Worldwide, the leader in the group buying space is Groupon.com which is coming to the UAE where one of best known group buying sites is Cobone.com.
Cobone’s founder is Paul Kenny who arrived in the UAE from Ireland and has been working in the region for a number of years. He isn’t worried about competition from outside. “What really sets Cobone apart is the quality of our deals and variety of payment options,” says Kenny. “We’re also home grown, bi-lingual and rapidly expanding to new cities,” he adds. “The arrival of new competition is healthy, and it will certainly help the region confidently adapt to online commerce.”
A Deal Every Day and Savings Too
Cobone.com features one deal each day with discounts from 50-90 percent on restaurants, spas, entertainment, retail, and hotels. The deal is for sale for a limited period only, but the purchaser has up to six months to use it. Examples include a 9 dhs. cinema ticket – over 2,400 tickets sold in 15 hours; a Pizza Express voucher – 1,400 sold in 24 hours; and a Coldstone Creamery voucher – 1,600 sold in one day. Kenny says proudly, “to be honest ,every deal we run sells hundreds of coupons!”
According to Kenny, prospects for the future are good. “E-commerce within the region is growing at a phenomenal rate,” he says. ” Cobone.com now has over 125,000 deal-hungry users who receive our daily email in the UAE. Everybody loves a good deal, and the question I always ask is, why pay full price when you can save thousands of dirhams on Cobone.com?
E-commerce may be growing, but some people still worry about the safety of payment online. Kenny assures clients there is no reason to worry. “On our secure website, if you see a deal you would like to buy, you can purchase using credit card, PayPal, cash, or our amazing cash on delivery service. There is no excuse not to buy every deal on Cobone.com,” he explains.
Backed by Jabbar group which has 10 years experience here, Cobone.com is now open in four countries – UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Jordan – and has extensive plans to launch across MENA. The goal is simple: “I see Cobone.com growing to be the number on group buying company in every market we operate in. ”
