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Zilzar Tech Sdn Bhd
Company typeBusiness to Business (B2B)
IndustryMuslim Marketplace
Founded2014
FounderRushdi Siddiqui
Headquarters
Kuala Lumpur
,
Malaysia
Area served
Worldwide
Websitewww.zilzar.com

Background

Zilzar (Arabic: زلزال) is an online marketing platform headquartered in Malaysia, specifically catering to Muslim consumers seeking halal products and services. The company positions itself as a global Muslim lifestyle marketplace where consumers can access information, content, community and trade. This e-commerce platform was launched in 2014 by Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato Sri Muhamad Najib Tun Razak in the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum in Dubai.[1] Prime Minister Razak was reported as describing the platform as a way of "empowering the consumer and creating employment" for Muslims in emerging markets.[2] The platform is aimed at connecting Muslim consumers and making it easier for halal traders around the world to conduct business online ethically and efficiently.[3] The platform handles content regarding Islamic societies and products that deals with the compliance of the Islamic Sharia Law.[4]

Founding

Zilzar was founded by Islamic financier Rushdi Siddiqui, former Global Head of Islamic Finance & OIC Countries for Thomson Reuters.[5] Rushdi also served as a Global Director for the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indices.[6] Siddiqui is a co-founder of Shekra, the world’s first Islamic Crowd Funding and also a member of the Board of Advisors for Crescenrating, a Singapore-based company and global leader in the Muslim travel market.[7] Founder Rushdi is quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying "It is our hope and belief that Zilzar and our colleagues will do for the halal industry market what Alibaba did for China."[8]

Products and Services

The business-to-business and business-to-consumer platform offers eight branches of products and services to its customer: halal food and beverage; Islamic Finance; clothing and fashion; media and recreation; travel and tourism; pharmaceutical; cosmetics and logistics, based on 2012 reports.[9] Consumers on Zilzar can trade products from prayer beads and electronic Qu’rans to hijabs and films. All its sellers and products are verified by certification bodies around the world.

Operations

The e-commerce platform has presence in 57 Muslim countries.[10] Zilzar operates with over 15,777 merchants from the Muslim marketplace and 1,575 halal suppliers. The bulk of the site's suppliers are from 10 countries, namely: China (4,237); Malaysia (3,668); Indonesia (1,547); Singapore (789); Thailand (562); the US (373); India (330); South Africa (311); the UK (274); and the Philippines (216).[11] The company partners with several companies in various industries including MasterCard, Hong Leong Islamic Bank Berhad (HLIB), International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF), Halal Development Corporation (HDC), Young Entrepreneur Development Partner Crescentrating.[12]

Advisory Board

1. Mr. Saleh Lootah, MD at Al Islami Foods, UAE
2. Mr. Safdar Khan, Group Country Manager for MasterCard, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, and Group Head Islamic Payment, Southeast Asia.
3. Mr. Rafik Kassim: Chairman of Expolanka Group of Companies, visionary behind Amana Takaful and Amana Bank, Sri Lanka
4. Mr. Ebrahim Patel: CEO of Magellan Investment Management and   Managing Director of TransAfix Holdings Ltd, South Africa
5. Sir Iqbal Sacranie: Founding Secretary General of the Muslim Council of  Britain, Member of the Advisory Panel of the WIEF.
6. Mr. Rahman Khan, Former Union Minister of Minority Affairs and former Deputy Chairman Raiya Sebha, India  Mr. Akira Miyama has been the Chief, General Representative and Country Head of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) (formerly The Sakura Bank Limited) in Kuala Lumpur since 1998.
Challenges

The company is said to face major obstacles ranging from a lack of consensus on what is halal, to the costs of hiring scholars to and difficulty in obtaining halal certification. In the case of halal, issues can be complex and inter-twined. As there is no global halal standard for food, beverage and ingredients, regulations can be of a patchwork nature.

References

  1. ^ Abass, Abas (29 October 2014). "PM Najib launches World's first global Muslim lifestyle business website, Zilzar.com".
  2. ^ Howard, Emma. "Say hello to Zilzar.com, the Islamic answer to Amazon". www.theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Zilzar can be Muslims' Alibaba, says Najib at 10th WEIF". 29 October 2014.
  4. ^ Ayad, Safar (5 January 2015). "Meet Zilzar, the Islamic world's answer to Amazon".
  5. ^ "Global Leader/Head Islamic Economy & Senior Partner at Dinar Standard".
  6. ^ "Rushdi Siddiqui: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek". Businessweek.com. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  7. ^ "» Mr. Siddiqui". 2015.muslimworldbiz.com. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  8. ^ Ngui, Yantoultra (17 February 2016). "New E-Commerce Sites Specialize in Halal Products for Muslims". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Zilzar, a Muslim lifestyle marketplace is unveiled". 30 October 2014.
  10. ^ Ebrahim, Nuramalina (14 November 2014). "Zilzar.Com Aims To Boost Presence In More Countries".
  11. ^ Calderon, Justin (28 September 2015). "Zilzar: The World's Digital Muslim Marketplace".
  12. ^ Amlot, Matthew (29 October 2014). "Muslim lifestyle marketplace platform for information, content, community and trade goes live".
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