You know that there is a customer need but you can't cater to it as it is too tricky and there is an important hurdle. This is the biggest hurdle you can ever think, "The religion". But that is exactly what a Dutch company called El Asira has achieved. The company provides sex devices(currently restricted to perfumes, gels and lotions) mainly for Muslim population. Now one has to understand the gravity of the situation. Sharia law has lot of restrictions when it comes to sex and the consequences of going against it will be catastrophic. In spite of the difficulties, El Asira has successfully launched an online shop to sell sex devices without violating any sharia laws. The website has been developed with a lot of thought into it not to make any obvious mistakes to hurt its customers' beliefs.
Their website says "We have opted for a respectful approach with respect to Muslims and non-Muslims and establish us within the Muslim community" (translation from dutch). Currently they mainly sell enhancement pills and gels. Their problems are multiple fold - They not only have to be careful about their product offerings but also about the marketing material. But the same problems also provide an unique opportunity as Winston Churchil said "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty"
El Asira was launched in January 2010 and it lasting success is yet to be seen. But if it becomes a success, they have a great competitive advantage in a niche market.
This is an exemplary situation of how to reach an impenetrable market with clever positioning and product offering.
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