Smart City Playbook

Business, Industry & Logistics

Usecases

Made in Al Madinah E-Commerce Platform

“Made in Al Madinah” is an e-commerce platform for products and goods hand-made in Al Madinah by people of the city. Since small traditional businesses are the core of Al Madinah’s economy, they heavily rely on the seasonal religious tourism to gain access to customers and promote their products that reflect the city’s history and culture. With the rise of e-commerce as a key driver for growth, “Made in Al Madinah” can be a valuable opportunity to help these businesses keep abreast of the modern era and develop a more sustainable path for growth. Through such a unified platform where city businesses can showcase their products, the city would be opening its small businesses to the country, the region and the whole world. Common tools such as payment gateways and logistics services can be also leveraged to standardize processes, ease implementation and reduce cost, eventually creating a self-sustainable platform that increases the visibility of Al Madinah’s small businesses to a wider community.

KEY

CHALLENGES

Existing business are not enabled with the right tools and capabilities to boost productivity, acquire knowledge, and ensure a safe work environment

Supply chain phases are not planned and managed effectively

The business environment in Al Madinah lacks supporting services and tools

KEY EXPECTED BENEFITS

Economic Growth

The platform will promote and encourage increased economic activities in the city

Business Digitization

Businesses will be positively impacted by digital development

Greater Outreach

Additional markets outside the city will be reached

ALIGNMENT TO SMART CITY OBJECTIVES

Innovative

Streamlined

TARGET USERS

Business Owner/ Manager

Start-Up

Local Buyers

Global Buyers

USE CASE

JOURNEY

Omar is a tourist visiting Al Madinah city. Since he is on a strict schedule, he has no time to shop for souvenirs to take back to his beloved ones. In the hotel lounge, Omar sees a flyer for “Made in Al Madinah” platform.

Through the platform, Omar has access to a list of local businesses and shops in the city, from traditional cafes and restaurants to local shops that sell products and services typical to Al Madinah’s culture. He decides to walk to a café nearby to discover the neighborhood and have coffee.

In addition, Omar wishes to buy some products as a souvenir of his trip, fills his cart with selected products, fills in requested information for delivery including his hotel information and room number and enters his payment details upon check-out. The following day he receives the packages in his hotel room.

POTENTIAL SERVICE FEATURES

Collaboration with top-tier designers and producers

E-commerce platform with a marketplace

Competitions and hackathons to design “Made in Al Madinah” products

Toolkit for e-commerce deployment

Campaigns to introduce “Made in Al Madinah”

KEY TOUCH POINTS

Website

Mobile App

Social Media

Implementation
Timeline

Within 6 months

12 – 18 months

Over 24 months

Technology Commercial Viability

Currently commercialized

1 – 3 years to commercialize

5+ years to
commercialize

Regulatory Conduciveness

No New Policies and
Standards

Some Policies &
Standards to be
Introduced

Complex Policies to be
Introduced

Investment Requirement

Low

Medium

High

Use Case Ownership

Government Driven

Piloted by Gov. & Transitioned to Private Sector

Private Sector

Startups & Entrepreneurs

IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS

Product standards (size and weight) for autonomous robots

Policies to manage data collection from suppliers and its potential usage

Integration with procurement systems for automated PO creation

POTENTIAL TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

IN THE MARKET

Business, Industry & Logistics

Use Cases

Smart Warehouse Management Solutions

Industrial 3D Printing

Smart Factory Solutions

The Human-Tech (Augmented) Workforce Solutions

Real-time Fleet Management

Work in Al Madinah Digital Companion

Industrial Collaboration Platform

Made in Al Madinah E-Commerce Platform

Smart Lockers “Ameen”

Al Madinah Loyalty Program “Madenati”