The Internet has changed our purchase patterns and the way we shop today. If you look at western countries like the USA, on-line shopping have increased dramatically over the past three years, not hotel and airline bookings/ reservations. Online shopping has been the most convenient means of acquiring any form of goods due to its convenience. one does not have to go out or visit a physical shop to check for the availability of products they wanted to buy or even just to check and compare the prices from one shop to another. 

However, in the GCC countries online purchases  has not yet fully bloomed or being utilized just like in European and some other Western nations.

Creativo has done thorough research to aid this online discrepancy.

“There are many reasons for these differences”, Manfred Steichler owner of Creativo explains, “There are still a lot of nationalities in the UAE who prefer to pay cash.” Manfred continues, “It is very difficult for small and mid-sized retailers or F& B’s (food & beverage) to offer online payment service. Most of these companies do not have marketing or business development manager that would receive bank requirements and compile demanding business plans, detailed sales forecasts and three years revenue projections. A lot of SME’s in the UAE are owner driven with a flat hierarchy and do not have the time to engage in this type of work. Moreover, banks and payment gateway provider are, for good reasons, trying to split serious companies from potential fraudulent once by implementing a very high down payment amount and challenging initiation and yearly renewable membership fees. "

"These were basically the reasons Creativo decided to create a payment gateway for the F & B industry.” Manfred explains, “With Creativo Shopping Portal, restaurants are able to receive a payment gateway without endless paperwork and no down payment at all. The application process is very simple and the payment gateway, which covers the two main credit card companies in the UAE, would be installed within 14 days. Our intention with the establishment of “Creativo Shopping Portal” is to support mid and smaller sized F & B’s to be able to offer on-line payments to their patrons.”