Ramadan: A Marketing Opportunity For Middle-East Retailers

Ramadan starts on April 14 and lasts until May 13. Traditionally a month of reflection, fasting, and prayer, this holiday is observed by Muslims around the world. As one of the most important periods of the year for Muslims, Ramadan has become a key period for marketers who want to connect with Muslim shoppers.

Ramadan is a holy month marked by gratitude, prayer, family, and community. So, businesses that do build ad campaigns have to think carefully about what is said and how products are advertised. How can you create marketing campaigns that celebrate the holiday and show that your brand really understands shoppers who observe it?

1. Sales & Traffic Rise Before, During, and After Ramadan.

Even before Ramadan starts, our data shows that consumers are searching and buying retail products. When the holy month does start, those patterns become even more prominent. In the third week of Ramadan, sales rise almost 50% when compared to the baseline.

It’s clear that Ramadan is a crucial month for retailers that operate in the region. The question, then, is what happens after Ramadan?

Interestingly, we found that sales don’t slow down. Even after Ramadan, retailers see more web traffic as well as more sales than before Ramadan.

2. The Second Half of Ramadan = Conversions.

Our data revealed that not every week of Ramadan is necessarily a time when people are browsing and buying. During the week of Eid al-Fitr – when Muslims traditionally break the Ramadan fast with festivals and dinners – conversions plummet.

It is a fact that the best opportunity for connecting with shoppers is before Eid al-Fitr, during the second half of Ramadan.

3. Sales Happen at Sundown

Muslims who observe Ramadan fast from dawn to dusk. It’s not until after dusk that they can break the fast with family and friends. That also happens to be when we see a significant spike in sales activity. As we can see in the chart, sales continue to grow throughout the day.

Even right before the fast begins, people are shopping – sales at 4 am during Ramadan are 17% higher than an average day.

All that said, we do see a dip around 8 pm when the fast ends each day. That’s something to notice, too. When people are having their first meal after the fast, no one is thinking about shopping.

4. The Month of Mobile

Desktop sales in the Middle East are extremely strong, accounting for approximately 80% of retail sales. Ramadan shows decidedly different buying pattern. We’ve seen this before – during family holidays, mobile purchases and traffic always go up.

We believe this is simply because people who are visiting home are away from their primary computers, whether personal or business. Since they are with their family and friends during Iftar and Suhoor, phones are usually their primary way to research and buy. Weekly mobile sales grew by 61% during the week of Eid al-Fitr.