Before departing from Marrakesh, we took a stop at the women’s cooperative to learn about their operating system as well as engage in a leather workshop where we were able to make something of our choice. Out of the options provided, I chose to create the sunglasses pouch pictured on this blog.

Something that stood out to me after learning about both the Anou and women’s cooperative is that both of the business models streamline the idea of handmade, traditional goods. While having a different focus, with Anou’s primary product being rugs and the women’s cooperative managing leather goods, they both share the same purpose to preserve Moroccan tradition in personalized, handmade products. However, the two groups have a different approach when it comes to actually selling the project. Anou’s focus was on eliminating the middle man and supplying an online ordering system for handmade goods, while the women’s cooperative still handles its products by bartering in two shops found in the Marrakesh Souks.

One of the most important differences between these two business models is the existence of bartering. In an online system, it is nearly guaranteed that both the buyer and seller are coming to a reasonable price for the purchase of a good, with not a lot of thought or effort coming from the consumer in regard to the price. However, the personal interaction that ties along with a bartering system can greatly affect how the exchange is handled. An inexperienced consumer could fail to agree on the right price, leaving either no sale made or one party leaving the exchange far happier than the other.

It’s for these reasons that I personally would prefer the business model that the Anou cooperative provides when compared the the Marrakesh women’s cooperative. Being quite unskilled on the bartering end, I can see myself enjoying a shopping experience where I consider the product and price upfront instead of having to fight to uncover the price.