Digitalization has transformed businesses globally and every individual’s life altogether. Numerous business leaders have implemented digital facets in their organizations, but few have successfully utilized them. One such leader is the CEO and founder of Wafy.
Mohammad Abbas, who also founded GT Medical, was recently named one of Forbes’ 10 Inspiring Businesspeople to Watch in the Middle East. He has established multiple companies and garnered local and international attention. Abbas, who we tried to land an interview with but couldn’t due to a busy schedule, laid the foundations of Wafy in 2016 and has been providing online audiences with quality Saudi-focused content, particularly on culture, tourism, entertainment, and sports. This includes culture and tourism articles referenced from respected sources as well as comprehensive coverage of all entertainment and sporting festivals and events. The company has a well-curated mobile application and website that allow users to access a unique platform.
Wafy is a Saudi-based SuperApp—you’ve heard the term before, but this is where you get to experience it. The Wafy App is a Super App, to say the least, boasting offerings that would need more than 60 apps to cover, where event and experience coverages, tickets, or content to read along.
Currently, Wafy stands as the nation’s trusted #1 Content Aggregator in Saudi Arabia and offers a variety of options. Success did not come easily, but rather through consistent, unwavering efforts and a broader vision.It has gained the trust of many in Saudi Arabia, becoming a noteworthy and highly trusted content aggregator. Wafy takes users on a journey where they can read articles about Saudi Arabia, book tickets to go to their favorite events, and search for locations of interest across categorized lists. Wafy’s role as an aggregator positions the platform as a solid alternative to downloading tens of other apps. With new languages added to Wafy, the company claims that the platform will be able to reach 63 percent of the global population, garnering users and downloads from all across the globe. In fact, it was able to generate 1.5 million views monthly with merely English and Arabic as its main languages. It has taken the essential step to improve its global reach by adding content in nine languages, including English and Arabic. This new initiative aims to introduce readers from around the world to Saudi projects that aim to improve the quality of life, attract tourists, and elevate investment in the Kingdom. The new languages are Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Turkish, Urdu, and Balinese.
"The Wafy team always strives to boost the services and add new products so that exploring the kingdom continues to be an enjoyable experience."
Equipped with top-notch technology
Wafy makes exploring Saudi Arabia much simpler. Employing smart technology, including filters and a smart search system, Wafy allows users to access a full range of information with minimal time and effort, ensuring their entire experience is simple and appealing. Our research team has found that the platform’s extremely user-friendly interface comes with a very well-developed backend that reflects the system’s robustness. This translates into the extremely trusted and robust platform being 100% crash free as well as its record of exponential growth in traffic and downloads. However, the offering excels in monetization and being transactional, with a whopping conversion rate of over 80% – this equated to reportedly hundreds of millions of Riyals in a year’s timeframe in estimate revenue for event organizers.
Furthermore, the platform takes great care of its data, storing a database of thousands of articles and lists in archives. Wafy’s archive of articles, lists, events, experiences, and places consists of an abundance of stories covering a range of interests, including culture, heritage, tourist destinations, and trips around Saudi Arabia. The platform’s special lists also aim to make one’s next trip easier. The platform allows you to choose from lists that recommend cafes, restaurants, shopping malls, parks, cultural places, historical sites, or seasonal events across different Saudi cities.
The platform is not limited or restricted to a particular category or age group. It appeals to all audience segments, from event goers to experience seekers and readers. Wafy is very helpful whether you are looking for an easily accessible event, a deeper and exceptional experience, or simply trying to learn about Saudi culture and various tourist destinations.
FOMO expert
Abbas seems to be a believer that we live in a fast-paced, disruption-friendly world where everything just happened or is about to. It has a unique selling proposition when it comes to events and experiences. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is ingrained in the Wafy brand DNA and pervades the entire Wafy experience. This is what makes Wafy a continuously buzzing platform amongst its users. Wafy’s content methodology is based on five pillars: Educate, Remind, Transact, Re-attract, Share/rate, and review. Wafy educates all writers and reporters on the platform, allowing them to produce articles on trending topics on a daily basis, engaging audiences from a variety of fields. Wafy reminds readers that content creators publish lists of carefully curated recommendations for their likely content. Wafy facilitates transactions by highlighting ticketing events and experiences based on user preferences. Wafy helps re-attract by growing user advocacy by providing a rich and personalized journey. Wafy allows users to share, rate, and review content, and the platform is optimized through user-generated content and reviews.
Ensuring the success
Wafy is constantly developing new products and services, since it sleeps on a mine of Saudi-specific data, to make Saudi travel an enjoyable experience. As part of the ongoing efforts, Wafy ensures to be the number one Saudi platform specializing in culture, tourism, sports, and entertainment. The Wafy team always strives to boost the services and add new products so that exploring the kingdom continues to be an enjoyable experience.
Wafy, in particular, does not limit itself to a single country or geography. There are no confirmed news or reports at the moment, but all signs point to the platform expanding and entering new markets sooner than expected. It envisions becoming the preferred platform of discovery and connection for the nation, region, and eventually the world, in line with the Saudi Vision 2030. Moreover, Wafy’s international ambitions can only be a matter of time before they turn into realities, serving users all around the globe and not just Saudi Arabia. Its mission is to market Saudi Arabia to the world by simplifying and offering tens of millions of options of events, experiences, and locations to go to for all Saudi’s, expats, and tourists. Wafy has 1.2 million users and a rating of 4.5 out of 5 on the Apple App Store and Google Play stores as of 2021. According to Forbes, this is ‘unprecedented’ when compared to other platforms that provide similar content and have been hit by the pandemic.
