Some traders at the Al-Sawarikh market in Jeddah have come up with an innovative idea to promote their products through an auction system operating from the back of their pickup trucks.

The open-air shops have gained popularity with customers interested in purchasing the different products on sale, mainly electronic items and devices.

Fawzi Al-Qarni, also known as Abu Hussein, has been working in the Al-Sawarikh market for 7 years. “We sell different electrical items but every 10 minutes we come up with questions for the audience to answer in order to win one of the prizes that we are offering for free,” he said.

The questions touch on topics of daily life and religion related to the prophet’s life and his friends.

“There are two trucks in this area doing this kind of business,” Abu Hussein said. “We work for the same company which supplies us with different devices such as TVs, washing machines, DVD players and so on. The products come with a six-month warranty for people living in Jeddah and a 1-year warranty for those living outside Jeddah,” he explained.

To win expensive prizes such as iPhones and smart phones, customers get a maximum of 15 seconds to answer the questions.

The audience includes people of all ages. Sometimes, women can be seen among the crowds too and the trader will ask a question especially targeted for the women customers.

Asked about getting a permanent shop, Abu Hussein said, “I actually prefer trading here in the middle of the market where everyone can see us and may stop to buy our goods.” He added, “If I have a shop, I would have to sell my goods for a fixed price whereas here, customers name the price and the highest bidder gets the deal.”

However, he faces difficulties of insufficient space especially in the holidays when people come from all over the Kingdom. “I wish the municipality would provide us with a larger space to do business,” he said.