MANY Saudi women use the popular micro-blogging site Twitter and photo-sharing site Instagram as an easy and inexpensive way to market their homemade dishes to potential clients. These social media “cooks” have discovered a way to give people access to healthier, homemade food at a fraction of the cost they would pay in a restaurant. Al-Riyadh daily reports on the increasing number of home-based businesses that rely on social media to market their products. Although the food is prepared at home and customers do not know whether or not hygiene standards were followed, many people are still willing to take the risk and buy the food they just liked on Instagram. Traditional dishes Laila Ahmad, known as Umm Rima to her customers, said she has been making and selling homemade food for the past two years. Her husband encouraged her to do it and she started selling food to her friends and neighbors. Once she signed up for a Twitter account last year, her sales jumped. She takes orders online and has her driver deliver them to her customers, earning a cool SR5,000 a month in the process. Laila said she has many customers and knows how to cater to each of their tastes. “Some prefer traditional dishes while others like desserts. I have accounts on all social media websites including Twitter and people just send me their personalized requests and I make what they want,” she said. Home kitchen Umm Fahad, an expert in rice and barbequed meat/chicken dishes, also started out selling her dishes to family members and neighbors. When her daughter suggested she start a Twitter account, her customer base increased and she earns enough money to provide for herself. After retiring from her teaching job, Umm Abdullah took up cooking to earn some extra cash on the side. Her children helped promote her food online and her impressive kitchen is well-stocked and equipped to handle the large orders she receives. Most of her customers order food for social events. E-business Modi Al-Shammary, associate professor in the Social Studies Department, King Saud University, said e-commerce is becoming increasingly popular in the Kingdom and many people have taken to social media to promote their products/services. “Most female cooks have good skills and some of them have become well-known in their respective cities because of their talents. They can take and deliver orders quicker than restaurants and can offer a homemade taste that most restaurants cannot,” Al-Shammary said. Many women said they prefer to run home-based businesses because they don't have to apply for official licenses, pay rent or salaries to staff. And the prospect of marking their products without paying for advertising is an added bonus but many say such businesses need to be regulated to protect consumers. “The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) and the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority (SFDA) should regulate home-based businesses to ensure compliance with local laws and define proper e-business regulations, which will help women run their business legally,” Al-Shammary said while adding CPA inspectors should be allowed to enter and inspect home kitchens where food is prepared.
