Hajjnet enriching the hajj and umrah experience

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Founded in 2012, the Dubai-based Hajjnet delivers web and mobile apps to help Muslims perform their pilgrimage on the hajj or umrah. Its best-known product is the Salam App, which was launched in 2014 as the first web- and mobile-enabled app to support Muslims in fulfilling their pilgrimages. The app provides guidance, tracks progress, and connects users, helping them to complete their pilgrimages in a safe and convenient way. It is currently available in English and Arabic.

ACHIEVEMENTS

1. Recognized for its innovation, Hajjnet won the Innovation4Impact Award at the Global Islamic Economy Summit 2015 in Dubai.
2. By October 2015, the Salam App had been downloaded over 500,000 times across 155 countries.
3. Since its launch in 2014, the Salam App has also been listed among the Top 10 apps in Apple’s App Store in the travel category.
4. The Salam App has received significant press coverage, including notable mentions by the Saudi Gazette, The National, and Arabian Business.

OPPORTUNITIES BEING ADDRESSED

Close to a quarter of the world’s population are Muslim, and the hajj is obligatory for all Muslims who are able to financially afford and physically endure it. According to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), 1.135 billion international travelers arrived in the Kingdom in 2014 and the vast majority are pilgrims on the hajj or umrah.  

With the increasing use of smartphones among Muslims, there is a growing demand for a mobile-friendly guide to help better understand the requirements and specific steps needed to perform the hajj and the umrah, and to get the most out of these experiences. Hajjnet’s core purpose is to address this need, and its Salam App, the first of its kind, seeks to simplify and enrich the hajj and umrah experiences.

COMPANY STRATEGIES

Addressing a critical need among Muslims undertaking pilgrimage

As both the umrah and the hajj are complicated, Salam App’s core purpose of ensuring a safer and easier pilgrimage makes the app extremely valuable, especially for those who are going on them for the first time. Critical features include the following:

1. Preparation—It tells users what to pack, including clothing, medication, and food.
2. Recommended prayers and itinerary—It lists the critical steps in the pilgrimage day-by-day, and recommends the key prayers that pilgrims should recite.
3. Geo-locational positioning—The app tracks the user’s movements and location, helping them to identify nearby amenities, determine how many times they’ve circled the Kaaba (for the tawaf ritual), and keep track of where their group is.
4. Personal prayers—Users can input the prayers they want to make for themselves and their families.

“Our target market is the ‘Global Muslim Consumer,’ whom we define as a Muslim that has a smartphone and/or Internet access [and] a data plan, and is committed to Islamic faith fulfillment. Hajj creates a unique and acute need for online and mobile information, features, content, and support,” CEO and Founder Ali Dabaja commented in the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2015/16.

The app is currently free to download. The company’s main strategy is to drive user downloads and get the maximum number of users in order to determine what they like and what they don’t.

Building a diverse team of experts

Despite a lack of experience in the technology industry, Dabaja developed the Salam App by hiring a talented team with diverse experience that combined a deep understanding of Islamic pilgrimage and travel technology.

Shaykh Muhammad Alshareef is the content advisor and particularly well-suited to provide context: he has a degree in Islamic law from the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia and is a renowned expert on the subject.

Mathias Eichelberger acts as an Adviser for Hajjnet.  Eichelberger was the former Director Air and Ground Transportation with Expedia, and has over 20 years of experience in the travel industry. 

Attracting investment and sponsorship

Hajjnet has been able to secure two rounds of investment. The first came from close friends and family, but Hajjnet has subsequently won sponsorships from brands like Vaseline, Lifebuoy, and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The latter, said Dabaja, were major milestones and ‘proof of concept’. “The fact that major global brands were eager and willing to position alongside our brand in supporting Islamic faith fulfillment are big wins for all parties,” he said.

OPPORTUNITIES

There is significant scope for Hajjnet to grow its Salam App, with plans under way to add new languages.

“We are scheduled to roll out localizations in Indonesian, Malaysian, French and Urdu in the near term,” said Dabaja.

Hajjnet also plans to add new features to its app, including “Social Dua,” through which individuals can post duas for prospective pilgrims to read on their behalf.

Overall, the company is very optimistic and ambitious. Dabaja noted, “Any company at our stage should look to double their user base and revenue every year for at least the next four to five years.”

CHALLENGES

The major challenge facing Hajjnet is scaling the business, which is dependent on funding. However, the company’s prospects are promising and it has already succeeded in attracting investment.

Commenting on this point, Dabaja said, “Fundraising is a function in itself and requires a lot of time and effort. It is essentially a relationship-building exercise that requires a huge commitment and can be difficult running in parallel with a startup business.”

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