MUSCAT, 30 October 2011 – The 2nd BankMuscat Shopping Festival unprecedented in scope with 200 high-value prizes, special offers and discounts from more than 400 brand partners and 2000 outlets, including prominent hypermarkets, shopping malls, retail outlets, travel and tours agencies, hotels, restaurants and much more, begins tomorrow. The 40-day festival spread throughout Oman is supported by Visa, Omantel, Oman Air and Travel Point.
Ahmed bin Suleiman Al Ma'amani, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce & Industry for Financial and Administrative Affairs, on Sunday presided at the launch ceremony of the festival coinciding with the 41st National Day celebrations of Oman
Sulaiman Al Harthy, Group DGM – Consumer Banking, said: “The 2nd BankMuscat Shopping Festival follows on from the tremendous success of the festival in 2010. The aim of BankMuscat in organising this festival is its strong desire to support the national efforts aimed at spreading the culture of e-Payment among customers and also to encourage them to follow the system of paying for their purchases and other services through electronic cards as part of the national initiative towards a digital society and also as a continuation of the various initiatives and measures adopted by the Bank in this respect.”
Al Harthy added: “To ensure the success of this festival, the Bank, in co-operation with its partners, has lined up valuable gifts aimed at motivating the use of electronic cards for shopping. The latest trends indicate that customers are increasingly using electronic cards to pay for various requirements at home and abroad, thus benefitting from the privileges and benefits which such cards offer to customers.”
Targeted at over 1.4 million cardholders of BankMuscat, customers shopping with BankMuscat cards can benefit from up to 85 per cent discount offered by participating outlets during the festival. The BankMuscat Shopping Festival is a unique shopping, leisure and entertainment event. It is a great example of the fresh and innovative approach of BankMuscat to encourage the use of electronic payments in Oman. The novel festival is aimed at promoting the e-Payment culture in Oman by making payments by cards both a habit and preference, thereby lending a strong support to the government’s e-Governance initiative. The festival encourages customers to pay by cards, underscoring the fact that payment by cards is both convenient and secure.
Spreading the festival cheer, BankMuscat has lined up five weekly draws offering more than 200 high-value prizes, including RO 1000 each cash prize for 25 winners, exotic holiday package for two for 25 winners, economy class ticket for two to any Oman Air destination for five winners, smart phones for 20 winners and gift vouchers for 135 winners. A mega prize of RO 10,000 will be given away in the final draw. In addition to all these prizes, City Centre will be offering all BankMuscat customers a chance to win two cars just for shopping at participating City Centre mall outlets.
The mechanism for the draw is that for every BankMuscat card transaction worth RO 5, customers have a chance to win. Each transaction is equal to one chance, thus the more they use their card, the better their chances to win.
Ihab Ayoub, General Manager, VISA International, GCC said: “Oman is a valued market for Visa and we are delighted to work with BankMuscat on this flagship festival. Our partnership with BankMuscat is an example of Visa’s commitment to delivering memorable experiences that reward our loyal cardholders in Oman. We hope BankMuscat Visa cardholders enjoy the shopping festival and take advantage of the many benefits, promotions and activities on offer.”
Cards penetration in the Omani market is high with most people holding at least a debit card. In recent years, partially in response to the government’s e-Governance initiative which supports electronic payment, there has been an increase in the level of card acceptance and usage, especially at government organisations and major merchant outlets. Consequently, BankMuscat’s initiative is aimed at supporting the governments’ efforts to promote e-Payment in the country.
The excitement of the festival will be built up by intensive promotional campaigns by the Bank as well as participating brand partners. The weekly draws will be conducted in BankMuscat head office and City Centre. A live mega concert featuring a local celebrity will be the major attraction of the first draw celebration at BankMuscat head office. Entrance to this mega event will be free for all members of the public. All prize draws will be accompanied by exciting entertainment and fun activities.
Major hypermarkets and shopping malls, including stand-alone premium outlets as well as traditional outlets (tailoring, traditional clothing, traditional gift shops etc.) are participating in the festival, providing special value offers and discounts. The festival discount offers given by outlets will be available for BankMuscat cardholders only. Customers will be eligible to win prizes when using BankMuscat debit/credit card in participating outlets where all BankMuscat branded cards will be accepted. Entries for the draw will be captured electronically.
Conceived as a family affair for BankMuscat cardholders, the unique shopping, leisure and entertainment event is a great example of the fresh and innovative approach of BankMuscat to encourage the use of electronic payments in Oman. A dedicated website www.bmsf.om features detailed information of the festival.