The Holy Month of Ramadan is one of the most anticipated moments of the year. It marks a time for community, values, and spirituality, and it brings families and friends together. For marketers, it remains a time to build closer connections with customers.
Leaning into Ramadan’s spirit of generosity is an important focus for Amazon MENA. In fact, in new research conducted by Amazon[ii], 1 in 3 surveyed shoppers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia said that they engage more with brands that align with their values, so we encourage marketers to think about how they can give generously.
During Ramadan, more so than any other time of year, audiences turn to shopping, browsing, streaming and gaming. They engage with more content than any other time of the year too; last year, Amazon.sa and Amazon.ae users spent 2.2x[iii] more time watching content on Prime Video during Ramadan than in a typical month. And in case you were wondering – the genres of comedy, crime, reality TV, animation, and fantasy all saw over 3x the amount of viewers[iv] during this period.
This Ramadan, Amazon Ads’ suite of insights-driven, brand-building solutions can help you reach engaged audiences where they are. Whether you’re looking to build brand awareness or drive business growth, Amazon Ads’ full-funnel solutions and first-party insights can help you tell your brand story and reach audiences in the moments that matter to them this Ramadan, both on and off Amazon.
A time of preparation and discovery
Shoppers are starting early. In a 2022 study of Amazon shoppers from Ramadan last year, 58 per cent of survey respondents across the UAE and Saudi Arabia said that they started shopping between 30 days to 14 days prior to the start of the Holy Month.[v].
What are they looking for? In the lead up to Ramadan, Amazon Ads internal research[vi] shows that shoppers want inspiration and to discover new brands. 72 per cent of survey respondents across the UAE and Saudi Arabia said they use Amazon to get inspired and discover new brands in the lead up period. During the Ramadan preparation period of 2022, Amazon.ae saw a 1.56x increase in searches, and received 1.46x more traffic during the month than in the previous 60-day period[vii].
During Ramadan, families also spend more time at home, cooking, eating in, watching content and spending time together. 70% of shoppers in the UAE and 65% in Saudi Arabia said that they bought groceries to cook at home during Ramadan 2022. Surveyed shoppers also ranked home entertainment, household appliances, games and gaming devices, toys, finance providers, and restaurants with specialty Ramadan menus as their most searched for products and services[viii].
Discovery across these categories, and more, is at its highest rate during Ramadan, so start thinking about how you can help put your brand front-and-center. Use Amazon Ad’s audience insights through our AMC, DSP, and Twitch solutions to reach relevant inspiration-seekers who might be looking for a brand like yours.
Ads act as a reminder
Last year during Ramadan, 82 per cent of survey respondents in the UAE and 81 per cent of survey respondents in Saudi Arabia[ix] said that adverts helped them discover new brands. As well as reaching shoppers who are browsing, Amazon Ads’ Sponsored Ads products are also a helpful way to remind shoppers about a brand they considered purchasing in the past. 64 per cent of shoppers in Saudi Arabia said that they rely on ads to remind them to repurchase a product. In the UAE, 72 per cent of shoppers[x] said that they made a purchase after seeing an ad on an Amazon property.
Opportunities with gaming
The month of Ramadan brings added opportunity for advertisers to connect with gamers and gaming fans. Our research shows that audiences turn to their devices, and specifically gaming and entertainment, during the Holy Month. Last year, Amazon saw +103 per cent higher ad-attributed searches within the video games category during Ramadan[xi].
Our insights also show that this audience goes from browsing gaming products to purchasing them; Amazon saw a +126 per cent increase[xii] last year in the average shopper’s spend during Ramadan in the video games category vs. the previous 30-day period. Twitch sees a sizeable boost in engagement during Ramadan, with a +10 per cent average increase in daily viewers (+33 per cent on non-gaming content)[xiii]. You can drive engagement for your brand with this premium audience across Twitch, one of the best places to reach them.
Building connections during Eid
Eid is a time where shoppers search for experiences and invest in larger purchases for the year ahead. In our research, survey respondents said they were more likely to book a vacation, visit a restaurant, buy or lease a new car, or sign up to a new credit or debit card during Eid[xiv].
The other categories that see a boost during Eid are beauty, personal care and accessories. Surveyed shoppers said that they are more likely to search for products in the following categories during Eid – health and personal care products, hair and skincare products, fragrances, jewelry, watches, make up, home entertainment and devices (including smartphones and tablets)[xv]. If you are planning your strategy across one or more of these categories, think about running your advertising during Eid to meet this increased demand.
Whether you’re looking to drive brand awareness, consideration, drive purchases or increase loyalty, Amazon Ads has the advertising solutions to help your brand shine this Ramadan.
Sources:
[i] Amazon to contribute one million meals to families across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt during Ramadan, Arabian Business, April, 2022
[ii], [v], [viii] , [ix], [x], [xi] , [xii], [xiv] , [xv] Understanding Ramadan Shoppers on Amazon – Amazon Ads and Kantar research, November, 2022, MENAT
[iii], [iv], [vi], [vii] , Ramadan Shopping Moments – Amazon Ads and Kantar research, October, 2022, UAE, KSA
[xiii] Twitch Internal Data, Daily Unique Users MENA, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
