The AI shopping assistant for supermarkets in the UAE

Does it understand Emirati Arabic and English mixed?

Yes. In the UAE one shopper can write أبا (I want), حق (for) and الريوق (breakfast) in Arabic, then switch to English for the next line, then type Arabizi such as "3indkom laban?" on the way home. A chatbot that expects one language per conversation gets this wrong. Hephon Commerce weighs each message as a whole and answers in the language and script it was written in. A message that could be either, such as a brand name alone, keeps the language the conversation was already in.

Its Gulf Arabic replies come from a phrasebook of approved phrases for each situation, which your team can edit, so the tone sounds local rather than translated. Product search combines keywords and meaning over your live catalog, in Arabic script, Arabizi and English, and brands spelled several ways are still found.

What about shoppers who speak other languages?

Most UAE residents are not Arabic speakers, and many shop in English. Hephon Commerce chats in English and Arabic first, and in French too. By voice it speaks more than 30 languages, so a shopper can order in the language they are most at ease in. Which languages matter depends on your shoppers, so before launch we test the ones you name on your own catalog, with messages generated from your products.

Does it work for co-ops, hypermarkets and quick commerce?

Yes. Every branch or dark store is its own store in Hephon Commerce, with its own prices and stock in dirhams. Where range or price depends on the area, as in quick commerce, the assistant can ask where the shopper is first and offer only what the nearest store can deliver. The table below shows how it fits each format.

Can shoppers order on WhatsApp in the UAE?

Yes. It answers on your own WhatsApp Business number with product cards, a basket, and a checkout the shopper confirms with a tap. Voice notes are transcribed and answered like typed messages. On WhatsApp, alcohol and tobacco are always excluded, whatever the store sells elsewhere.

Can shoppers order by voice?

Yes, with live voice inside your app, voice notes on WhatsApp, and calls. On a call it speaks Gulf Arabic with a voice chosen for your store, reads the basket back, and the order is placed only when the caller presses 1. Calling rules in the UAE depend on the channel and the line, so we agree with your team how calls reach the assistant before launch.

How does it find the right products?

Before any product is shown, a fast classifier checks the top search results against the shopper's actual message and drops what does not match. It understands budgets ("under 200 dirhams" for a whole list), "cheapest first", "more options", "something similar" and follow-ups such as "any of these on offer?". It never assumes food, so an electronics shelf is searched like any other. A dish and a number of people, such as machboos for six, becomes ingredient lines with the packs that cover each amount for the least money.

How does it handle data and the UAE PDPL?

The UAE's Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the protection of personal data, often called the UAE PDPL, sets rules for how shoppers' data is processed and transferred. Here is what Hephon Commerce does today:

• No conversation is ever used to train an AI model. Every model request is sent with data collection denied.
• Our servers are in the European Union today.
• Platform credentials are encrypted.
• Shopper data can be deleted on request.

We do not claim compliance or any ISO or SOC certification. We go through your requirements with your team before launch. The PDPL page has the detail.

What it does not do

• It never orders on its own. The shopper confirms with a tap, on a signed checkout page, or with keypad 1 after a call's read-back.
• It does not invent products, prices or delivery times. It offers what your catalog and the shopper's store have.
• It does not rely on the prompt for the products you never sell. Alcohol, pork or tobacco are removed on the server, and a product not yet checked stays hidden.

When Hephon Commerce is not the right fit

• You have no online catalog. The assistant needs your products, prices and stock.
• You only need customer service in Arabic and English, such as order status and returns. A customer-service platform fits that better.
• You need data hosted in the UAE from day one. Our servers are in the European Union today.
• You want to sell alcohol on WhatsApp. It is always excluded there.
• You want self-serve signup and a public price. Access is by invitation and each retailer gets a proposal.