Ramadan is  upon us, it’s a time for the majority of the 1.8 billion Muslims in the world to observe fasting. There are noteworthy online behavioural shifts during the month-long fast that are important considerations  for your brands online marketing strategy. An uptake in online activity can be expected due to shorter working hours.

Our team rounded up the top 5 areas to look out for during the holy month:

1. Keyword Search

It should be no surprise that the most popular keyword searches are surrounding food.  From recipes to restaurants, it is the topic de jour this month. The food industry needs to adapt and cater to their audience with ramadan deals and ramadan motif images.  According to Google’s 2018 Ramadan trend report, there is a spike in cooking you tube videos by 70%.

Other popular searches include travel deals, Criteo , an online ads retargeting agency, saw an increase of traffic to travel sites, as Muslims look into taking a religious pilgrimage (Umrah) or start planning their family holiday destination for Eid-Al-Fitr and/or Adha.

Our recommendation: Ensure your content and keywords are relatable and relevant to your audience.  

2. Its all about the Musalsalat (series)

Ramadan is synonymous with series (mosalsalat), searches on programing times are high during this period. Knowing what series are popular and the searchable trends surrounding these series will up your game.  

Many viewers prefer to watch on Youtube rather than  traditional tv due to having it on the go on their own time and having to deal with less advertising.  This is an ideal time to work on your display advertising to reach new prospect audiences.

Our recommendation: Invest in Youtube Ads with shows, series, programmes that your broad audience enjoys watching.

3. Night Owls

After the sun goes down in Ramadan and the fasting is broken, you can expect to see a lof of online [and offline] purchasing.  

A lot of fasting muslims wake up before dawn to hydrate and have their last meal before their day long fast.  This is also a time of online activity that needs to be considered when developing your campaign

Our recommendation: Timing matters in the digital marketing field, ensure you time your posting to align with your audiences’ newly shifted routine.

4. Eidia Bonanza (Online buying habits)

E- commerce spikes on the third week of Ramadan leading up to the Eid celebrations.  

The bulk of the buying is focuses on children, who eagerly await the Eid celebration for their new attires, toys and cash gifts.  

There is a lot of preparation that happens before eid include shopping for apparel and toys for kids.  

Mobile devices are the preferred buying tool therefore targeted in-app marketing can help your brand drive even more mobile sales during Ramadan.

Our recommendation: Make your content relevant so it leads to a sales conversion.

5. Good Deeds go a long way

Ramadan is a spiritual month so ensure your content is themed around giving back and gratitude.  It is common to donate to charity in an act called Zakat. It’s a good time to show how you pay it forward as a brand. Posting Iftars and charity sponsored events will be good for your online brand reputation.

Our Recommendation: Ramadan is a special time and your branding should reflect this.  

Ramadan Kareem to our Muslim Friends.