DUBAI — As the luxury e-commerce landscape in the Middle East evolves, homegrown favorite Ounass aims to stay ahead of the curve.
The e-tailer bills itself as the region’s leading online destination for high-end fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Boasting 35 percent year-on-year growth, Ounass maintains a keen focus on the needs of customers in the region, Eda Kuloglu, chief merchandising officer, said in an exclusive interview.
On Wednesday, the company unveiled its latest venture: Ounass Maison. The first permanent physical destination for the brand is an elegant VIP personal shopping space tucked inside Dubai’s luxurious Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
“Ounass Maison allows us to connect with our most loyal customers in a meaningful way,” Kuloglu said.
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The company’s commitment to remaining a digital pure player is unwavering. The maison is an extension of the brand’s core mission to serve customers better. “The space offers an enhanced experience,” she said. “It’s about creating a sense of discovery and exclusivity that perhaps can’t be replicated online.”
Visitors to the shopping space can indulge in private styling and fitting consultations as well as browse curated collections in an expansive living-room setting, a personalized experience that brings the online collection to life. “Our goal has always been to anticipate the evolving needs and desires of the Middle Eastern consumer,” Kuloglu said. “We are always looking for new ways to elevate the shopping experience and bring our customers something they can’t find anywhere else.”
The Mandarin Oriental, situated on the beach in the Jumeirah neighborhood, attracts high-profile tourists and is also a key landmark for local clientele. The location helps the company tap into Dubai’s retail tourism market by offering its popular two-hour delivery service at the location.
Ounass, which was launched in 2016 by Al Tayer Insignia, invested heavily in hyper-fast delivery from the onset, offering two- to three-hour service in its home market, the United Arab Emirates, and now in Saudi Arabia. This was a game-changer for a region accustomed to long wait times for online orders. Its current average delivery time in the UAE is 89 minutes. The company has 4 million monthly active users, and an average sale of $550 per order, excluding beauty.
Creating frictionless customer service at every touch point has proven to be a very profitable model for the company and helped fend off competition from international e-commerce players also operating in the market. As the landscape becomes increasingly competitive, Ounass continues to focus on innovation to help maintain its position as the market leader. Cue Ounass Maison: “Whether it’s enjoying seamless service, discovering the latest must-have brands or accessing exclusive experiences, we want Ounass to be the go-to destination,” Kuloglu said.
Ounass has also benefited from exclusive brand partnerships and complementary physical pop-up activations that drive engagement. It launched Skims in the Middle East, which enjoyed a highly successful two-week pop-up on the beach in December 2020, complete with an Instagram-worthy installation and complimentary treats for shoppers.
“We learned our customers loved being able to discover and shop the collection in person,” Kuloglu said. “It created a real sense of exclusivity and community.” Other popular activations have been done in collaboration with Fear of God, Kith and Amina Muaddi.
While being a digital pure player is vital to the brand identity of Ounass, creating unique experiences that blend products, entertainment, and food and beverage elements has become an important part of the company.
Kuloglu said securing brands exclusively in the market has been a vital strategy. Her team scours the world to bring products and collections to the Middle East, giving customers access to new and emerging brands. “My team are currently in Vietnam scouting brands because we see the appetite here is strong for some of the newer contemporary brands from there that we have discovered,” she said.
Kuloglu said being based in the Middle East offers a deep market understanding, allowing Ounass to tailor the brand selection and experiences for each country in the region. Key events like Ramadan, which will start in February next year, are peak sales periods for the company and are marked by changes in purchasing behavior.
“We see a significant increase in activity during the holiday,” Kuloglu said, noting customers are more engaged during the one-month period of fasting. “Purchases are higher, even late at night, as they wake up for suhoor (the pre-dawn meal).” Ounass adjusts its delivery times until 5 a.m. in markets like Saudi Arabia and the UAE during these periods to accommodate unique shopping patterns.
Modest wear is a category that sees strong performance during Ramadan. Ounass has exclusive collections from regional modest-wear brands that are highly sought after by customers during this period. “There is less price sensitivity as customers look to indulge during the holy month,” she said.
