Egypt’s first business-to-business e-commerce marketplace has been launched and will provide a full range of services for the country’s pharmaceutical sector, reported Al-Ahram.
Named Ciranet pharma, the new B2B marketplace was established by Ciranet, a joint venture between Raya Holding and Citibank. Ciranet, which has a capital net worth of 15 million Egyptian pounds, specializes in providing E-commerce services to both the Egyptian and regional market.
Ciranet pharma is only the first in a series of portal projects Ciranet plans to create and operate, each of which will provide a platform for members of a specific business sector. In the coming months, the company plans to launch portals for sectors involved in textiles, agricultural products, chemicals, electronics, oil, tourism, contracting, consumer goods and cars.
Ciranet pharma gathers together in one virtual space both manufacturers, distributors and retailers of pharmaceutical products. It allows for the management of the transaction cycle from the moment that the initial order is placed to delivery and settlement of payment.
Ciranet pharma currently has 12 producers and distributors and some 30 pharmacies connected to the service. The pharmacies receive the service free of charge, while producers and distributors pay a monthly subscription fee.
To increase the number of pharmacies using the site, Citibank is offering a attractive deal by which individual stores will be able to purchase computers and hook up to the Internet. — (Albawaba-MEBG)
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