Dubizzle.com Seeks to Dominate the Middle East’s Classified Ads Market

Like the thousands of expats who find their way to this glitzy sheikhdom, Sim Whatley and J.C. Butler came to Dubai several years ago seeking jobs. But what they found instead was the opportunity to create an online classified website for the region, Dubizzle.com. Starting as a website for Dubai bargain hunters, Dubizzle now covers almost the entire Middle East. The pair tell Arabic Knowledge@Wharton that a constant process of refining ideas and business strategy helps the site evolve, while keeping Dubizzle’s classified ads free for the non-professional seller maintains its popularity.

“Classified websites in general are mostly about concepts,” Whatley says. “Even if you have the best website in the world, if you don’t have any ads to sell in our website or you do not have any financial benefit from our website, you will feel no point going to it. I think [success in this market] is a great mixture of carrying the most selection in these markets as well spending lot of time, lot of money in development.”

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