London-based halal-friendly app Ummah has turned to e-commerce to help it become the eBay of the Muslim world.
The app designed “for Muslims by Muslims” includes prayer times, Islamic quotes, reminders, faith-based daily passages, a halal food finder and social messaging.
Now it has launched its new feature ‘Ummah Online Marketplace’ where users can buy and sell products online within a “halal and ethical environment” in a bidding style similar to US e-commerce platform eBay.
“We want to be the next eBay… Buyers want the opportunity to bid on items hoping to get them cheaper, or even trade items that benefits both parties,” an Ummah spokesperson said.
The free of charge app currently has 20,000 users and is available on App Store and Google Play.
The Islamic economy has seen a surge in products designed to cater to the modern Muslim across a vast range of sectors from modest fashion and beauty, to halal tourism and Islamic finance.
It is believed to be one of the world’s largest untapped economies and fastest-growing faith-based economy. In 2017 alone, around 1.8 billion Muslims with a median age of just 24 years spent $2.1 trillion, according to the latest State of the Global Islamic Economy Report.
By 2060, the population of Muslims is expected to grow to 3 billion, according to projections by Pew research centre.