In a recent discussion, Filip Borcov from Site.pro engaged with Sami Mohamed Ali, the Quality of Service Expert at Bahrain’s .BH Registry, to explore the dynamics of Bahrain’s shared hosting and domain market. They delved into topics such as the structure of the .bh and .البحرين domains, the country’s impressive internet penetration rate, and the recent public availability of .bh domains. The conversation also highlighted the popularity of .com domains due to their affordability and global appeal, as well as the regulatory environment governing local hosting companies. This article provides insights from their exchange, offering valuable perspectives for businesses and individuals interested in Bahrain’s evolving digital landscape.

Domain Categories: differences between .com.bh, .net.bh, and .org.bh

.bh is the second-level domain representing Bahrain. It is the easiest way for any entity within Bahrain to be represented online. .com.bh is specific to companies,.net.bh is for network-related companies, and .org.bh is for organisations. Each category is designated for specific audiences.

Internet Penetration and 5G coverage

There are approximately 1.5 million people in Bahrain with almost 200% internet penetration, meaning the average person has around two lines. Bahrain was among the first in the region to launch full 5G coverage, which ensures excellent response in terms of Internet and services they provide.

Payment Gateways

The local people ussually prefer using local payment gateways. For majority of the public there’s a government based initiative called BenefitPay, which connects all the banks, as a result, all the debit card transactions go through BenefitPay platform. In addition, there are multiple international, as well as local, options for credit cards. There are two famous local gateways, CrediMax and Tap Payments, which are also international players.

Local vs Global Domains

There are around 6k local domain in Bahrain. Talking about popularity of local domains comparing to global ones, .com remains popular due to its global recognition and ease of access. Since .bh opened up last year, there has been about a 10% growth in its adoption. However, price and global reach often make .com a preferred choice.

Local vs. Global Providers

Local people have a mix of preferences when it comes to working with local regist and hosting companies. With recent changes, there’s been a noticeable move towards international register companies. However, a significant number of people still favor local businesses due to the support they offer. One of the huge challenges for the local buisnesses is the growth of .bh, so the .BH Registry want to establish .bh as the Goto domain. That is why they are promoting a lot of local registers and trying to give them the opporunity to excel in this market.

Pricing and Market Dynamics

The average price for domain registration for .bh is around 60$, it is a fix amount the .BH Registry has to charge for a domain because of government resouce.
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp are the main business drivers. People use these three social media platforms to provide services. .BH Registry is educating the community on the benefits of having a website for legitimacy, but adoption will take time for a while because of integration for a while.

Quality vs Price

The choise of hosting company is mainly price driven decision, because the market is new and the product has not been on the market that long. But it’s worth noting that as the product stays on the market longer and longer, the users will envolve into quality.

Growth of .bh ccTLD sales

.BH Registry launched its domain name in 2022, initiating the expansion of local domain adoption. The six-month launch process set the stage for growing the presence of .bh domain names in Bahrain. Now, the registry is focused on increasing domain registrations and strengthening the .bh domain’s position in the market. This year, efforts are geared toward ramping up domain sales and encouraging more businesses and individuals to choose local domain names.

Website Builders in Bahrain

There aren’t many influence on that matter, on the other, it’s more impact of a regist driven concept. As a result, the regists are the ones who push website builders and the similar products to provide better end-user services. .BH Registry support initiatives promoting website builders, but they haven’t direct influence on that.

Regulations for local hosting companies

The main aim is to ensure that the local hosting companies are following the regulations of Kingdom’s law. The main obligations that all registers, entities and resellers must fulfil are to comply with the country’s regulations. There are no strict criterias, for example selling in local currency. An important point to emphasise, no misuse of any of the domains for cultural implications, as well as, be very careful to not impact the social norms of the country. Flexibility is allowed as long as the law is followed.

Promoting Local Domains

Local services providers often protect from global regulations or shutdowns. During Coronavirus time it was a lot of online interaction fixed in Bahrain. To consider, Coronavirus time motivated people to start building online presence, as well as, it was a lot of business which benefited from that.
Due to political issue, it could be a ramp up of local services providers. From a policy perspective, the .BH Registry has made it clear that .bh represents Bahrain, and it’s a good place to showcase your product, confirming that it’s a Bahraini product.

The .BH Registry are working very heavily in promoting the Arabic domains in Bahrain. Once it comes out, it will help everyone who speaks Arabic and can take advantage of the language itself by using this domain. To consider, it might be a very useful option in promoting domain.

Lessons Learned

Lifehack #1: Educate the youth, as they are the next business leaders.
The best way is to educate the young people, the .BH Registry is going into workforce, working very closely with universities and organise hackathons.

Lifehack #2: Work close with universities and teach IT, coding, website creation.
.BH Registry collaborate with universities adding to their curriculum development of websites, development of internationalised domain names and email servers. The main aim to build a digital environment and working with the vision of the country’s leaders on creating sustainable digital environment.

Conclusion

Bahrain is making significant strides in promoting local domains and advancing its digital transformation. While the adoption of .bh is growing, globally recognized domains still dominate the market. To accelerate this shift, ongoing education, awareness, and the development of a supportive ecosystem are crucial. By fostering a strong digital infrastructure and encouraging local domain adoption, Bahrain can further strengthen its online presence and drive long-term success in the digital space.

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Indonesia is one of the fastest-growing digital markets in the world, driven by a large population, increasing internet penetration, and a dynamic business environment. With a rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses must navigate language preferences, diverse payment systems, customer service expectations, and regulatory changes to succeed. This article explores key aspects of the Indonesian market, including payment methods, domain trends, customer preferences, and government regulations, providing insights and strategies for businesses looking to establish a strong presence in the country.

Additionally, this article features insights from Yusuf Nurrachman, CEO of RumahWeb.com, and Filip Borcov Incredible from Site.pro, discussing shared hosting tips in Indonesia. Their expertise sheds light on the best practices and challenges businesses face in the local hosting market.

Indonesian market key features

The Indonesian market mainly operates in the local language, with about 99% of support provided in Indonesian and only 1% in English. Payment systems in Indonesia are pretty much diverse, with QR codes being the most popular payment method. Most of Indonesian companies accept payments using QR codes, credit cards or PayPal. Around 40% of all transactions are still conducted through bank transfers. The average price for domains in Indonesia is approximately 160.000 rupees for a .COM domain and about 300.000 rupees for a .ID domain, which is roughly equal to $20. The popularity of .id domains has been on the rise in recent years, making them as sought after as .com domains.

Customer support and preferences

In the Indonesian internet hosting market, 24/7 support is what really matters. When it comes to creating a website, customer preferences vary. While some tech-savvy people may attempt to create a website using a website builder, most small businesses prefer to have this service done for them. For instance, the aforementioned RumahWeb.com company offers both ‘do-it-yourself’ and ‘do-it-for-me’ website building services, depending on whether or not the client has ready-made content for their business.

Free vs. Paid services

Offering free trials improves customer retention because it allows customers to try out the product before making a payment commitment. Monitoring churn rates is also important, especially in Indonesia, where social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are often the number-one choice for businesses. In such a way, websites become a necessity only in case of stable business growth.

Government Regulations

Recent government regulations have had a profound effect on the market as well. For example, the Indonesian government blocked TikTok Shop due to some trade regulations related to importing goods from China. This move caused significant disruption for small businesses that used TikTok Shops for their sales. As a result, many Indonesian companies began to complain about the injustice of such a rash decision, as TikTok was bringing them good sales. In this regard, Yusuf Nurrachman emphasises the importance of having your own website as a stable online presence.

Lessons learned

Lifehack #1: Omni-Channel marketing — the best way to promote in Indonesia
The RumahWeb.com company successfully applies Omni-Channel marketing, which has proven effective in Indonesia due to the wide range of media preferences among different population segments. However, relying solely on automated customer relations doesn’t work well in this market. Building trusting personal relationships with customers is super crucial to company’s success.

Lifehack #2/#3: If you break good relationships with your customer — then you lose everything. Understanding customer needs is what really drives your business in Indonesia.
Even if you work in IT and you think that all processes can be automated, so customer relations are well established a priori – no, it doesn’t work like that. The most important thing you have to do is establish good relationships with the customer, communicate and recognise their needs.

Summary

Indonesia, with a population of 270 million and growing Internet penetration, presents fantastic market opportunities. The country’s average salary and tourism industry are on the rise, which is expected to contribute to the continued growth of internet users. As the market evolves, businesses must focus on building strong relationships with customers and adapting to changing market conditions.

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