OMAN — broadcast
20260920 093000 UTC
446 transcript segments
Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking
Data courtesy of The GDELT Project (https://www.gdeltproject.org/), from the Internet Archive TV News Archive.
Machine transcription. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a verbatim quotation record.

[00:00:00] 2026. With the compliments of the Ministry of Interior.
[00:00:04] The store owner now focuses only on
[00:00:19] it has entered many
[00:00:21] merchant now focuses only on
[00:00:25] the customer's
[00:00:28] The biggest example here in
[00:00:33] As you move between e-commerce
[00:00:35] platforms, behind every order, a journey begins that
[00:00:39] the consumer does not see. Products are stored,
[00:00:42] orders are prepared, and shipments begin
[00:00:45] their journey until they reach their destination. Interconnected
[00:00:48] details have become today an
[00:00:52] essential part of the e-commerce system
[00:00:56] is not available or the quantities in
[00:00:56] by receiving the order from and its growth. Many questions about the fulfillment of e-commerce orders,
[00:01:00] Your right to
[00:01:02] can achieve this how storage and delivery services have changed the way e-commerce works, and
[00:01:06] what happens behind the order journey until it reaches
[00:01:10] the consumer, and what opportunities
[00:01:14] visible breakage in this system has provided to merchants and projects, and what are the most prominent challenges
[00:01:18] it faces with the expansion of this sector?
[00:01:22] The "Amma Baad" team discussed these questions
[00:01:25] with a number of
[00:01:27] the merchant does not only focus on the profits, meaning they will reduce specialists. Welcome. Amma
[00:01:30] Baad. Traditional trade relies only on
[00:01:34] the merchant, the shop owner.
[00:01:37] The shop owner cares about all the details and all parties. He is the one who provides
[00:01:41] the product, cares about
[00:01:43] the quality of the product, cares about delivery, cares about
[00:01:47] product installation. But now, with
[00:01:51] the modern era,
[00:01:54] the concept of e-commerce has changed. We
[00:01:57] now have a complete
[00:02:00] logistics system that
[00:02:03] cares about other things, secondary things.
[00:02:06] The merchant
[00:02:09] when it left the store. cares about the essential thing, which is the product, the quality of the product,
[00:02:12] and marketing. But
[00:02:15] there are other parties that care about
[00:02:18] price. other operations, such as delivery, storage,
[00:02:22] shipping,
[00:02:24] and some fees may apply in after-sales service, or if, for example, we want to
[00:02:26] return the product. It is also
[00:02:30] different from before. Logistics companies are no longer limited to delivery
[00:02:33] اللوجيستيه تقتصر على التوصيل
[00:02:35] the fastest speed for only, but have become an integral partner in e-commerce. For example,
[00:02:38] they provide modern services, among which I mention
[00:02:42] inventory management, order picking and packaging,
[00:02:45] and return management and cash on
[00:02:48] delivery. As is known internationally and locally, we have
[00:02:52] peak periods
[00:02:53] must make sure that when orders are numerous. So the merchant in this period
[00:02:56] does not have to worry about
[00:02:58] Addresses, of course, affect the operational method for the product.
[00:03:01] It has flexible solutions during this period. Of course, logistics
[00:03:06] that failed services are very important. Why? Because selling is not
[00:03:09] just, I mean, when the customer presses
[00:03:13] the purchase button, whether from the application or from the e-store, no,
[00:03:16] the stage after pressing this is the most important, which is
[00:03:20] logistics. So,
[00:03:23] even if, for example, the
[00:03:26] customer or the merchant chose the product well
[00:03:30] and did marketing, but then
[00:03:33] the logistics were not good enough,
[00:03:35] the customer will ultimately see it as a complete failure
[00:03:39] of the store. Therefore, electronic tracking has become important in
[00:03:42] which initially provide the reputation of selling and in the selling process itself and in the user experience.
[00:03:47] loss. Therefore, when it comes to Multi-vendor e-marketplaces
[00:03:49] have changed the e-market from being reliant on
[00:03:54] important to make sure to communicate social media platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp
[00:03:56] to another faster and easier market.
[00:04:00] From two aspects: from the merchant's side,
[00:04:02] For each product, we have a specific code. In the merchant used to waste long hours replying to
[00:04:05] customers, recording orders, even verifying receipts
[00:04:08] if they were forged or genuine, and also took long
[00:04:12] hours to prepare orders and track
[00:04:14] this type agents and delivery companies. Now, the merchant doesn't do anything
[00:04:17] except use the system and monitor his orders, and at the end of
[00:04:20] the month, he receives his money. For
[00:04:22] the customer, it's the same. The process has become very easy
[00:04:25] As for preventing and faster. He can order from more than one delivery
[00:04:29] provider. One can see
[00:04:32] all available products, unavailable, colors, shapes.
[00:04:35] With
[00:04:38] the rapid growth of e-commerce globally,
[00:04:41] the market value of some of its companies reached
[00:04:45] hundreds of billions and trillions of
[00:04:47] dollars. According to August
[00:04:50] 2026 data,
[00:04:54] prepared to be placed on Amazon topped the list with a market value of approximately $2.9 trillion.
[00:04:57] Followed by Alibaba
[00:04:59] its own code, which is with approximately $306 billion,
[00:05:01] then Shopify with approximately $196
[00:05:05] billion. The main variable,
[00:05:08] of orders instantly. This of course, here in this
[00:05:12] system is the store owner.
[00:05:17] the product and the quality of the product and on marketing, perhaps if
[00:05:21] he wishes, but perhaps
[00:05:23] he entrusts the rest of the parties to other companies.
[00:05:26] Logistics companies have started to provide flexible solutions during
[00:05:30] peak periods when demand is high. So the
[00:05:33] the product and its marketing. As for the operational matters, they have become
[00:05:37] part of the logistics companies.
[00:05:40] the Sultanate is Asyad, which is considered
[00:05:44] the huge and giant government provider
[00:05:47] of the logistics system, in that they have
[00:05:50] storage and they also
[00:05:54] deliver goods and care about
[00:05:55] shipping
[00:05:58] goods and delivering them to their proper place and care about
[00:06:02] their quality, the quality of their arrival to
[00:06:05] the user.
[00:06:11] In fact, delivery companies
[00:06:15] balance by investing in these
[00:06:18] delivery systems and logistics systems.
[00:06:21] For example, through these systems, they can
[00:06:25] increase the number of operations, orders, or
[00:06:28] shipments. So,
[00:06:31] for example, if they have a strong system, they can
[00:06:34] handle a large number of orders, and thus they will cover
[00:06:39] the cost.
[00:06:43] Since they have increased the number of these operations or
[00:06:46] orders, they will reduce or cover this cost.
[00:06:50] Also, through logistical organization, meaning, for example, you have
[00:06:53] a delivery agent who will deliver an order to a specific
[00:06:57] place. He can go in two ways: he can go
[00:07:01] and deliver, then go here and there. Here, he will waste his
[00:07:04] fuel and also waste his time. But if he has
[00:07:08] a strong organization and system, when he
[00:07:11] goes, he will go in a way that when he delivers, he delivers to all
[00:07:14] customers near the location. Therefore, by
[00:07:17] investing in systems and also
[00:07:20] through organization, delivery companies can balance
[00:07:24] between cost and
[00:07:31] In the beginning, Amar was an idea. The buyer was facing
[00:07:34] problems, so he tried to find a solution to these problems. For example,
[00:07:38] for every order, the customer pays two rials for delivery.
[00:07:42] You also had, for example, difficulty in obtaining product information,
[00:07:46] such as whether the product is available or the types of products available,
[00:07:50] as well as the slowness of the response from the merchant.
[00:07:53] So when the customer sends and the merchant replies, it takes time.
[00:07:57] So the solution for Amar was an organized warehouse,
[00:08:01] an easy application, and fast delivery. The customer, as soon as he orders, receives three
[00:08:04] notifications: a notification to the customer that his order has been placed, a second
[00:08:08] notification to the merchant that he has a new order, and
[00:08:12] a notification to our system. Through the system, we can see all
[00:08:16] orders with all details.
[00:08:19] After that, we prepare the orders and hand them over to delivery companies.
[00:08:22] Delivery companies deliver products and orders to the customer, whether
[00:08:26] from inside or outside the Sultanate. Honestly, the application
[00:08:29] was not primarily for makeup, but its goal was all normal things,
[00:08:32] meaning anything without flowers or chocolate, because those things
[00:08:36] spoil during delivery. But because most
[00:08:40] customers became girls,
[00:08:44] merchants became mostly makeup and similar things. But we had clothing
[00:08:47] merchants, we had accessories
[00:08:50] merchants, we even had kitchenware
[00:08:53] merchants. So we could take anything
[00:08:57] as long as it wasn't flowers or chocolate, so it wouldn't spoil in the heat. You might
[00:09:00] ask about makeup or beauty products,
[00:09:04] for example, soaps and all that. These all require special care, whether
[00:09:08] refrigeration or preserving them during
[00:09:11] the preparation process or delivery.
[00:09:14] So we handle products according to the merchant's instructions. For example, if the merchant needs a refrigerator,
[00:09:18] we can provide one, but generally, we do not
[00:09:22] accept products that require care like refrigeration, because even if we
[00:09:26] preserve them in the warehouse, it's difficult, you know,
[00:09:29] due to the weather, they might be affected during delivery. But
[00:09:33] as for cooling, our warehouse is refrigerated.
[00:09:38] breakage, we have the bubble wraps that we
[00:09:41] use to wrap products. Therefore, the merchant brings them to us already wrapped in a good
[00:09:44] way. When we put them away,
[00:09:48] we also put a "fragile" sticker
[00:09:52] so that the agent is careful with the product. Amar's
[00:09:55] role does not end until the customer
[00:09:58] receives the order and is satisfied with it, because he cares about all
[00:10:02] the details from the beginning of downloading the application, from downloading
[00:10:06] the application until the customer receives the order. Amar takes care of all the details.
[00:10:09] However, we must guarantee the quality of delivery. We have
[00:10:12] linked the Amar system with the delivery
[00:10:15] companies' system so that we can track orders and the status
[00:10:21] helps us solve any problem that may arise.
[00:10:29] Due to delivery, the e-commerce system in the Sultanate of Oman is witnessing
[00:10:33] continuous expansion, supported by the national e-commerce plan
[00:10:36] 2022-2027.
[00:10:37] 2022-2027
[00:10:40] By the end of 2025,
[00:10:43] the plan's completion rate reached 86.7%,
[00:10:47] after completing 26 initiatives out of
[00:10:50] 30. The number of licensed activities
[00:10:53] for e-commerce reached 1926
[00:10:57] activities by August
[00:10:59] 1, 2026. Meanwhile, the number of verified
[00:11:02] e-stores on the Maroof Oman platform
[00:11:06] reached 412 stores. For these
[00:11:10] logistics services, the burden is transferred from the merchant
[00:11:13] to these companies. So logistics companies are the ones
[00:11:17] that bear this operational burden
[00:11:21] the merchant, then starting to package the product
[00:11:25] and delivering it to the specified
[00:11:26] destination. In addition to managing
[00:11:30] returns for these shipments in case
[00:11:33] the customer requests to return them
[00:11:37] due to damage or
[00:11:39] the product. So logistics companies in
[00:11:43] general manage all stages from the moment of receiving the product
[00:11:47] to the moment of returning the product in case of damage. Now,
[00:11:52] the product, but also focuses on the delivery
[00:11:55] method. Did the product reach its
[00:11:58] owners in the appropriate way? Did it arrive in the appropriate form?
[00:12:02] And did it pass
[00:12:05] through the stages that it was supposed to pass through
[00:12:08] to the user? So, I now don't focus on the fact that sometimes
[00:12:12] the product reaches the customer
[00:12:15] with high quality, but it arrived late or
[00:12:19] it arrived in a way
[00:12:22] that is not suitable for use, for example.
[00:12:25] Here, the customer will blame
[00:12:29] the store, even though the product was of good quality
[00:12:34] The product left the store in good quality,
[00:12:37] but due to delivery, this
[00:12:40] product was damaged, for example. Therefore, here, I
[00:12:43] as a store owner, must focus on the user experience, or what we call
[00:12:47] the customer journey, which is the customer's
[00:12:51] journey. Is the customer's journey complete from the day he clicked
[00:12:54] the button until it reached his doorstep?
[00:12:58] Is this whole experience complete? Is the storage
[00:13:00] method good? Shipping?
[00:13:03] Is delivery good?
[00:13:05] Is the deposit made in a good place,
[00:13:09] in a good way? Is the packaging the same or has
[00:13:12] it changed, and so on? So here, I have the
[00:13:16] delivery. The store owner
[00:13:18] the delivery or the company he chose to deliver the product is
[00:13:22] a good company, because there are many criteria that a person
[00:13:26] must consider, including delivery speed, including
[00:13:30] what this company covers, meaning
[00:13:33] it covers, of course, inside Oman and outside Oman, meaning its coverage.
[00:13:37] Also, among them is how to handle returns.
[00:13:41] I mean, returns, are they returned correctly? Damaged or not
[00:13:44] damaged? Also, you have customer service.
[00:13:48] Do they reply quickly or not? Also, you have
[00:13:51] the collection amounts. Do they transfer the amounts quickly?
[00:13:55] To merchants or do they delay? So all these things. Also, you have
[00:13:59] the system itself. When there is a strong system, it means
[00:14:02] the merchant can track his order and so on. So all these things
[00:14:05] are important in the process of choosing the right
[00:14:09] company. For example, you have the merchant's page. The merchant's page is used
[00:14:13] for monitoring. The merchant monitors shipments,
[00:14:16] monitors inventory, adds products, sends shipments,
[00:14:19] and can even view reports at any time he wants. The second thing
[00:14:23] we have is the codes.
[00:14:27] the beginning, each store has a code, and each product has a code, and each type of
[00:14:31] product also has different codes. So we have codes for everything
[00:14:34] to facilitate the process. And the third
[00:14:37] thing, through which we ensure the quality of inventory management, is
[00:14:41] inventory taking. We must take inventory regularly to ensure that things
[00:14:44] are running perfectly.
[00:14:45] Before the
[00:14:51] merchant sends his goods to the fulfillment and distribution center,
[00:14:55] he sends us a notification. The notification contains details of the products he
[00:14:58] sends and their quantities. We, in turn, as soon as we receive this
[00:15:02] quantity, verify its accuracy and the types of products
[00:15:05] and their conformity to the received notification. In case of any discrepancies, we will
[00:15:09] notify the merchant of the discrepancies as an increase or decrease.
[00:15:12] Then they are inspected to ensure they are free of any damage or increase or
[00:15:15] decrease. Then they are
[00:15:19] the shelf as agreed upon. Usually, each product has
[00:15:24] in English, SKU. This distinguishes each product from
[00:15:27] the other. And in our warehouse, we ensure that all products
[00:15:31] are together. Each merchant's goods are kept together so that
[00:15:35] he can be charged at the end of each month for a certain
[00:15:38] storage quantity. So this makes it easy for us to access products according
[00:15:41] to the merchant type and the orders that arrive. The process is usually
[00:15:45] between the consumer and the merchant, and our role
[00:15:47] begins when the merchant receives the order from the consumer and sends it to us,
[00:15:51] either electronically or through the interface or system provided
[00:15:55] by us. As soon as these orders reach us, supervisors
[00:15:59] assign these orders to the warehouse
[00:16:02] workers. Warehouse workers, in turn, based on the system, will
[00:16:05] take order details and
[00:16:09] product details and quantities, and they will be packaged
[00:16:12] and prepared according to the required packaging.
[00:16:15] Then the shipping label is attached to track
[00:16:19] the delivery path later. Inventory data is always
[00:16:22] available to the merchant in real time
[00:16:26] so that in case orders are placed, the inventory is immediately deducted.
[00:16:30] In case the order
[00:16:33] the order do not match the inventory, the order is rejected.
[00:16:37] However, we provide live data, either through integration or through the interface
[00:16:41] system we provide for them. Every shipment leaving the fulfillment
[00:16:44] and distribution center will have a special tracking number. This
[00:16:48] tracking number is published to the merchant and the consumer as well.
[00:16:52] So both can track the shipment exactly where it is, whether
[00:16:55] it has been received by the delivery department, or is being sorted, or
[00:16:59] if there is an address problem, a delivery attempt, as well as final delivery
[00:17:02] and return in case the shipment
[00:17:06] cannot be delivered. Regardless of the reason, it is returned
[00:17:09] to the sender. In this case, the fulfillment and signing center is the sender on behalf of
[00:17:13] the merchant. So we, in turn, treat it as a new shipment
[00:17:16] or new goods returned to the warehouse. So we will
[00:17:20] receive it, track it, check its quality, and return it
[00:17:24] to the shelf and notify the merchant so that he can sell the product again. And in
[00:17:28] case the customer received the order but wanted
[00:17:31] to return it because the size, for example, did not fit
[00:17:35] him or he agreed with the merchant to return it. We have a service called the
[00:17:38] "Driver Return" service from Asyad Express. The driver goes to the customer,
[00:17:42] takes the order, and returns it to the warehouse, and we add it to the warehouse inventory. International
[00:17:45] orders differ slightly from local orders. They usually
[00:17:49] require some additional documents such as shipment
[00:17:52] invoices and customs declarations to be exported to the other
[00:17:56] country. And by the competent authorities of customs in the other country, they are cleared
[00:18:01] the other country to the recipient and it may take some
[00:18:05] additional days because it is international shipping, but
[00:18:08] we try to provide
[00:18:12] the customer. In the final stage of the order
[00:18:15] journey, comes what is known as the last
[00:18:18] mile, which is the distance the shipment travels
[00:18:22] from the distribution center until it reaches the consumer. And even
[00:18:26] though it is the final stage, it can be one of the most
[00:18:29] challenging
[00:18:33] delivery stages.
[00:18:36] the entire process a lot. It is not just, I mean,
[00:18:39] just an order that did not arrive or an order
[00:18:44] to be delivered. No, it is bigger than that. Why? Because it
[00:18:48] will actually cause losses for both parties. It will cause losses
[00:18:51] for the merchant and also cause losses
[00:18:54] for the delivery company. Why? Because the agent will go
[00:18:58] to the customer's house, I mean, he will go to the customer's house, and in the end,
[00:19:01] the customer might not answer him because there is a mistake in the address
[00:19:04] and so on. So here, he will lose fuel,
[00:19:08] I mean, and he will lose time, and the company
[00:19:12] will ask the merchant to pay the returned amount.
[00:19:15] Of course, companies vary, I mean, some companies charge
[00:19:19] one rial, some companies charge the same price, two rials, and some companies charge half a rial. So here, there will be a shared
[00:19:24] addresses, it is very important, I mean, before the order leaves
[00:19:28] for delivery, it is very
[00:19:31] with the customer. Do you want the order tomorrow or not?
[00:19:35] Is the address correct? If there is any modification
[00:19:38] or anything, it should be modified.
[00:19:39] I
[00:19:44] contract with specialized companies so that I don't, I don't,
[00:19:48] I don't, for example, let the product reach
[00:19:52] the wrong place or pass through stages that are not
[00:19:56] sound. For example, the payment system. Sometimes, if I contract
[00:19:59] with an excellent company for payment,
[00:20:03] the payment system will work easily.
[00:20:06] Even when customers come to my
[00:20:09] store, they won't be complicated by the matter, because
[00:20:13] I have integrated excellent systems into the infrastructure
[00:20:17] or the basic infrastructure of
[00:20:19] my store,
[00:20:22] which are not complicated. So the
[00:20:26] user experience will be smooth. However, operation will certainly
[00:20:30] be more complex. I will need
[00:20:34] more than one party to deal with. But here, we
[00:20:37] come to the need for
[00:20:40] example, the introduction of artificial
[00:20:43] intelligence, which can enhance
[00:20:46] the cohesion of these parties. So that if there is a problem with one of
[00:20:50] these parties, it can
[00:20:53] predict the problem and notify the other
[00:20:57] party before the problem occurs or before the product
[00:21:00] reaches the final person. Artificial intelligence
[00:21:04] will be involved in many things. The first thing we notice now is that most of
[00:21:09] companies, which is customer service. Most of them now have
[00:21:12] these bots that answer
[00:21:15] questions and answers, questions and answers, until, for example, if he encounters any
[00:21:19] problem, he returns to contact. So this is one of
[00:21:22] the developments that can enter e-commerce.
[00:21:26] And also, for example, delivery forecasts,
[00:21:30] and also
[00:21:33] delivery routes, where the shipment exactly arrived,
[00:21:37] where it came from and where it arrived, and predicting when it will arrive
[00:21:40] exactly. This is now available, but I can introduce
[00:21:44] my agent or representative. My agent, whether I am a customer or a store
[00:21:47] owner, I can introduce the agent, who is the assistant or
[00:21:50] my representative, my representative, or the artificial intelligence
[00:21:54] representative who applies to me or understands
[00:21:57] when the customer or what the customer wants now, and I provide
[00:22:00] him with services according to what he wants. If I have, for example, on the screen, he likes
[00:22:04] to see sports things, things according to what
[00:22:08] the customer likes, I give him or predict what he likes, or for example, does
[00:22:11] this father have children or a mother who cares about specific
[00:22:15] interests? I can predict these
[00:22:18] things and introduce
[00:22:22] the primary product to the primary
[00:22:24] person or the right person. The integration is done through
[00:22:28] technical integration between the merchant's
[00:22:31] electronic platform and the logistics company's
[00:22:35] technical platform. For some small
[00:22:38] and medium-sized enterprises, we provide
[00:22:42] them with an electronic portal for inventory management.
[00:22:45] Through this link, we provide the merchant with several features,
[00:22:48] including inventory management and returns management,
[00:22:52] as well as access to notifications
[00:22:55] regarding shipments that have been delivered or not
[00:22:58] delivered.
[00:23:03] Regarding the e-commerce sector, it is a very important
[00:23:07] sector, and the numbers speak for themselves. If you look at
[00:23:11] the global level, we will go to the global level, then Oman. At the global
[00:23:14] level in 2022,
[00:23:17] the size of e-commerce
[00:23:20] was $5 trillion. In
[00:23:23] 2025, it rose to $6.5 trillion. In
[00:23:27] 2028, it is expected to reach $8 trillion, and this
[00:23:30] means a growth of more than
[00:23:32] 55%.
[00:23:34] This is considered a huge thing. Of course, the Omani market is linked
[00:23:38] to external markets. You cannot separate and say we are different and so on. No,
[00:23:41] we are affected by external markets.
[00:23:44] Even Oman, of course,
[00:23:47] almost the average for e-commerce
[00:23:51] was in a study in 2024, approximately
[00:23:54] 254 million, and this
[00:23:57] is to note that it did not exceed 1% of
[00:24:00] the total retail trade. So that means only
[00:24:04] 1% of our e-commerce reached this number.
[00:24:08] The other thing, in my opinion, for e-commerce
[00:24:11] in Oman to develop, it needs the new generation
[00:24:14] of logistics companies. This, of course, is the new
[00:24:18] generation that they call
[00:24:29] integrated logistics solutions companies,
[00:24:32] the e-store, link it with online
[00:24:35] payments such as Amwal and KiuB. And after that, they provide
[00:24:39] you with storage. They tell you if you want refrigerated storage or
[00:24:42] normal storage, and the merchant can store by himself. And after that, they provide
[00:24:46] you with delivery, meaning delivery can be B2B and B2C.
[00:24:50] B2C delivery from the warehouse to the customer himself, and B2B from
[00:24:54] the customer to branches. I mean, someone might have 15 branches
[00:24:57] in Salalah, in Nizwa, so you deliver to him. He tells you to deliver to his Nizwa branch like this,
[00:25:01] this branch. So, in my opinion,
[00:25:04] of companies, if it comes to Oman, will greatly strengthen
[00:25:08] e-stores. Why? Because it will give
[00:25:12] the e-store or the merchant all the services he needs.
[00:25:15] I mean.
[00:30:30] Dear viewers, peace be upon you and God's mercy. News Center students and Oman
[00:30:34] TV greet you and present to you the 2 PM
[00:30:36] news. We start with the main
[00:30:39] headlines.
[00:30:42] His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, may God protect him, congratulates the Armenian
[00:30:45] President and the Maltese President on the occasion of their countries'
[00:30:48] independence
[00:30:49] anniversary.
[00:30:55] Opening of a new section of the Sultan Turki bin
[00:30:58] Said Road project.