The holy month of Ramadan is a time for spirituality, family and festivities. However, Ramadan is also the largest advertising season in the Middle East. Consumer spend increases by 53% overall and 90% specifically on household items.
The flurry of activity begins at least a month before Ramadan and ends only 2 weeks after Eid. Here are a few key insights into online consumer behavior during this season.
Before Ramadan
Trends: Food, Cooking and Deals.
Consumers are actively searching for deals and offers for the holy month. Search ads, bumper ads (five second video teaser campaigns) and engagement ads prove to be the most effective formats.
Since it is a period of family gatherings and feasting, the search volume for “recipes” on YouTube increases exponentially, peaking during the first week of Ramadan where it is 50% higher than the annual average.
During Ramadan
Trends: Restaurants, Family-oriented Animated Movies, Soap Operas, Luxury Cars
- Think Online. Think Mobile-first.
Due to shorter working hours and free time, people spend more time online on their phones than on any other device. So, it is important to ensure all your communication is mobile-friendly as internet usage in the UAE is at 94% and in Saudi Arabia at 98%.
- Sell a story on YouTube, if not TV.
YouTube viewership increases 3X as compared to TV. With 60% smartphone penetration in MENA and 91% in the UAE, marketers can use this opportunity to recount memorable, family-centric, Eid-related stories. After all, story-telling is marketing.
- Promote Iftar offers on social media.
Another obvious trend is the dramatic rise in restaurant searches during Iftar & Suhoor. The busiest search times are between 6 PM and 8 PM during Iftar and continues up to 2 AM. Promote your special Iftar offers on social media during this time and encourage a culture of community feasting and sharing.
- Surf with animated movies.
A surprising trend during Ramadan is that searches for kid-friendly animated movies go up significantly. Marketers who target parents with younger kids can hit the jackpot with YouTube advertising by capitalizing on specific keywords.
- Last-minute travel bookings
The Middle East sees an overall uplift of 39% in online travel bookings. From the second week, bookings are on the rise and peak in the fourth week with weekly travel sales increasing by 75%. Another key insight is that 50% of travel bookings in Ramadan happen through a mobile device.
Maintain a strong online presence during Ramadan by promoting your offers to drive visits and re-visits from users looking for travel deals.
After Ramadan
Trends: Gifting
Towards the end of Ramadan, as the demand for gifts increases, luxury perfumes and clothing, as well as electronics, tend to perform strongly. In fact, 70% of people in the UAE say they rely on Facebook and Instagram for gift ideas.
Source: Think With Google – Ramadan Ad Guide 2018
