Ramadan is just around the corner, and this year, the holy month will certainly look a lot different than the last. While the meaning of Ramadan remains the same, the way we celebrate and connect has changed.
In 2020, the global pandemic disrupted most plans to celebrate Ramadan. Consumers shifted to greater online activity, and brands had to quickly adjust their plans to reach consumers virtually. This year, more than ever, advertisers have a unique opportunity to show the depth of their understanding of consumers while creating meaningful connections at scale.
Recent findings from a research study commissioned by Snapchat highlight how people are planning to celebrate Ramadan in 2021. We’re seeing changes in the way consumers connect with each other. According to the study, 30 per cent of Snapchatters say that their social/communication app usage will increase during Ramadan 2021 compared to last year’s Ramadan.1 We can also expect an accelerated change in the way people shop, as 63 per cent of Snapchatters will rely more on social apps to discover and purchase new products or services and 57 per cent are planning to prioritize online shopping via e-commerce websites.2
Because of the pandemic, stay-at-home orders, and lockdowns, consumers created many new Ramadan traditions last year — and those behaviours are going to stick around. Given that, during Ramadan, people love to connect, reflect, and be close to family and friends, Snapchatters in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait spent an average of 77 minutes per day on the app during Ramadan 2020, resulting in an increase of 20 per cent from 2019.3 Additionally, given that augmented reality is a unique and exciting way for consumers to express themselves and celebrate the moment, over 88 per cent of Snapchatters engaged with AR per day during Ramadan 2020 in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.4 Last but not least, we’ve learned people love watching their favourite Ramadan shows on their mobile phones, given there was a 2.5x increase in daily time spent engaging with Ramadan content on Snapchat year over year in Saudi Arabia.5 This comes as no surprise, since, in Saudi Arabia, more people watch Snapchat Discover every day than any of the top-ten TV channels, both before and during Covid-19.6
With this incredibly impressive increased online consumption and engagement, brands have a unique opportunity to take their creativity further, meeting consumers where they are while establishing a meaningful connection.
To help navigate these changes, Snapchat has created a Resource Center specifically for Ramadan to offer insights that will help advertisers make the most of the holy month. In addition to these resources, Snapchat’s team put together “Snapchat Ramadan Stories,” a series of insightful and inspirational videos, highlighting unique insights on how consumers will celebrate and create new traditions for Ramadan 2021.
Check out the videos here:
1 Base: Snapchatters (n=800)
2020 Ipsos study commissioned by Snap Inc. Q5C: Thinking ahead to next year’s Ramadan, do you think your social/communication app usage will increase, decrease, or remain the same compared to this year’s Ramadan?”
2 Base: Snapchatters (n=800)
2020 Ipsos study commissioned by Snap Inc.; Q17: “On a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being ‘strongly disagree’ and 5 being ‘strongly agree,’ how much do you agree with the below statements regarding your purchase behaviour for or during Ramadan next year?” T2B.
3 Snap Inc. internal data for UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait April 22–May 26, 2020, vs. May 5–June 6, 2019.
4 Snap Inc. internal data for UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait April 22–May 26, 2020.
5 Snap Inc. internal data, April 24–May 23, 2020 vs. May 6–June 3, 2019.
6 IPSOS TLM KSA data, February 2020 and April 2020. Snap Inc. internal data February 2020 and April 1–23, 2020.
