Muslims account for 60% of Malaysia’s total population, and Hari Raya is just around the corner. Online businesses should get hold of this opportunity to drive sales and grow their brand awareness. In the previous article, cacaFly shared three major insights on Ramadan (Ramadan) and Eid al-Fitr, for this article we have compiled the top 5 insights from Meta’s industry insight reports and offer our recommendations on the ideal marketing period for Hari Raya.
Read on to find out more!
Top 5 Categories’ Insights: E-commerce/Consumer goods/Entertainment/Technology & Telecommunication/Travel
Meta released an online shopping insight report for Ramadan in Southeast Asia targeting five major industries. Bosses want to complete marketing and sprint sales before the Raya on April 22? Scroll down to grasp the latest consumer trends:
- E-commerce & Retail: Nearly 80% of Muslims bought overseas goods during fasting period
E-commerce & retail is a popular category during Ramadan. Due to the diverse range of products, consumers tend to have different preferences during Ramadan. For example, 48% of consumers interested in household appliances will make their purchase before Ramadan, while 47% of consumers buy their apparels during Ramadan.
Meta’s official report revealed that household appliances and electronics have higher exposure on Facebook and Instagram, showing 2.1 times of new product discovery compared to other social media. The report also indicated that 78% of consumers will shop online for overseas products during Ramadan.
- Consumer goods: the most popular category! 81% of Muslims search for shopping information on social media
Consumer goods, including daily essentials, groceries, apparel and furniture, is the top-selling category during Ramadan. According to the report, 81% of consumers bought consumer products the most during Ramadan Sales, and 59% of Muslims have used Meta’s social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram to discover new products. Consumers in this category often act online and offline, usually buying food, beverages and snacks in advance before and during Ramadan to stock up for breaking fast during the evening.
- Entertainment: Consumption of entertainment increased during Ramadan, 65% of Muslims watched more videos at longer durations
Muslims tend to consume more entertainment such as short videos, movies, music and games at extended durations during the fasting period. 65% of Muslims spend more time watching videos, while 44% consume more movies and live streaming through TV. Based on Meta’s report, movies and music are the top 5 choices of entertainment during Ramadan, with 87% of consumers preferring to discover interesting and creative videos on social media platforms. This also means an opportunity for brands and online businesses to appeal to their target audiences! Regardless of your online business’s category, consider leveraging the power of audio and video ads to strengthen your marketing efforts and allow more consumers to discover and purchase your products!
- Technology & Telecommunication: 75% of consumers discover new products and consume entertainment through mobile phones
Usage of technology and telecommunication products increased tremendously during Ramadan, especially the usage frequency and the user base of messaging apps because Muslims will browse product reviews, consume entertainment or videos online as a form of distraction during the fasting period. Survey shows that 75% of consumers agree that mobile phones is their main channel to access online entertainment and gain inspiration during Ramadan. Muslims returning home before Hari Raya or going on vacations have also contributed greatly to the usage of telecommunication applications.
The online shopping trend has spurred the sales of electronic equipment and communication software. 89% of 3C consumers have discovered new products through social media platforms, and 90% of buyers believe that shopping online allows them to explore and discover new brands and products, thereby expanding their purchasing options. Technology and telecommunication companies can focus more efforts on online sales by investing more in digital marketing to encourage more conversions.
- Travel: Ramadan’s homecoming wave! 88% of Muslims shop for travel products online
Tourism is gradually recovering as the pandemic begins to slow down, growing by 4% last year in the same period compared to 2021. Ramadan often witnesses a huge homecoming wave, and domestic or overseas travel have increased as the pandemic slowly subsides. Muslims often spend more online when planning for travel and purchasing goods. For example, 67% have bought travel products online and 88% come across new products and services while they shop online.
The report indicates that close to 70% of Muslims believe that social media ads are attention-grabbing, and 85% of them said that they would love to learn more about their favourite products through personalized ads. This is good news as travel brands can consider using programmatic ads to market your products or services and drive sales!
Seize the Right Moment to Market Your Brand During Raya/Ramadan
You’ve gained insights on consumer’s behavior for Ramadan’s top 5 categories, now let’s learn more about the right timing to market your products. One month before and after Ramadan are the major shopping periods, thus online businesses and brand marketers can plan and organize your marketing efforts according to these four stages.
Phase 1｜Ramadan eve
At this stage, online stores should aim to arouse consumers’ interest by displaying information on products and available promotions. Expand the ad delivery scope to reach a wider audience and use video ads to capture attention, thereby creating a positive impression that encourages further interaction with potential audience.
Phase 2｜1st & 2nd week of Ramadan
After Ramadan begins, online stores should encourage potential customers to learn more about your products and nudge them into considering its purchase. Online businesses and brands can collaborate with influencers or use AR create ads that stand out among competitors, and use Lead and Message ads to attract potential audiences to visit your online store and learn more about your products.
Phase 3｜3rd & 4th week of Ramadan
Having laid the groundwork in the previous stages, this is the peak moment and you have to be more proactive by frequently encouraging customers to make purchases. When marketing on social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, remember to add product tags to ads to help consumers identify the product instantly. You can also automate your ads with AI and optimize it with machine learning to increase conversions.
Phase 4｜Hari-Raya and thereafter
Hari Raya and the following week is your last chance to encourage consumers to make their purchase. Use remarketing to remind consumers with pending items in their shopping carts to check out and purchase, or give consumers the final push by using Message ads to offer them final promotions before the festive season ends.
Ready and eager to launch your marketing plan for Raya Sales? Wait no more as the pandemic has made online shopping more popular than ever! Seize the right timing and plan your marketing efforts in advance so you may grow your brand and drive more sales!
Need a Raya Sale marketing strategy?
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