The unprecedented success of Grouponin the US has spawned many spin-off websites all over the world, turning the concept of group buying into a worldwide phenomenon. And, of course, Egypt has been no exception. Launched in March by Global Telecom, the Egypt-based website Offernais giving Egyptian buyers the chance to benefit from daily deals of all kinds. Like Groupon, Offerna operates on a very specific premise. While the company offers vouchers of all kinds with at least a 50 percent savings value, a certain minimum number of people must purchase the voucher in order for it to become valid. If that minimum number is not reached, you get your money back. However, Offerna customers have not face a problem of people not buying vouchers, with some deals selling out in as little as 3 hours. Offerna is currently limiting the number of available vouchers, for the time being, to anywhere between 100 to 300 vouchers, so you have to act fast to benefit from the savings. Yasser Lotfy, one of Offerna's co-founders and the vice president of marketing, gave Al-Masry Al-Youm a little bit of insight into what inspired them to launch the website and the company's future plans. Originally scheduled to launch in January, Offerna's launch date was pushed back to 2 March because of the recent turmoil in Egypt. Within two weeks following a strong marketing campaign, Offerna's customer subscriptions were up and its Facebook pagehad 17,000 fans. When the site first launched, the company was receiving an average of 50 requests per voucher. That number has since increased to about 300. When asked about the most popular deals, Lotfy said that the vouchers that sell out the fastest are either food and beverage-related deals or clothing offers. But that isn't to say there isn't much work still to do. One of Offerna's main challenges, Lotfy said, is the fact that it is an online service. "We need to educate the customer about e-sales. The online industry is new in Egypt. No one was buying online, but after 25 January, things have changed. Before January 25, Egypt had 4 million Facebook users. After, that number increased to 5.5 million," Lotfy said. If timing is everything, then Offerna is certainly on to something. As the company continues to grow, an increased awareness of online services in Egypt will certainly add to its success. That said, Offerna makes it easy for customers who do not have online-purchasing enabled credit cards by offering a cash-on-delivery service. This service will allay any concerns for customers who are still skeptical about sharing their credit card information on a secure website. Regardless of your payment method, you will receive your e-voucher via email to take with you to the retailer and benefit from the savings. Offerna's team is currently about 20 members strong and is continuing to grow as the website gains popularity. Lotfy said he believes the company's Egyptian spin is the secret behind Offerna's local success when compared to similar companies in the region. "It's our Egyptian flavor. We're all Egyptians. We've positioned ourselves as the first Egyptian group buying site in Egypt. We know the places that people like and want," he said. Another vital element in Offerna's success is the fact that the site is available in both Arabic and English. Lotfy was surprised to find that the Arabic site and Arabic posts on its Facebook page received much more attention than their English counterparts. He credits much of the company's success to the use of Arabic with an Egyptian audience. For the time being, most of the vouchers are retail only, but Offerna has many plans for the future. Keep an eye on the service if you want to receive discounts on just about anything from furniture to gadgets to airline tickets. Other plans for the future include expanding to the rest of Middle East region, starting with Saudi Arabia, followed by Dubai, and launching a mobile app for iPhone, Blackberry and Android users.
