Alphamega Hypermarkets’ Chief Information Officer, Andreas Demetriou, took part in the global summit “CIO Middle East”, which was held on 13-14 September in Dubai, focusing on the current developments and innovative practices in IT, cybersecurity, digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
CIOs and CTOs from leading Middle Eastern companies participated in the globally renowned conference and shared their expertise on the various themes of the summit.
The Chief Information Officer of Alphamega Hypermarkets took part in a panel discussion entitled “Is the Metaverse the ultimate omnichannel shopping experience or another means to achieve it?” The panellists discussed how the Metaverse will change the retail sector, as well as how the challenges created by the digital transformation will affect the customer experience.
In statements, Demetriou stressed that companies have been urged to experiment and comprehend the capabilities of the Metaverse so that they can keep up with the new market and consumer trends. He also predicted how people will do their shopping in the Metaverse. He stressed that it has multiple benefits as it will be easier and quicker, while it will be able to adapt to each customer’s specific needs.
At the same time, he said the limitations that will arise for certain consumers need to also to be taken into account, adding that the Research and Development departments of major organisations around the world are working hard to develop the technology that will overcome these limitations.
The panellists exchanged views on the practices that companies are called to adopt, to keep up with the needs of their digitally native clients, as part of the new digitised environment. All speakers admitted that the lines between online and in-store shopping have become blurred and that the Metaverse will eventually become an important part of our lives as well as a strong sales channel for companies.
In statements after the Conference, Demetriou said: “It has been a great pleasure to take part in such an important conference on the link between technology and customer experience. According to the latest studies, it is estimated that about 15% of the population will spend at least one hour per day on the Metaverse by 2026. This will undoubtedly change the way that people shop, and this element needs to be seriously taken into account by the companies.
“At Alphamega Hypermarkets we acknowledge the needs of the new era and began our digital transformation journey as far back as 2018. We are constantly offering new services and products, to improve our customers’ shopping experience. At the same time, we proceeded with the digitisation of our entire range of internal procedures, considerably reducing our environmental footprint. Our long-standing objective is to remain on the path that has made consumers consider us as the most contemporary and innovative company in the e-commerce sector”.
