The abaya is considered one of the most prominent cultural and traditional symbols in the Arab world in general, and the Gulf in particular. It is not just a piece of cloth that covers the body, but rather a women’s costume characterized by elegance and diversity, and an expression of identity and a rich culture. Over time, abaya designs have evolved into a stunning piece of art that combines tradition with modern designs.
If you dream of launching an abaya project that will bring you a stable income, and you are looking for clear and easy steps to achieve this goal; Then you are in the right place.
In this article, we will share with you how to start an abaya shop business from scratch, and review the particular areas that you should pay attention to.
What are the factors that make an abaya business a successful project?
- Increasing demand: The abaya is a traditional costume for women in the Arab world. It expresses the identity, culture, and modesty of the women of the Arab world. It is also suitable for all occasions and meets all tastes. Therefore, the demand for abayas is constantly increasing, especially with the development of their designs, colors and decorations.
- High profitability: The abaya project is characterized by high profitability, as the cost of producing the abaya is low. It can also be sold at different prices depending on its quality, design, and the brand it carries. In addition, such a project provides an opportunity to export to foreign markets, which increases profits.
- Diversity and innovation: The abaya project allows for diversity and innovation in designs, materials, colors and decorations. Designers can use their imagination and creativity to create unique and attractive abayas that suit women’s tastes, personalities, and desires. They can also benefit from various design programs to easily design and modify abaya designs digitally.
Challenges that any abaya business may face
- Intense Competition: The Arab market is full of designers, suppliers and merchants offering abayas in different shapes, colors and prices. Therefore, you should try to make your products feature high quality, innovative designs and affordable prices. You must also use effective marketing strategies to reach target customers.
- Continuous changes in tastes and fashion: It is true that the abaya is a traditional garment, but it is affected by continuous changes in tastes and fashion. Therefore, you must always be up to date with the latest fashion trends, colors, embellishments and cuts. You must also be flexible in modifying your designs according to the desires of customers.
- Limited foreign markets: The abaya project is a project dedicated to the Arab and Islamic market, therefore, the opportunities for expansion in Western markets will be very limited. Therefore, the project owner must try to exploit the opportunities available in the local and regional markets whenever possible. It should also consider adding new products that suit the taste and culture of customers from outside the Arab and Islamic world.
How to start a successful abaya business
Developing the project idea
You must begin by developing your project idea, and define the goal, vision, and mission by answering the following questions:
- What product will you offer? Will you offer ready-made or custom-made abayas? Will you offer traditional or modern abayas?
- What is the target group of customers? Will you target a specific age group or all ages? Will you target a specific social group or all classes?
- What is the added value that will differentiate your products from competitors? Will you offer high quality and premium materials, or competitive prices? Will you offer innovative designs, diverse colors and exquisite decorations? Will you offer additional services such as delivery, packaging or exchange?
Planning and market study
You must plan your project well, and conduct a feasibility study for the Abaya project to study its economic feasibility. Analyze the market, supply and demand, opportunities and risks; He determined the available capital, the cost of the Abaya project, and the expected profits from it. Some questions you should think about at this point are:
- What is the market size for the abaya project in your area? How many potential customers? How much is the average spending on abayas?
- What is the demand to supply ratio in the abaya market in your region? Is there a gap between demand and supply? Is there an opportunity to enter a new market or expand an existing market?
- What capital is available to start an abaya project? How much money do you need to pay workers, designers, and management? How much money do you need to pay licensing fees, taxes and rent?
- What are the expected profits from the abaya project? How much will each abaya sell for? What will be the profit percentage from each abaya? What will be the total profit percentage from the project?
Competitor analysis
You should analyze the competitors in the abayas business in terms of studying their strengths, weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. Learn about the designs, colors, and prices they offer, and the marketing strategies they use. Try to distinguish your products with high quality, innovative designs, and competitive prices. Some questions you should answer at this stage are:
- Who are the key competitors in the Abayas market in your region? What are their names, logos and visual identities?
- What are each competitor’s strengths? What are the designs, colors and prices that it features? What additional services does it provide?
- What are each competitor’s weaknesses? What are the complaints made by customers?
Develop a business plan
You must develop a business plan for your project, specifying the general and specific goals, implementation steps, necessary resources, and timetable. Consider project risks and how to overcome them. Some questions you should answer in your business plan are:
- What is the name of your project?
- What capital is available to start your project?
- What are the potential funding sources?
- What are the costs required to set up and operate your project?
- What are the expected profits from your project?
- What is the marketing and promotion strategy for your project?
- What is the development and expansion plan for your project?
Choose the location and space
Choose a suitable location for your project, close to commercial areas, visible and easy to access. You must also choose sufficient space to display and store abayas, and take into account some conditions and controls related to licensing and safety. Some questions you should consider to choose a location and space are:
- How much space do you need to display your products attractively?
- How much space do you need to store your products securely?
- How much rent or value will you pay to purchase the site?
- What are the site specifications in terms of area, traffic, and competitors?
- What are the terms and conditions for licensing and site safety?
Design the project’s logo and identity
You must design an attractive logo for your project that expresses its idea, value, and personality. You must also define the visual identity of your project, which includes the colors, fonts, symbols, and shapes that you will use in products and advertisements. Some of the things you should think about when designing your project’s logo and identity are:
- Project personality.
- Colors that symbolize the idea, value and personality of your project.
- Fonts that fit the name, idea, value and personality of your project.
- Symbols or shapes that you use to represent your project.
Buy gowns and accessories
You should buy abayas in different shapes, colors, and prices, to suit all tastes and occasions. You should also buy accessories that match the abayas, such as shawls, brooches, and buttons. And to get the best prices from local or foreign suppliers.
Promotion of the project
You must use effective marketing strategies to promote your project, such as creating a page on social media sites, advertising on websites, or distributing flyers and personal cards. Try to display your products in an attractive and distinctive way, and provide excellent customer service.
Management and accounting
You must manage your project professionally, and create a record of inventory, expenses, and revenues. It must also establish policies and controls to maintain the quality of products and customer service.
Development and expansion
Always strive to develop your project and add new and innovative products. Consider expanding its scope, and try to open other branches in different regions. You must also exploit opportunities available in local and regional markets.
How does Al Raedah contribute to supporting an emerging abaya project?
Al Raedah’s financing programs are designed to give owners of various emerging projects the easiest and best ways to obtain suitable financing, compatible with Islamic Sharia regulations, and with payment methods of their choice. It has become one of the best organizations that contribute to supporting and financing emerging projects in Saudi Arabia.
Advantages of our leading financing programs
- Al Raedah offers you innovative digital financial solutions.
- All solutions are licensed by the Sharia Board.
- Once you complete the documents, you can receive the financing within 5 business days.
- A flexible payment mechanism through deduction of payment, without fixed monthly installments, through the use of a point of sale system, by deducting a specific percentage from each sale. Therefore, payment is made through sales, not installments.
- We require fewer documents than any other competitor.
- Al Raedah provides you with the liquidity your project needs without any guarantees.
- You can submit your application to the company online.
The most important thing that distinguishes the funding granting mechanism at Al Raedah Company is the absence of any fixed monthly payments or installments, as Al Raedah follows the deduction method to pay off the loan gradually, and thus the customer will be able to focus on benefiting from the financing he obtained from Al Raedah to achieve his goals, instead of worrying about the method.
The most important financing program at Al Raedah: Point of Sale financing program
The point-of-sale financing program is designated for emerging entrepreneurs to achieve their desired goals and develop their businesses by obtaining quick and appropriate financing, without monthly installments, and in accordance with the following controls and features:
- Supporting emerging projects without a sponsor, as the point-of-sale financing program does not require a guarantor or guarantor.
- No monthly installments needed.
- Payment method is daily through points of sale.
- A one-time fixed administrative fee of 1.5% (or at least 5,000) Saudi riyals.
- 15% value added tax applies.
- Financing is up to (21%, 38%, 50%) of total annual POS sales with repayment terms of one, two or three years respectively.
Conclusion
A women’s abaya project represents a unique opportunity to build a successful and profitable brand in the world of fashion. With a commitment to quality, innovation and sustainability, the project can meet clients’ expectations and achieve success in an increasingly diverse and challenging market. Let’s start researching, planning and preparing now, and do not hesitate to achieve your investment vision and do not think too much about searching for a source of financing for your project. Al Raedah was created for you and those with ambitious projects.
Al Raedah is keen to facilitate financing conditions, so it has designed innovative financing programs that provide liquidity to commercial projects quickly and easily, in order to help ambitious project owners develop their businesses with the least possible requirements and documents, all with a deductible payment mechanism, and without fixed monthly installments. So what are you waiting for? Apply now.