Dubai startup spreads the love with Islamic-themed shop

Dubai - Hadiyashop makes the gift-giving experience convenient for the buyer, while offering products that Muslims want or need.

Local startup Hadiyashop is the latest entrant into a lucrative, growing market: Muslim consumers. The business sells Islamic-themed gifts of all kinds through its online store. Each product is hand-picked with the discerning Muslim recipient in mind. 
Founder and CEO Abdullah Shetty, a convert to Islam, said "from my own experiences, buying gifts for Muslim friends or family can be nerve-wracking. As you may know, Islam has certain restrictions on what we eat, how we dress and how we entertain ourselves, so our tastes are different to other consumers. I came up with Hadiyashop to make the gift-giving experience convenient for the buyer, while offering products that I know Muslims want or need. For example, we offer several ways to place your order like Whatsapp, Facebook messenger, web-chat beyond the traditional online add-to-cart option; accept cash on delivery, and some of our most popular products aren't even available in the UAE" 
Customer reviews indicate that Shetty's assessment is correct. Abu Ihsaan says "I used to go to five different places for five different things. I'm so happy that this website came along. The UAE desperately needed something like this. Their prices are very reasonable considering all the hassle I used to go through." 
In October 2015 Dubai hosted the second Global Islamic Economy Summit, which saw the participation of over 2000 policy makers and business leaders. The Summit was inaugurated by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikh Mohammed's vision is to make Dubai the Capital of the Global Islamic Economy. In his keynote address he said: "The ecosystem of the Islamic economy harmonises ethics with innovation, and combines real commitment with actual development objectives in order to meet the aspirations of humanity at large, regardless of the circumstances." 
A report by Thomson Reuters for 2014-2015, "State of the Global Islamic Economy," found that the Muslim consumer market was valued at $2 trillion for the food and lifestyle sectors in 2013. This market is expected to grow 87% to $3.74 billion by 2019, at a compound annual growth rate of just over 10%. The report mentioned several key market drivers. Two of these are the "large, young and fast growing global Muslim demographic" and the fact that "Islamic ethos/values are increasingly driving lifestyle and business practices." 
For further information visit www.hadiyashop.com