Saudi designer sells abayas on her mobile retail truck
Manar Al Rawi eases women’s woes by taking the garments to their doorsteps
ASaudi woman designer has made a breakthrough in the retail business by launching a mobile retail truck to sell her abayas, the loose over-garment worn by most women in the Arabian Gulf countries.
Manar Al Rawi said that her decision to move from the traditional retail space to the mobile truck was essentially driven by the wish to overcome two major challenges that women usually faced.
“Women have often to deal with difficulties to move and reach traditional shops and boutiques and they also have an issue with not having enough time,” Manar said, quoted by Saudi daily Okaz on Thursday.
“My idea of having a mobile retail truck is to help them overcome both problems and they can now do their shopping from their homes,” said the Jeddah-based designer.
Manar said that the motto she chose, “Your abaya at your doorstep”, responds to the needs and characteristics of Gulf society in general and Saudi society in particular.
“The concept meets the demands for utter privacy in shopping and adds a new value to the shopping comfort experience seen through Saudi eyes,” Manar said.
The mobile retail truck, unlike eCommerce sites, allows the saleswomen to meet their customers face-to-face, interact with them and watch them experience the products first-hand. Jawaher Mirawi, the woman who designed the retail truck, said that she welcomed the innovative concept of selling the abayas.
“It was not easy to design the truck and we needed two months to prepare the feasibility study and to have a new concept that would replace the traditional one,” she said.
“Our team of eight technicians and designers wanted to build a truck that would create a genuine comfort zone for the clients. This is the first abaya truck in Saudi Arabia and it features from 80 to 100 abayas. It also has a fitting room.”