Allées du Centenaire boutiques: window mannequins seduce customers

Well-displayed pants, a dress or a bustier allow a clothing store to optimize its sales. As the use of muses remains inaccessible for most traders on Boulevard Mamadou Dia (Allées du Centenaire) in Dakar, they are turning to window mannequins. Much more than simple decorative elements, these supports prove to be real commercial assets.

On Mamadou Dia Boulevard in Dakar, window mannequins invade the fronts of many clothing stores. It is almost impossible to escape your gaze: lower bodies, busts, three-quarter length mannequins or life-size replicas line up for several meters along the Allées du Centenaire.

Standing on their bases or hanging from the ceilings of shops, they attract the eye while cluttering up the space. Indeed, for pedestrians seeking to escape the biting rays of an aggressive sun at the end of September, these mannequins prove annoying. To walk in the shade of the many trees that overhang the street, you have to constantly go around them.

Also read: Dakar at the time of the YOG: in the heart of the Sandaga market, commerce sharpens its weapons

On the sellers’ side, the situation is quite different. Mamadou Diouf considers these plastic figures to be precious allies. While negotiating tirelessly, an essential exercise in the profession, this man praises his articles in a whispering voice. His client, a reseller, ends up accepting his offer: 40,000 FCfa for a dozen dresses.

“If people love these dresses so much that they buy them, it’s because they are well displayed. And that’s thanks to the models,” he says, slipping 10,000 FCfa notes into his fanny pack.

In the neighboring store, Mamy Sarr shares this opinion. Leaning on a large package of clothes, she finishes a telephone conversation which seems to be about an order.
The wire cut, she explains with ease: “Models help clients to project themselves. They see how the garment looks before buying it, which guides their choice.”

In his store, large mirrors attached to the walls provide depth. Between the reflections of the white lights, the pink mannequins hanging from the ceiling and the three sellers of the stall, a customer enters. She stops in front of a figurine to admire the blue dress she is wearing.

For this customer named Khadija, seeing the item worn is decisive: “Besides, this prevents salespeople from having to see customers try on all the clothes before buying,” she adds after paying her bill.

Mamy Sarr nods between two negotiations: “It keeps clothes clean. It’s much more hygienic,” explains the lady, her black and white scarf pulled to the side. Throughout these exchanges, the models remain imperturbable despite the cool breeze blowing across the Allées du Centenaire. In Moustapha Diouf’s shop, they seem to silently observe the noisy spectacle of the traffic.

More than beneficial

Their gaze seems crystallized in plastic: these mannequins, most often bearing the image of a woman’s body, were purchased between 45,000 and 50,000 FCfa each for the complete models. High prices, but worth it according to Moustapha. “Models help attract more customers. They also save time, because the buyer no longer needs to try on the garment to plan for it,” explains the seller, his gaze fixed.

“Plus, they are very durable,” he continues after drinking a few sips of water. As for mannequins in the shape of a bust or stopping at the thighs, they are obtained between 1,000 and 1,500 FCfa, indicates Malick, shopkeeper in a shop located a few meters from that of Moustapha Diouf.

Behind his glass counter which reveals his entire stock of fabrics, Malick, sporting a layered cut, is hunched over his phone while his two colleagues take care of the customers. Here, there are more than a hundred pink mannequins pressed against the walls, purchased at varying prices.

“Headless models cost 35,000 FCfa each. For those who have one, it costs nearly 50,000 FCfa,” says Malick, pointing to each model. Wearing a gray t-shirt, he considers these expenses a particularly profitable investment. “We display our products in the best possible way, which greatly appeals to customers,” he confides, stroking his beard.

Lamine SARR (Intern)