SINGAPORE, March 19, 2020 — With Ramadan around the corner, Muslims around the world are preparing for a month of introspection, self-improvement and discipline. And as the biggest holiday in the Muslim world, it’s also a time of celebration, culminating in Eid al-Fitr, the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”, which this year begins around the 23rd of May.
The month-long fasting period also affects how consumers spend time on mobile. New data from Adjust shows that in-app activity rose across verticals during Ramadan of last year, with ecommerce apps seeing among the biggest increase in sessions and revenue events. Ramadan signals a huge shift in the way millions around the globe think, act and shop – and brands can use this knowledge to connect with observers through relevant and authentic marketing during the holiday. The data shows that:
- Ecommerce apps were the clear winner during the Ramadan period, registering a 34% increase in sessions and a 63% rise in revenue events compared to the month prior. Revenue events peaked on May 26th, just over a week before Eid al-Fitr, as observers bought last-minute presents and prepared for the festivities. Between the 3rd and 5th of June the data shows a sharp decline across installs, sessions and revenue events as users focused on celebrating rather than shopping.
Brands are expecting a similar peak during this year’s holiday, with Ie Ming Chen, CEO and founder of social commerce company Mucho Indonesia, commenting: “During the Ramadan period in 2019, Mucho saw a 60% increase in gross merchandise value (GMV) between April and May. This year, despite the COVID-19 situation that has caused some disruption in the supply chain, our team is still expecting to see a similar increase in GMV during the Ramadan period. This is largely due to the fact that people are staying home, practicing social avoidance and thus, they will be shopping online more during the Ramadan period.” - Interestingly, business apps – which include banking – also experienced a peak of sessions on May 30th, up 65% compared to the monthly average. The rise can be explained in part by consumers taking stock of their financial situation towards the end of the month, with many applying for loans to finance post-Ramadan holidays.
- Unsurprisingly, food and drink apps take a hit with observers fasting between sunrise and sunset. Sessions dropped by 33% overnight on the first day of Ramadan, and rates stay low until picking back up after Eid holidays. Overall, food and drink apps registered an average 24% decrease in sessions and 27% decrease in revenue events compared to the month prior.
