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The incentives for shopping in Dubai are extra special rates, free giveaways and the all-attractive raffle draws that occur. Almost any purchase during the DSF is linked to a raffle draw, and shoppers fill these coupons and deposit them in the raffle boxes that are later collected and the draw takes place.
This where the e-Raffle fits in. For us, the DSF e-Raffle has since evolved from a concept possibility into a proposed solution that would cater to a global community of shoppers in Dubai.
How did e-Raffle happen?
We have grown in an era of IT innovation that has led to otherwise impossible e-business achievements. Having said that, we failed to understand why shoppers in DSF have to go through the tedious process of completing raffle coupons and depositing them at specific locations. We were also shocked to find out that many shoppers, including our friends and colleagues, didn't bother with these raffle coupons because they found it too time-consuming. Further investigation revealed the additional cost and time involved in transporting the coupons to a central location for the raffle draw to take place. If anything, we felt that this just dented the spirit and excitement of DSF.
The team was soon formulated and we tried to tackle these problems separately. Inevitably, in today's day and age, thinking of an internet-based solution seemed to be the most effective solution to any logical problem. We conducted tests and interviews, on the basis of which we highlighted concerns like communication, user friendliness and reduction in redundant and repetitive activities. Thinking innovatively, we looked at the possibility of actually integrating our proposed solution with existing POS infrastructure. We then simulated a logical model of our solution, and when it was put to the test, our intentions were rewarded. The concept was converted into a business plan, and detailed feasibility and financial analysis followed. Our proposed plan - once documented meticulously - went on to win Zayed University's e-biz challenge III. The e-Raffle was an instant hit.
The team
Being recognized as a part of the winning team at e-biz challenge III has added another dimension to each of the team's identities. We believe that we have taken the first step to establishing ourselves as successful entrepreneurs in the region. The team - our think tank - is comprised of individuals with specific skills in the areas we intended to cover. Using our analysis, the team members complimented the three core components of our solution. Sumith is an acclaimed expert at user interfaces and interaction, Wassim has been involved in many real-time POS and smart-card solutions, and I have specific expertise in mapping brick-and-mortar business models with internet-based business logic. We were linked by the hunger in us to come up with innovative ideas that re-define technology specific to e-business.
Apart from thinking differently, we were able to successfully blend our technical knowledge with our innovative thinking capabilities, which I felt made the difference between us and the other teams.
Next steps
The potential of e-Raffle was realized long before we were recognized as winners. We are looking at the legalities and detailed feasibility analysis to see how we can take it forward.
Dr. Abdullah Abonamah, Director of the ITI at Zayed University
