E-commerce - Way to Marriage
Amal and Hamza were brought together by love. Before they decided to get married, they had to prepare the vast expenses of marriage as in Yemeni customs and traditions. As known, announcing marriage publicly in Yemen requires huge amount of money to revive the wedding night and pay the dowry and other exhausting stuff.
Amal, 21 years old, graduated from high school in Sana’a in 2020, yet the economic situation has deteriorated due to the effects of Covid-19. So, she began looking for an opportunity to generate income; owing to her skills in marketing, she could persuade one of the ladies owning a shop to hire her for a monthly salary. At the same time, Hamza, a young university student who had been displaced from Hodeida, a city in western Yemen, because of the war, was working in a sweets shop in the center of the capital, Sana'a. He had just gotten engaged to Amal. At that time, they thought together about the best way to earn more money to bring forward the date of marriage. Therefore, Amal suggested starting electronic commerce.
"I had enough experience to help myself get started with the idea. I had already tried buying through international sales applications and selling to girls in Yemen through my Facebook page. Actually, the motive that gave me the courage and spirit of adventure was Hamza’s inspiration and his sponsorship of a large part of the capital. Hence, we set out for the first deal, which was not only difficult but also complicated due to shipping delays and security measures caused by the war in Yemen". Says Amal. Hamza adds "We were counting the days until the first shipment arrived via land transport from Saudi Arabia to Sana'a. We bore losses resulting from the damage of some purchases, but hope motivated us to continue."
“We look for goods in a group of e-sales applications, such as AliExpress, Alibaba, Noon, SHEIN, Namshi, Jolly, Bath & Body Works, iHerb, and Amazon. Next, we choose a number of goods, especially clothes, accessories, cosmetics, and other materials regarding customers' orders. This process takes from 7 to 14 days; then, we get to identify all the products we target. Afterward, we advertise them on our Facebook page, using a set of marketing solutions, such as hashtags, posting in groups, and sponsored ads in addition to direct targeting via WhatsApp to potential customers and surely our former customers. We then close the ready orders list and start the purchasing payment procedures using Visa Card. Receiving from our customers is done through our bank account or direct cash transfers. The customer receives their orders through the delivery company within 2 weeks, after examining them and ensuring their safety. Therefore, we endeavor to get a parcel every half month using several ways – maritime freight, DHL, or delivery to KSA and then land freight to Sana'a.” they explained their work.
Supply and demand differ depending on the customers purchasing power. Occasionally, orders increase during the festive (Eid) seasons and summer vacation, where weddings increase, in addition to the beginning of the winter and academic years. "We are now encouraging some conventional shops’ owners to deal with us, offering them great facilitation, like free shipping fees. We do not earn money from the customers; we rather rely on the reduction rate we receive from the sales sites, which, indeed, helps us in increasing the sales volume.” They narrated.
They seek to develop their sales by adopting a set of marketing methods. "First, we promote annual discounts on our products. Moreover, we post special offers, like the Bride Show, in which all the bride’s needs are provided, including clothes, cosmetics, and care, in one offer where the bride pays the capital and shipping costs." Amal clarified. "We consider it as a community-based initiative making it easier for youth to get married. Simultaneously, we work with an integrated effort, whereby the work is divided between Hamza and me. He works as an accountant and a logistician, recording orders, arranging delivery, and organizing them. I work in marketing, financing the page, writing content, and photography." She continues.
Amal and Hamza started the project with the aim of facilitating marriage expenses, and now they are really close to achieving it. Hamza says “love puts a person on the right path to lead a balanced life. It actually enabled me to start my own small business and gave me the chance to communicate with my future life partner and get to know her closely. It also gave me a good opportunity to get to know the market and people.” As for Amal, she says “starting with the easiest things gives golden opportunity for a lot of progress.”
