Reaching The Muslim Market
May 16, 2008
Source: The Merchandise Group
When contemplating various demographics to pursue, many business owners often overlook the Muslim market. But, this growing demographic, which accounts for 6 to 8 million in the United States alone, and 1.56 billion or 20 percent of the population worldwide, presents a solid marketing opportunity for retailers. In order to effectively reach this market, however, retailers must first understand their culture and preferences, which are often misrepresented in mainstream media.
In an April 2008
Entrepreneur article, Ann Mack, director of trendspotting for the advertising agency JWT had this to say about pursuing the Muslim market, "Muslims are more interested than most Americans in seeing advertising that acknowledges them." JWT recently released its "Marketing to Muslims" study detailing Muslim-American consumer habits. If retailers keep the following in mind, they can effectively capture this huge segment of the population:
Modesty Sells
In the United States, it's sex that sells, but not for the Muslim market. Their beliefs require them to dress and behave modestly. Retailers need to avoid sexual advertising or explicit materials if they want to target the Muslim market. While women's clothing is in high demand for this demographic, clothing must be modest in design.
Sans Pork
Muslims do not eat pork, so retailers need to promote products that do not contain pork or pork additives.
Jump Online!
A large majority of Muslims shop online, due to a poor characterization of their culture by the U.S. media. Their online presence provides businesses with a great opportunity to reach this demographic through online stores. Be sure to include appropriate (and modest) images and marketing messages to entice this demographic.
Halal Cosmetics
While wearing cosmetics is not encouraged by the Muslim faith, many Muslim women do purchase and wear cosmetics, as long as they are halal-certified--meaning they contain no animal ingredients and are not tested on animals. According to a March 2008 article by CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com, many retailers are creating halal-certified products, including Colgate-Palmolive with their halal-certified toothpaste and Australia-based Almaas' mascaras and eye shadows. The Body Shop, while not halal-certified, does not engage in animal testing and uses natural ingredients, and has thus experienced a positive response from the Muslim market.
With a little education, U.S. retailers can meet the needs of the Muslim market and create valuable relationships with this growing demographic.
Reaching The Muslim Market
May 16, 2008
Source: The Merchandise Group
When contemplating various demographics to pursue, many business owners often overlook the Muslim market. But, this growing demographic, which accounts for 6 to 8 million in the United States alone, and 1.56 billion or 20 percent of the population worldwide, presents a solid marketing opportunity for retailers. In order to effectively reach this market, however, retailers must first understand their culture and preferences, which are often misrepresented in mainstream media.
In an April 2008
Entrepreneur article, Ann Mack, director of trendspotting for the advertising agency JWT had this to say about pursuing the Muslim market, "Muslims are more interested than most Americans in seeing advertising that acknowledges them." JWT recently released its "Marketing to Muslims" study detailing Muslim-American consumer habits. If retailers keep the following in mind, they can effectively capture this huge segment of the population:
Modesty Sells
In the United States, it's sex that sells, but not for the Muslim market. Their beliefs require them to dress and behave modestly. Retailers need to avoid sexual advertising or explicit materials if they want to target the Muslim market. While women's clothing is in high demand for this demographic, clothing must be modest in design.
Sans Pork
Muslims do not eat pork, so retailers need to promote products that do not contain pork or pork additives.
Jump Online!
A large majority of Muslims shop online, due to a poor characterization of their culture by the U.S. media. Their online presence provides businesses with a great opportunity to reach this demographic through online stores. Be sure to include appropriate (and modest) images and marketing messages to entice this demographic.
Halal Cosmetics
While wearing cosmetics is not encouraged by the Muslim faith, many Muslim women do purchase and wear cosmetics, as long as they are halal-certified--meaning they contain no animal ingredients and are not tested on animals. According to a March 2008 article by CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com, many retailers are creating halal-certified products, including Colgate-Palmolive with their halal-certified toothpaste and Australia-based Almaas' mascaras and eye shadows. The Body Shop, while not halal-certified, does not engage in animal testing and uses natural ingredients, and has thus experienced a positive response from the Muslim market.
With a little education, U.S. retailers can meet the needs of the Muslim market and create valuable relationships with this growing demographic.
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