Shahd Alhamdan

Saudi Gazette

 

Since the end of 2010, social media, especially Instagram,  has had a massive impact on the Kingdom’s economy.



Many Saudi youth have started online businesses via social media, while many others are using it as a powerful marketing tool.



When it comes to online businesses, there are more than 4000 businesses on Instagram in Riyadh.



Most of these focus on food, clothing and fashion, furniture, pets, or books.



Saudi Gazette is providing it is reader by some of the Saudi business that was created online.



Here’s a list of some of the Kingdom’s key online businesses. Breakfast Club in Saudi Arabia is one of the non-traditional ways to get breakfast delivered to your doorstep in Jeddah.



The founder, Ibrahim Bamehriz, chose Instagram to launch his business, and then created a website.



Atayeb Home is another business that sells homemade desserts and savory food online.



Women working from home created the account and people can order by phone or online using WhatsApp.



Bake My Day is another food business that sells homemade cookies online. Many Saudi women are selling clothes and accessories via social media.



One of these businesses is owned by Rozana al-Daini, who sells jewelry, watches, and wallets on Instagram.



She has two employees, more than 67,000 followers, and handles up to 25 orders a day.



Fancyboutiqe is another online business that mainly trades in cosmetics, but also handles other products from time to time.



The business was created after its owner struggled to find a job after graduating from a pharmacology major.



Heidi’s Shop is another new business that sells cosmetic and makeup products online, and you can also find them at some of the big local events such as Bessat Alreh in Ramadan.



Daftar is a business that sells notebooks but with a twist. They sell them with creative designs and pictures. You can also find them at several local events.



Some other businesses are using social media to market their products, such as Bookccino in Riyadh; a bookstore and café that is aiming to spread the reading in Saudi society.



The business uses Instagram and Twitter to promote books and the other products that they sell.



According to One of Saudi Gazette articles, twitter users constitute around 60 percent of Saudi Internet users.



The number of Twitter users in the Kingdom increased by 45 percent between 2012 and 2013. Around eight million of the Kingdom’s population use Facebook. Instagram, Keek, WhatsApp, Snapchat and Path are other more popular social media portals.