Shaimaa Ali Kassem

SHAIMAA KASSEM Dubai - UAE | LinkedIn Profile Professional Summary Results-driven Ecommerce & Hospitality professional with 18+ years’ experience spanning online retail strategy, shopper growth, P&L management, CX enhancement, and market research. Entrepreneurial success in running a profitable Amazon seller business and operating holiday homes on Airbnb & Booking.com, with proven skills in business development, online sales optimization, and hospitality excellence. Recognized as a Top Performer at Union Coop for 11 of 12 appraisal cycles, leading high-impact projects that delivered measurable sales growth, customer retention, and operational improvements, with cross-functional leadership experience covering IT, marketing, operations, finance, fulfilment, and customer service. Core Competencies Ecommerce & Online Sales: Amazon FBA & FBM, Marketplace Management, SEO for Listings, PPC Campaigns Business Operations: P&L, Strategic Planning, Vendor Negotiation, Product Sourcing Research & Analysis: Market Research, Shopper Insights, Competitor Analysis, Data-Driven Decision Making Customer Experience: Guest Relations, Feedback Management, CX Strategy, Loyalty Programs, UI/UX, Program management, Strategic Partnerships, Business Excellence, CRM & Leadership Marketing & Growth: Digital Ads, Social Media Campaigns, A/B Testing, Conversion Optimization. Education Bachelor of Chemical Engineering – Alexandria University, Egypt (2005) Languages Arabic (Native) – English (Fluent) – French (Basic) Work & Professional Experience - Entrepreneur – E-commerce & Hospitality Business Dubai, UAE | Sep 2024 – Present • Founded and managed an Amazon seller account o Specializing in home decoration items, managing entire operations : overseeing product sourcing, Inventory Management, Product Listings Optimization, Pricing Strategy, Advertising & Promotions, Analytics & Reporting o Increased sales month-over-month through a combination of SEO-driven listing optimization and strategic ad placements • Established and operate a Holiday Homes business o Holiday Homes Provider on Airbnb & Booking.com o Manage property listings end-to-end: staging, professional photography, dynamic pricing, guest communication and experience enhancement. o Achieved Superhost status on Airbnb (4.9/5 rating) and Exceptional status on Booking.com. o Maintain high occupancy rates through seasonal promotions, maintaining high property standards and personalized guest experiences • Managed financial planning, vendor relations, and promotional campaigns to maximize profitability across both ventures. - Union Coop – Ecommerce Manager (Ex Head of Market Research) Dubai, UAE | Aug 2012 – Oct 2024 • Ecommerce Strategy – Drove 50% shopper growth & 75% sales growth YoY across all categories online o Led customer acquisition, retention, upsell, cross sell & reactivation – revamped user growth strategy • Ecommerce Platform (Union Coop)- Enhancement of performance, functionality, UI & UX o User need gap analysis by market research & app metrics analysis: Led product roadmap with IT/tech o Managed prioritization and tradeoffs in the digital/product roadmaps based on impact, cost, effort & risk o Implemented A/B testing, optimization techniques, & user journey improvements to boost sales & CX o Analysed CS tickets raised on the app; developed & prioritized product solutions to improve CX & NPS • Led Catalogue, content, merchandizing & promotions strategy; 25% YoY uplift in platform conversion o Improved product catalogue to increase search & discovery experience and improving PDP conversion o Developing & executing online promotions (with marketing) to drive shopper acquisition & conversion. ● SKU Assortment expansion – based on frequency, trends, basket analysis & ecommerce worthiness o Enhanced selection to reduce the online & offline gap; optimized for customer experience & conversion • Digital performance marketing (social media, search engine, 3P platforms) & CRM (PNs, Emails) o Optimized performance ads mix across search, shopping catalogue ads & social media, 20% higher ROAS o Leveraged web analytics tools to track, analyse key metrics for data driven CRM marketing optimization • Loyalty & Referral programs to drive overall online repeat purchases & retention o Extended group customer loyalty programs to online sales channel to increase customer retention by ~30% • Lead Strategic alliances with 3P Hyperlocal/Quick-commerce platforms to grow sales with faster delivery • Managed business excellence, analyzed feedback-driven corrective actions & owned implementation • Headed market research, led key insights for future strategy; increased stakeholder satisfaction by 10% o Led secondary research ( Euromonitor, Nielsen reports) to analyze evolving retail/omnichannel landscape o Led primary research (Surveys) to understand grocery shopper behavior, pain points & motivations o Supported the leadership on customer backwards insights & recommendations influencing strategy - Ipsos – Senior Market Research Executive Dubai, UAE | Jul 2010–Jul 2012 • Managed Quantitative research projects from proposal to delivery. • Conducted CATI, Online, B2B, F2C, and mystery shopping surveys. • Acted as SME for EFQM & DGEP. - Quest Consulting – Project Manager - Market Research Dubai, UAE |Mar 2007–Jul 2010 • Led customer & employee NPS surveys for governmental and corporate clients. • Specialized in DGEP, training, and governmental projects from proposal to reporting.