São Paulo – A company called Metro Brazil sells Brazilian products to Arab consumers online. Owned by Syrian entrepreneur Alaa Kara Ali (pictured above), the business was started in 2017, two years after he had relocated to Brazil. Ali lives in São Paulo and has two Brazilian children. “I wanted to make a bridge between Brazil and the Middle East,” he told ANBA in interview by email.
Ali, who is also the company’s CEO, wanted to resell Brazilian products such as garments, underwear and accessories. He started on his own and now has a staff of 32 employees and exports to other regions beyond the Middle East. The company used to sell just to Arab countries but saw a demand from other regions, then started delivering orders all over the world. “Now we have clients on Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and others,” he said.
He says that Metro Brazil is the first ecommerce to specialize in supplying original Brazilian products to the Middle East.
The first products to be sold on the website were Brazilian belts and corselets. As the demand grew, the variety grew too, including underwear, purses, accessories, jewelry, contact lens, cosmetics, hair products, sportswear, garments, Brazilian gemstones, and golden grass.
The brands sold are Lupo, Plié, Liz, Fruit de la Passion (belts and underwear), Arezzo, Schutz (purses and accessories), Solotica (contact lens), Nazca and Oil Therapy Slekeer Plus (cosmetics and hair products).
The main purchasing countries are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Qatar, and Lebanon. Beyond the Arab world, purchases from France, Germany, Sweden, UK, Canada and Australia are on the rise. Since 2017, the website has received over 70,000 orders from more than 60,000 clients. “Brazilian products deserve to conquer the world,” he says.
Customer service is bilingual in English and Arabic, and all communication and marketing are made in the two languages. The company offers online service and support via social media, email and WhatsApp, as well as real-time order tracking. Metro Brazil has a website and an app for Apple e Android.
Ali says that the company promotes its business using Arab celebrities and digital influencers, such as Lebanese singer Cyrine Abdelnour, Kuwaiti journalist Halema Boland, Kuwaiti actress Amal Al Awadi, and Kuwait journalist and poet Noha Nabil.
He says that Brazilian companies usually focus their internationalization process on selling containers to retailers, while Metro Brazil focus on the end customer, with a competitive shipping price and costumer service. “We put forth a new image of Brazilian ecommerce across the world,” he said.
Metro Brazil is a member of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. “We’re proud to be members of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce because it’s the best organization to give you support and a well-aimed communication with the Middle East,” he said.
Contact Info
Metro Brazil
Website
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
