerce in Lebanon as soon as I come back. I was in fact among the first in Lebanon to be involved in the e-field.
BuyLebanese.com was actually my second project. Prior to it, I had launched an online Music Store (Lebanon's Largest Music Store) in February 2000.
What is your background ?
At the time, I had just completed my Master's in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University in New York. My ex-partner Mr. Nasri Messarra is Founder and Manager of Kleudge sarl and professor at University Saint Joseph teaching Internet and Computer Programming.
I currently work as an E-consultant and am specialized in Online Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
How many members work in your company ?
BuyLebanese.com's platform is highly computerized and extremely simple to manage. I am the only "employee" in the company. In fact, most of the work is outsourced through Aramex, which takes care of most of the logistics, from picking up the goods from the various suppliers, to assembling them, packing them and shipping them.
What is your customers' target? Where are your clients?
Our main target is the Lebanese Expatriates all over the world, but also the international customers who appreciate Lebanese food.
We also serve some restaurants and supermarkets in various parts of the globe.
We so far have clients in 105 countries (please check http://www.BuyLebanese.com/shippingportfolio.asp). Most of our clients are in the USA though.
We also have wholesale orders for the Far East.
Did you meet any technical difficulties because of the delay of the internet connections in Lebanon?
Not really. Our web site operations do not require high speed Internet. Once the credit card payment is received, all our orders are automatically generated in an e-mail format, which is a small size file.
How do you forward your products up to the buyers?
Delivery is door-to-door by fast courier. Most of our orders are handled by Aramex, while the rest are shipped with DHL.
As per our wholesale orders, we use Cargo or Sea Freight.
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