Casablanca – Anyone who has tried to find the “perfect gift” knows the drill. Spending an hour scrolling online, another walking through shops, before giving up and buying something safe — chocolates, maybe a candle, something that will at least look thoughtful.
A Moroccan startup believes that whole process can be much easier.
Hooby, an upcoming e-commerce platform founded by entrepreneur Mohamed Soussi, is preparing to launch what it describes as Morocco’s first AI-driven online marketplace dedicated entirely to gifts.
The idea is simple: instead of browsing through hundreds of products, users now can answer a few questions and let the platform suggest options for them. Who is the gift for? What is the occasion? How much is the budget?
Based on those answers, Hooby’s artificial intelligence system recommends products from Moroccan merchants that might fit the situation — whether it is a birthday, wedding, graduation, or religious celebration.
The concept grew out of a familiar frustration. Morocco is full of talented artisans and small businesses producing unique items, from handcrafted jewelry and leather goods to artisanal chocolates and natural cosmetics.
But online, those products are often scattered across dozens of separate websites or social media pages. For buyers, discovering them can take time.
Hooby is trying to bring that fragmented market together in one place.
For Mohamed, who previously worked in supply chain consulting at Rolex, his goal, he says, is not only to simplify gift shopping, but also to give Moroccan creators more visibility online.
Giving Local Merchants a Digital Shop Window
The platform is still in its preparation phase and has not yet opened to the public. But the team has already begun onboarding merchants, and around 50 businesses from across Morocco have joined so far.
They include brands selling jewelry, cosmetics, fashion accessories, chocolates, and home décor — the kinds of products people often look for when buying gifts.
For many small businesses, selling online is not always straightforward. Building a website, managing payments, and organizing deliveries can be expensive or technically complicated.
Hooby aims to handle much of that infrastructure itself, allowing merchants to set up a digital storefront on the platform while focusing on their products.
Local businesses interested in joining can contact the team via Instagram at @hooby.ai or register directly as merchants on hooby.ai, part of an effort to bring Moroccan brands to a wider global audience.
The company operates on a commission-based model, meaning merchants do not pay entry or subscription fees and Hooby earns revenue only when a sale is made.
The startup is currently being incubated within Morocco’s Retail Tech Builder program, which operates in partnership with Startgate, the startup hub of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
In the short term, Hooby is focused on the Moroccan market and local creators. But the longer-term goal is to serve Moroccans living abroad who want to send gifts back home — a market the team believes has significant potential.
If that vision succeeds, Hooby hopes to become a go-to destination for gift-giving in Morocco. And perhaps make that last-minute search for the right present a little less stressful.
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