Single Muslim leading the online Islamic matchmaking market

Founded in 2000, UK-based Single Muslim is a leading global Islamic matchmaking website. It is the first mover helping young UK Muslims find life partners online. The platform offers an alternative, Islamically acceptable platform for young Muslims to engage and find their life partners.

Single Muslim was launched at a time when online dating was gaining traction. The ability to meet potential life partners in a flexible, modern manner was an unmet need at the time the business was founded. There was a generation of younger Muslims frustrated with traditional matchmaking that involved social pressures, and often resulted in many eligible Muslims unable to find a partner. 

“The main reason was that we were the first generation of [young] Muslims [in the UK] struggling to find spouses. Oftentimes, marriages were arranged between families and Muslims felt pressured because parents relied on their own, often dated experiences," said CEO and Founder Adeem Younis.

As the demand for online matrimonial services increases among younger generations of Muslims, the service offered by Single Muslim will become increasingly important. The platform offers the same functionality as online dating, including the ability to chat, message and connect, but is geared around serious relationships.

“The important thing to note about this service is that it is fundamental to the values of Muslims, and is a "completion of your faith" type of service and critical to the growing and emerging demographic,” said Younis.

ACHIEVEMENTS

1. More than 10 percent of the UK’s approximate 2.5 million Muslims are registered with the site
2. It has facilitated over 10,000 matches leading to marriages since inception

OPPORTUNITIES BEING ADDRESSED

The global market for online dating was estimated at $2.1 billion in 2014 by market research company IBISWorld, with an estimated CAGR of 3 percent through 2020.

The Islamic concept of matchmaking differs fundamentally from ‘conventional’ dating and Muslim needs, in particular those of Muslim millennials, who have been unaddressed by conventional sites.

The potential Muslim market for Islamic online matchmaking exceeded $120 million in 2014, assuming Muslims represent 6 percent of total industry value, in similar proportion to Muslim share of the Consumer-Facing Digital Economy, as highlighted in the State of the Global Islamic Economy 2015/16 report by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with DinarStandard.

Understanding the unique needs of Muslims, Single Muslim has sought to provide an Islamically acceptable platform for young Muslims to engage and find a suitable life partner.

SUCCESS STORIES

Single Muslim has focused on the Muslim market, and appeals to Muslims as a “service for Muslims run by Muslims”, unlike other online matchmaking services that, according to Younis, tend to offer a “white-label product” that is marketed to Muslims as to other groups, but can often lead to other services which may conflict with the values of Muslims..

Generating success stories across various communities has been critical to Single Muslim building credibility amongst users. According to its website, it generates at least four success stories a day, and clearly displays these stories as part of its  critical marketing effort.

The platform also has an interesting approach to competition which underlines the company’s self-confidence in its offering.

Younis commented, “We embrace competition and think that it pushes awareness of the matrimonial services and the need for it, and it's not untypical for Muslims to use more than one provider before deciding which best fits their needs.” 

Single Muslim has also expanded into other markets, including the U.S., Canada, the Middle East and Pakistan.

INVOLVING PARENTS

Single Muslim has been adept a involving parents in the search process and has allowed them to create profiles, getting the process started earlier.

“I think parents need to be more involved in the online selection process, and start thinking about this process much earlier. Muslims also need to be educated at a younger age about their roles and responsibilities…We encourage families to get involved from the outset and celebrate family involvement in the search process. In fact, we see that as one of the growth areas for our business.”

OPPORTUNITIES

Single Muslim expects solid growth in the demand for online Islamic matchmaking, underpinned by a younger demographic that will require matchmaking services in the coming year. .

CHALLENGES

The main challenge the platform faced was scaling its business, primarily around funding marketing and technology efforts.

However, despite this, the company had a robust business model and was able to generate funds internally without requiring significant external investment, confirmed Younis.

Another challenge is the increasing competition in the market for Islamic online matchmaking. However, the company expects to maintain its core competitive advantage.

“There will be a lot more entrants coming into the market due to its growth and attractiveness, especially as new money comes in from VC firms. In particular, we also may see more mainstream players trying to target the Muslim market…However, we maintain our difference, which is that we are not frivolous but offer a very, very serious tool,” Younis said.  

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