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its fair share of challenges, there’s one that seems to be changing during the pandemic.

“Cash on delivery is always (a challenge), and the market was driven by it until the quarantine. But we believe it’s changing,” Waganah said.

Dokkan Afkar’s main demographic is aged between 20 and 40, and the brand has its sights set on expanding to the rest of the GCC.

“We started with a young Saudi audience who were willing to order and shop online, but we are seeing a big shift, where all ages are shopping online.

More consumers are trusting e-commerce.”

During lockdown, the website has seen an increased demand for games. “Games are leading our sales followed by the self-care category,” Waganah said. “We also saw an increase in Ramadanrelated products: prayer mats, kids’ Ramadan activity packs, and Ramadan decorations.”

Popular homegrown brands available on Dokkan Afkar include Rock Paper Scissors, Rawan Stationary, and Salam, and Waganah believes that local independent art will only become more popular: “We believe that online can help you reach millions of people with your products, creations or designs,” he said. “Each Saudi entrepreneur and artist has an extraordinary message and product that they can share with the world.” Gazzaz echoed that sentiment.

“Definitely the world is up for a ride, post COVID-19,” he said. “Technology is going to be a key factor in our way of living. Saudis are becoming more online-friendly, for sure.”