Dubai, UAE, 29 October 2014: OpenSooq announced that its’ mobile application surpassed 2 million
downloads within the first year of its launching, making it the largest mobile
classifieds application in the MENA region.
The company released its free mobile app on iOS and Android in October
2013 and according to Google Play stats, already has more downloads than its
competitors combined (Nasper’s backed Dubizzle, Rocket Internet’s backed Lamudi,
Avito in Morocco, among other local and regional players).
OpenSooq is an Arabic online and mobile classifieds player operating in the
Middle East and North Africa. Its
platform receives more than quarter of a billion page views of traffic per
month with phenomenal month on month growth, making it among the leading online
marketplaces in the MENA region.
OpenSooq was founded in 2008 by Salah Sharef, and became part of iMENA Group
in 2012. OpenSooq allows sellers to offer their products and services online with
no intermediaries to millions of users, while buyers can easily browse
thousands of goods, products, and services covering various categories
including real estate, automotive, electronics, furniture, jobs, and more. The
app gives users the same convenient functionality that they enjoy on the
website, allowing users to browse and post their ads to buy, sell, or rent all
types of products and services, in addition to posting and applying for job
vacancies.
Given the Middle East's healthy smartphone penetration rates relative to
developed countries, reaching as high as 73% in KSA compared to 62% in the
United Kingdom, the achievement is sure to bolster the company's future growth.
According
to Salah, “People in the region need an easy way to buy and sell from each
other online, and OpenSooq has been at the forefront of this demand – connecting
millions of users directly with each other and allowing them to transact a wide
range of products and services online for free.”
iMENA’s Founder & CEO Adey Salamin, added in a statement, “The
explosive growth in mobile Internet within the region will reshape the Arabic
classifieds market. It is exciting to help drive OpenSooq to scale to new
heights while leveraging our understanding of the local and regional markets. Surpassing
2 million mobile application downloads plus achieving a growth of over 20 times
in our mobile site traffic this year is only the beginning while we continue to
innovate our product offerings to enable users to sell and buy for free.”
