What are consumer behaviours like during Ramadan? Here's your playbook

Brands who engage with Indonesian users early will stay top-of-mind during their purchase journey for Ramadan. According to a survey by The Trade Desk and YouGov, 68% of Indonesians are planning to shop online this Ramadan, representing a 19% YoY increase. 

According to the survey, this year’s Ramadan shopping will kick off from end-February, accelerating throughout March before peaking in mid April. The bulk of Ramadan shopping occurs one to three weeks ahead, during which 30% and 36% of Indonesians purchase apparel and accessories, and groceries respectively. However, they have been planning for their shopping ahead of time. In fact, the survey found that the large majority (91%) are planned shoppers when it comes to spending their bonus.

Additionally, Indonesians will be spending more than half of their digital time on the open Internet during Ramadan. Among those who plan to spend their time on the Internet, watching movies and TV series online, and listening to music were the top two activities. These fast-growing media channels present valuable opportunities for today’s modern marketers to go beyond social media to connect with their audiences, especially since Indonesians resonated with video ads (76%) and ads with music or jingles (41%) the most. 

The survey also highlighted that Ramadan is the ideal time for marketers to win new consumers for their brands, as 56% of Indonesians are interested in learning about new brands as part of their Ramadan shopping.

One in three Indonesians learn about new products and promotions for Ramadan from ads on online TV streaming platforms, while one in five do so from ads heard on music streaming services

Even as Indonesians plan to increase their online shopping this Ramadan, they are still eager to spend time and money outside the home on shopping in-store (70%) and dining (60%).

At the same time, the survey revealed that Indonesians are not fond of shopping for products online when it comes to groceries, home and living, motors, home appliances and babies and kids, implying that majority will shop for these in-store instead. "With consumers moving between online and offline, marketers should re-assess their branding approach and leverage the power of an omnichannel strategy to engage shoppers along their entire consumer journey," Florencia Eka, country manager of The Trade Desk in Indonesia, said.

Eka explained that the pandemic has fast-forwarded the adoption of programmatic advertising as marketers realize the need to be more agile in a world where everything can change in a minute. "Despite the ongoing uncertainty, the survey provides a positive outlook for marketers as this Ramadan shopping season will be bigger than the last. Brands who take the opportunity to develop brand engagement strategies now will establish successful brand activation and stay top-of-mind throughout the Ramadan period and beyond, she added.

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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