From now on, Armenian products will be sold online. Launched two-and-a-half months ago, mediamarket.am is an online store that only presents Armenian products, including toys, clothes, domestic appliances, accessories, care products, writing utensils and more. The online store already showcases products made by over 30 producers, but additions are still being made to the list. The creators are in negotiations with several Armenian producers, writes ankakh.com.

The co-founder and director of Mediamarket online store is Gor Saghatelyan, who says the idea of launching an online store was born years ago when online trade was just developing. “At the time, the Internet was not very common in Armenia. Very few people knew about e-bay and other online stores. When I would go to pick up a package from the post office, the post office employee would be surprised and would ask who was sending me a package from, say, China,” says Gor.

Gor mentions that though he had the idea at the time, he didn’t turn it into a reality because he believed that it was still too early for Armenia to have an online store. “There was no perspective in Armenia at the time. However, after an online food store was launched, I realized that this could also work,” says Gor.

And so, alumnus of the engineering university, Gor, and his brother created and launched the first online store in Armenia that only sells Armenian products.

“True, online trade still hasn’t reached the level that is satisfactory, but the culture is developing day after day. The faster life goes, more and more people become busier. They don’t have enough time to go to the stores, and so they start buying online,” says Gor.

Gor says there are several reasons for selling Armenian products online. First, it is a business model. In addition, Armenian products, especially shoes have always been trustworthy in terms of quality, and so selling Armenian products is also a guarantee of quality. “When customers learn that the specific product is an Armenian product, they start trusting Armenian producers,” says Gor.

Gor is also certain that if Armenian products become an alternative to Turkish products, citizens of Armenia will prefer local products over Turkish products. Mediamarket is trying to inform the public about the local products that exist and make them accessible to consumers.

“When we had just started, we only knew about some Armenian producers. However, it turned out that there are many. For instance, in the beginning, we only knew about two companies producing knitwear. Later, we found out that there are ten companies in Yerevan alone and that there are large factories in Gyumri and Vanadzor. We’re still negotiating with many of them so that we can add more companies to our database,” says Gor, adding that Mediamarket will soon be introducing Armenian clocks, handmade scarves and new jewels. In the long run, Gor plans on presenting Armenian construction materials, furniture and even food and everything that can be produced in Armenia.

“The English section of our website is under construction so that foreign investors can also have access to information about Armenian products. We also plan on having a section for news about each producer,” says Gor. After becoming established in the local market, Gor plans on entering the global market and trying to export products.

Talking about the results that have been achieved in the short run, Gor says his company has good indicators. “In this short period of time, we have managed to gain customers who always purchase items from us. The highest appreciation is that they suggest our market to each other. There have been many cases,” says Gor.

According to him, customers also praise the idea of selling Armenia products online. “This is quite an appropriate option, especially since the prices are no different from the prices in stores. We work directly with producers,” says Gor, adding that consumers only pay for delivery, which takes a day. Moreover, the consumer can cancel the order at the last minute and only pay for delivery. The company delivers in Yerevan and in the provinces.