The Compass – Representatives of commercial sectors unanimously agreed on the necessity of regulating the local market, by enacting a law or setting instructions regulating the work of marketing pages on social networking sites, determining the periods of downloads per year, or holding major shopping festivals to attract shoppers.

In statements to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), they called for controlling factors that may harm the activity of the local market, by subjecting the work of the commercial marketing and promotional pages on social media pages to official control, in a way that protects the consumer and the traditional image of the merchant, in addition to regulating the seasons of downloads, including It stimulates sectors to work, and attracts consumers to real discounts.

The representative of the clothing, shoes, fabrics and jewelry sector at the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Asaad Al-Qawasmi, said that the marketing pages spread through social networking sites often lack commercial reference, as anyone can create a page and display goods through it, which may not match the reality of goods and its real specifications.

He pointed out that the Chamber called on the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply to solve this “problem”, as a committee was formed to study the mechanism of controlling the commercial pages spread in the spaces of social networking sites, including them under one umbrella, and ensuring their monitoring on the ground, and requiring a license from the Ministry.

He pointed out the need for a law that clarifies the page’s reference in the event of any problem, obliges it to license, and indicates the source of the offered goods, and the supply chain it passed through until it reached the consumer.
Al-Qawasmi affirmed his support for all forms of electronic sales, provided that they are licensed, regulated and monitored, leaving no room for doubt that the owner of the page is a real merchant, and protects the image of traditional and actual merchants.

Regarding the periods of sale, he indicated that the opinions of traders varied in this regard, as some of them see the necessity of not specifying them at certain times of the year, on the grounds that they enhance the liquidity that traders need at any time, while others believe that the discounts should be limited, in order to prevent any excesses from occurring.

A clothing merchant and importer, and the former head of the clothing, fabrics and shoes merchants syndicate, Mounir Diya, stressed the need to put in place instructions that control the creation and functioning of commercial pages on social networking sites, in a manner that protects the consumer, within a special regulatory framework of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, which monitors the sales process through these pages.

He said, “The increasing demand for goods displayed on social media pages and e-commerce applications requires subjecting them to official control, regulating their work and licensing them in an electronic commercial registry,” pointing out that there is real competition with traditional trade, as it takes part of the market share.

On the other hand, Diya confirmed the existence of “total chaos” in the downloads, as they are not specified in specific times, and do not require prior approval, calling for them to be specified within certain times of the year, which stimulates sectors to work, and attracts consumers to real discounts.
The representative of the health sector, medical drugs and their supplies in the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, and the Syndicate of Cosmetics and Accessories Dealers, Mahmoud Al-Jalis, stressed the need for the local market to put in place a law or instructions regulating marketing pages through social networking sites, with the aim of maintaining the conditions of public health and safety.

He said that the presence of instructions regulating the mechanism of work of the marketing pages guarantees the rights of the buyer, in terms of the quality and source of the offered commodity, and that it is original and not falsified or imitated, allowing him to return it in case it is in violation of any of the advertisers.
about the duration and seasons of downloads in the local market; Al-Jalis preferred to hold large shopping festivals, similar to other countries, pointing out that it is not possible to specify the periods of sale, since every sector has a season, and there are many goods associated with a production and expiry date, or they are linked to “fashion” and popularity lines.

In turn, the representative of the home, office and stationery furniture sector, and the head of the Furniture Dealers and Producers Syndicate, Sharaf Al-Hayajneh, considered that it is not possible to control the advertisements spread through pages on social networking sites, except through the enactment of legislation that controls the mechanism of advertising and promotion.
Al-Hayajneh called for organizing the furniture sector and warning it if the merchant committed any violation that must be corrected, in light of the weakness of the local market, the lack of liquidity, and the presence of fake dealers.

In turn, Professor of Marketing at Yarmouk University, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Kilani, said that it is difficult to control the marketing pages on social networking sites, as the sites basically provide advertising space services within the freedom to sell ads without referring to the state controls in which they are located, indicating that their financial returns go net. For the benefit of the parent companies of the sites.
-(Petra)