Max Mara, Boohoo launch new e-commerce platforms for the Middle East

Two fashion powerhouses, Italian company Max Mara and British e-retailer Boohoo have announced new online platforms for customers in the Middle East.

Max Mara launched its new portal for the Middle East on Monday, September 14. Available in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the bilingual portal is available in both English and Arabic.

Available on it already are all of its categories including runway collections, accessories, jewellery and shoes. Customers can shop for the ready-to-wear collections from Max Mara, Sportsmax and Weekend Max Mara.

UK-headquartered Boohoo.com meanwhile has also said that its e-commerce platform for the Middle East will go live on Wednesday, September 23.

The platform will serve several markets here in the region including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Jordan.

Available on it will be womenswear, menswear, activewear, footwear, accessories and beauty. It will also launch a mobile app along with the new e-commerce website.

To mark the launch of the new platform, Boohoo MENA will be rolling out a series of exclusive collections and collaborations, designed in partnership with regional personalities.

Boohoo has pushed forward an extensive global social media strategy which has seen it rake in over 6.7 million followers on Instagram and 2 million followers on Facebook.

Its MENA Instagram page has over 80,000 followers. Boohoo’s global campaigns have included collaborations with celebrities including Paris Hilton, Zendaya, Quavo and Swae Lee.

In related news, Bloomingdale’s Middle East too launched its e-commerce platform that week that offered deliveries in three countries within the region: UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Read: Bloomingdale’s opens online store for deliveries in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

Apart from fashion brands and retailers opening their e-commerce units, a few of them have even shut down in the UAE over the last few months.

In July, UAE-based Al Tayer Group closed its online fashion platform Nisnass which featured brands such as Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Nike and Puma.

Read also: UAE online fashion platform Nisnass closing down, confirms Al Tayer Group

In April, Dubai’s fashion retailer The Modist too announced that it had decided to shut down its business after it reportedly raised more than $15m in venture capital .