In a world full of tough challenges and fierce competition, a young Saudi with enthusiasm, determination, and a strong drive for success conceived a creative idea inspired by his deep love and passion for acquiring eyewear.
The aim was to transform the experience of wearing sunglasses into an exceptional and distinctive business that carries the promise of a successful and promising story.
This marked the inception of Felt store, whose journey to success began with a unique vision that goes beyond the basic function of eyewear—protecting the eyes from harmful sunlight. Instead, it offers people a personalized experience and a sense of luxury and elegance while wearing them.
Let’s explore together some scenes from this success journey of the single-product store with limited options and solo management. We’ll also highlight the key challenges that any micro-business may encounter.
How did it start, and why the name Felt?
In the early days of 2019, Saudi youth Abdulaziz Alsheheli envisioned having his own business that reflects his ambitious vision for success, growth, and increased profits.
His active and vibrant mind explored various ideas during the search, ultimately settling on sunglasses due to his deep love and passion for them. He aimed to make a significant impact in the industry, redefining elegance, quality, and innovation in eyewear to stand out from competitors.
While planning his venture, he faced his first obstacle with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting the store’s launch temporarily due to economic and trade conditions.
After overcoming this challenging ordeal, Abdulaziz successfully launched the store, becoming a distinctive brand in the Kingdom’s sunglasses industry.
The store’s name, Felt, derives from four words representing the vision set since the inception of this business, specializing in selling sunglasses:
- Fancy
- Elegant
- Luxury
- Traditional
These words form the essence of the brand, reflecting the founder’s vision to combine innovation and high quality in the manufacturing of sunglasses, offering crxconsumers a unique and aesthetically pleasing wearing experience inspired by Saudi Arabia’s culture and heritage.
Key Features of Felt Eyewear’s Glasses
With a limited project budget, Abdulaziz started his business by manufacturing only one product, a pair of sunglasses inspired by the sword of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia.
The design aims to emulate the authenticity, heritage, unity, and luxurious style of the sword, using the finest materials that align with the sensitivity of the eyes.
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The product has several distinguishing features that have made it a sought-after item for consumers across different demographics. Some of these features include:
- High and Effective UV Protection: The product provides high and effective protection for the eyes against ultraviolet rays.
- High-Quality Lens Materials: The lenses are crafted from high-quality materials, allowing clear vision while reducing sunlight glare and its associated harmful effects on the eyes.
- Durability and Lightweight: The use of strong and break-resistant titanium material ensures durability, toughness, and lightweight design.
- Innovative and Luxurious Design: The innovative and luxurious design provides consumers with a distinctive and unique wearing experience.
- Premium Packaging: The distinctive packaging reflects the quality and luxury of the offered product.
- Diverse Payment Methods: Various payment methods are available to meet the diverse needs of consumers.
It’s worth mentioning that Felt employs various digital marketing channels, such as Instagram, X, and YouTube, to showcase the product’s quality and target diverse audience segments according to the product’s nature.
Major Challenges Faced by Felt Eyewear Store During Its Growth Journey
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High-Quality Product Manufacturing:
The biggest challenge during the store’s inception was finding reliable factories to execute sunglass designs according to the established vision. It took considerable time to identify a factory that balanced high quality, artistic skill in sunglass manufacturing, and adherence to recommended standards for eye protection in sunny and hot environments.
To ensure a high-quality product for consumers, the founder tested various product samples until finding the best factory that guaranteed unique designs, distinguishing Felt from competitors and meeting customer expectations for luxurious and high-quality sunglasses.
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High Shipping Costs Reduction:
Managing shipping and delivery operations posed another challenge, as the founder dealt with DHL to import products from China and ship them to Saudi Arabia by air. However, this was cost-prohibitive, negatively impacting the store’s performance and sales due to high prices.
Additionally, managing shipping operations, printing waybills, tracking shipments in real-time, and providing a distinctive shipping experience for customers became complex.
These challenges led the founder to search for an innovative solution to deliver a unique shipping experience, balancing product quality, fast delivery, and competitive prices.
Impact of Utilizing OTO for Felt Store Product Shipping
In our interview with Abdulaziz, the founder of Felt Store, he emphasized that OTO was the key game-changer in the store’s shipping landscape. OTO acted as an integrated logistics platform, providing:
- Seamless integration with Felt Store without the need for complex codes.
- Easy shipping, management, tracking, analysis, and order retrieval through a smooth and simple control panel.
- Dealing with multiple local and international shipping companies.
- Printing shipping waybills with a click.
- Obtaining discounted shipping rates cheaper than dealing directly with shipping companies.
In conclusion,
Establishing an online store in Saudi Arabia or starting your own business based on your own efforts and a modest budget with a new idea is no longer impossible. It is likely to receive acceptance and opportunity.
Abdulaziz Alsheheli, the founder and CEO, concludes with advice for anyone looking to start a business in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing determination, perseverance, a spirit of risk-taking, and learning from mistakes for success and standing out among competitors.
He says, “Success and uniqueness among competitors only come from suffering, overcoming obstacles, and finding innovative and effective solutions that achieve desired goals, contribute to customer satisfaction, and maximize return on investment.”
