Recently, Ibtikar Fund has invested in Vatrin, a Palestine-based website builder platform that uses WhatsApp to power commerce for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This investment will enable Vatrin to expand its operations across the region.
Unlike Shopify-like models, Vatrin’s platform allows SMEs to easily set up an online store using their WhatsApp number in seconds. This includes managing their inventory, tracking sales, receiving order notifications on WhatsApp, and processing local online payments.
Read more: UAE’s e-commerce sector set to contribute majorly to MENA’s digital economy
According to Vatrin’s co-founder and CEO, Ra’fat Masri, WhatsApp is a popular communication channel for businesses in the MENA region. However, managing numerous conversations and responding to a high volume of messages can be costly for SMEs. Vatrin provides a simple, cost-effective solution that allows SMEs to manage their customer database and utilize their WhatsApp newsletter feature to build lasting relationships with customers and drive sales growth.
Vatrin’s use of WhatsApp makes it a more effective tool for customer engagement in the MENA region compared to Mailchimp’s email-based approach. Customers receive automatic order updates from SMEs using WhatsApp without requiring additional apps or logins.
Ambar Amleh, Managing Partner at Ibtikar Fund, stated that since launching their product, Vatrin has provided their solution to over 5,000 SMEs in Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Iraq. With Ibtikar Fund’s investment, Vatrin will begin its regional expansion, starting in Egypt, and develop more features tailored for social sellers in the Egyptian market and the wider MENA region.
Click here for more news on SMEs.
