Are you thinking of venturing into the Abaya business and do not know how to go about it? If yes, read this article to the end as we discuss the step-by-step process you need to follow to start the Abaya business in Nigeria. In addition, we’ll provide you with tips that will help the business grow as well as other useful information to help you make an informed decision as you venture into this business. Let’s dive in.
How to start Abaya business in Nigeria:
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What is Abaya?
Before we proceed to provide a detailed explanation of how to start Abaya business in Nigeria, we think it is crucial to shed light on what ‘Abaya’ means in case you aren’t familiar with the term.
Wikipedia defines Abaya as a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Muslim world, including West Africa, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa, and most of the Middle East. However, some people who aren’t Muslims still wear Abaya for fashion purposes, personal preferences, and other reasons.
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How to Start Abaya Business in Nigeria
As we clarified what Abaya is, let’s proceed to outline the steps to starting Abaya business in Nigeria.
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Conduct Market Research on Abaya Business
Conducting market research is the first step to take in your journey to venturing into the Abaya business in Nigeria. In this stage, you’d be expected to gather, analyze, and interpret various aspects of Abaya’s business to enable you to make informed decisions.
During the market research stage, you will have to identify your potential customers, assess the demand and growth of your potential customers, and gather insights from potential customers. You can gain these insights by asking questions and doing research.
Another aspect of the market research you should investigate is the different types of business models in Abaya business to find out the strengths and weaknesses of each of these business models. In the Abaya business, the different business models include a direct sales model, wholesale model, dropshipping model, rental model, and manufacturing model.
Other aspects of market research expected of you to cover include competitor analysis, pricing strategies, and where to source the Abaya apparel.
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Craft a Business Plan
After conducting market research to gather valuable insights into Abaya’s business in Nigeria, the next step is to craft a strategic business plan.
An ideal business plan for Abaya business should include an overview of your business, its goals and objectives, the target audience and competition, a marketing strategy, and financial planning.
The Executive Summary section of your Abaya business plan includes information about your product, target market, and competitive analysis.
The Products and Services section should contain information about Abaya details, materials, types, designs, and pricing models.
Also, your Abaya business plan should feature a Marketing Plan section where you will outline your marketing strategies.
In addition, the business plan should feature the Financial Planning section which should contain the estimate of your startup budget, how you intend to source for funding, production cost, projected Return on Investment (ROI), ongoing expenses, and other related details.
Finally, a Team Building Plan section which outlines your plan for hiring staff for production, packaging, selling, and marketing purposes should also be included in your Abaya business plan.
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Get Your Startup Fund
The next step after crafting your Abaya business plan is to get your startup funds for the business. Your well-crafted business plan should contain the amount you need to start up your Abaya business.
The startup fund should cover all your initial investment including the cost of getting equipment and supplies, inventory set-up, rental cost, operational cost, business registration, marketing, and manpower, among others.
Your startup fund could come from your savings or bank loans. Other avenues to get your startup fund include crowdfunding and asking friends and family members.
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Get a Place for Your Abaya Business
With your capital ready, proceed to get a place for your Abaya business. It is recommended that the spot you select for your Abaya business be easily located and be situated in an area that boasts substantial foot and vehicular traffic.
If you intend to go into making the Abaya, which is the manufacturing model of the business, the shop you get for your shop should be spacious enough to contain the machinery used in the production process, raw materials, and supplies, among other things.
But if you intend to go into the dropshipping of Abaya apparel, it isn’t necessary to get a shop as this business model does not carry any inventory.
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Procure Equipment and Supplies for Your Abaya Business
If your chosen Abaya business model that you intend to venture into is the manufacturing of Abaya apparel, there are certain equipment, supplies, tools, and machinery that you are required to get before starting the business.
The basic equipment and supplies that are needed to start an Abaya production line include a sewing machine with an accessory kit, iron, cutting table, measuring tape, fabric shears, needles, cutting table, buttons, sewing patterns, beads, sequins, trims, and thread.
But if you intend to venture into the wholesale Abaya business model or the direct sales Abaya business model, you are required to get packaging supplies, as well as supplies and equipment for offline store setup. The required things include boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, gift bags, scissors, a box cutter, display racks, a point-of-sale system, display racks, hangers, an inventory tracking system, and other relevant items.
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Stock Up Your Store with Abaya/Begin Abaya Production
If it is the wholesale business model or the direct sale business model of the Abaya business that you intend to venture into, it is at this stage that you will need to buy the Abaya fabrics that you’d sell to retailers or final consumers.
If it is the Abaya production business model that you intend to focus on, it is at this stage that you start to make the apparel. You may need to employ additional hands, especially those competent in operating the pieces of machinery used in the production process of the Abaya apparel.
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Market Your Business
The next to do after you have gotten the Abaya apparel you bought or created; the next step is to market your goods so you can make sales.
Use a combination of marketing strategies to reach your customers. Some effective marketing strategies include the use of social media, word-of-mouth marketing, online advertising, and creating a website for your Abaya business.