Visa plans meeting for Middle East and North Africa region retailers

Officials of global payments technology giant Visa have announced plans to host an inaugural Retail Congress for retailers, acquirers and industry stakeholders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to discuss current trends that will make payment experiences easier.

“Innovation is key for merchants in prospering economies these days, and we are witnessing an urgent need to bring game-changing expertise to meet the needs of this region,"Ihab Ayoub, group country manager for MENA at Visa, said. "With local businesses already converted or in the process of crossing over to tap in to the growing digital customer base, payment solutions such as Visa Checkout, Tokenization and mPOS are gaining relevance more than ever before."

The Congress is set for Thursday and will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Similar gatherings have been held in South Africa and Asia Pacific. Visa officials hope the congress will open a dialogue about issues affecting the retail industry in the Middle East and North Africa and create direct contact with merchants that will in turn lead to excellent consumer experiences and smooth, no-hassle payments.

Congress topics will include ways to facilitate customer recruitment and retention, protection of customers and growth using new payment technologies.

“Merchants in the Middle East are looking to improve their offerings in terms of customer engagement and seamless shopping experiences," Head of Merchant Sales and Solutions for MENA at Visa Mohanish Agni said.

The MENA region boasts a young, affluent population that Visa officials hope can convince retailers there to embrace modern e-commerce and omni-channel payment operations.