The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many businesses worldwide. Most have been forced to adapt by moving their operations online, to keep on making sales and stay afloat. Ali Ahmed Almohannadi, a marketing expert, shares his views on this digital transformation.
Ali was born in Al Khor in Qatar in 1992. Initially, he had chosen a career in science, pursuing a degree in Analytic Chemistry and Forensic Science at Coventry University in the UK, graduating in 2017. Soon after graduation, Ali decided to change his career to marketing. He did a Higher National Diploma in Business Management at Wolverhampton University, graduating in 2017. He later pursued a Master's degree in Marketing at the University of Sussex, graduating this year. This change of career path was liberating for Ali, as he was finally doing what he enjoyed and loved. His move from a science-related career to a marketing one was not a fluke; he had developed an interest in management when he was a 15-year-old boy. This was when he worked at his uncle's company, gaining the necessary experience and communication skills that would come in handy years later when he was starting his business.
He later started a business, Kinfolks Co, which is a marketing and management firm. Kinfolks Co has worked with and grown different brands such as the Mondarin Hotel, Alrayyan (Hilton hotel), and Fact Magazine. He also founded Venita App, a beauty platform that connects clients to business owners, and ADegrees, an online freelance Architectural, Interior, and Event Design company.
As a marketer, Ali knows only too well the effect that COVID-19 has had on businesses. With many governments enforcing lockdowns, curfews, and other social distancing measures, physical visits to outlets have drastically reduced, with many forced to close their doors. This has led to business owners embracing internet technology and leveraging digital tools to survive the crisis. This includes moving their catalogs online such that customers can continue purchasing their favorite products. Businesses have also partnered with delivery companies to have products delivered to clients after purchase. While this already existed before the pandemic, Ali says that the social distancing rules have made it more common, with companies that only had physical stores adopting digital strategies.
According to Ali, digital innovation is the only way businesses can survive this pandemic. Any business worth its salt should use the various digital tools freely or cheaply available to grow themselves further.
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