Channel Post MEA recently caught up with Reggie Fernandes the Director for Gulf Operations at Sage Software Middle East to speak about the company’s channel and marketing strategies for the region.
Sage Middle East recently concluded its value added seminar, which was organised by its channel partner Triad Software Services in Dubai, UAE. The event was essentially targeted at CXOs and CIOs from the FMCG trading and distribution community.
At the event, Channel Post MEA spoke to Reggie Fernandes the Director for Gulf Operations at Sage Software Middle East.
What is this event all about?
This is an event focused on the FMCG sector. We are doing it along with our channel partner Triad Software Services. This invitation-only free event is focused on how the FMCG trading and distribution sector could improve operational efficiencies and reduce costs. The seminar throws some light on how such companies could attain a higher level of control over their business processes.
What is the role of Sage at this event?
We as Sage are specifically present at this event to speak about how solutions such as ERP help traders and distributors to improve profit margins, increase efficiency, optimise inventory holding and deliver value added services. The FMCG sector is a very big industry in the Middle East. So, our focus at this event is all about inventory management issues.
For instance, if a company’s stock is lying idle at their warehouse, the company’s cash-flow is blocked unnecessarily. So, we are showcasing inventory planning and forecasting features of our product called Sage Inventory Advisor, which helps trading and distribution companies take stocks and inventories seriously.
So are these seminars a series of events across Middle East?
Right now, we are planning to do these seminars across the Gulf and we chose Dubai to kick-off the activities. Once the event concludes, we will look at the feedback and then plan out the next seminar in Bahrain, though no dates have been blocked as yet. This is the first time we are focusing on a certain industry sector for such an event.
What kind of market is present for ERP and CRM solutions in the Middle East?
We at Sage are in an expansion mode right now due to increasing demands for ERP and CRM solutions. We cover every size of business – starting from startups, small business and enterprises in various industry sectors.
We sell retail packs of certain Sage products and we work with channel partners across the region for mid- to high-end solutions. We are also moving into mobility in a very big way. We also plan to move into cloud computing and start offering cloud apps very soon.
Do you see opensource as a threat to your business?
Well, it is customer-centric to a large extent. We do find many businesses using opensource ERP and CRM solutions such as SugarCRM, VTiger, and so on. However, companies that want credible solutions, presence of local support, and so on go for solutions such as ours. Opensource does have a market for itself. But that’s very small and isn’t really a threat to our business.
Images of the event:
