Ramadan 2020 Data Trends for Marketers

Ramadan 2020
Data Trends
FOR MARKETERS

There are 240 million Muslims in Southeast Asia
and 600 million Muslims in South Asia
representing a $2.2 trillion dollar market that
brands would be foolish to ignore.
With Ramadan just around the corner,
brands are racing to stand out during the
busiest ad season of the year.
Timing and location matters. With XACT, our
proprietary data management platform, we’ve
uncovered 7 data trends Marketers in
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Bangladesh should
consider to optimise a dynamic marketing
strategy grounded in data.
During this time, brands often
make the mistake of creating a
single message that they simply
ﬂip from subdued to celebratory
between Ramadan and the Eid al-
Fitr festive periods. Brands ignore
that Ramadan can be a journey full
of changes in behaviour, emotions
and needs; and in doing so, fail to
connect with their target audience.

Travel to hometowns is
common - but travel
patterns may differ by
country
1

Indonesia
It is common tradition for
Muslims to travel back to
their hometowns to
celebrate Eid al-Fitr with
family. Naturally,
businesses assume that
most people would travel
back close to the festive
period. Our data revealed,
however, that in Jawa
Timur, Kalimantan Timur,
Riau, and Sumatera Barat,
most people would travel
the month before.
Top Travel Destinations During the Season
in Indonesia
-26%
10%
36%
92%
90%
-60%
-25%
0%
0%
67%
20%
100%
0%
-50%
Jawa
Timur
Jawa
Tengah
Sumatera
Utara
Daerah
Istimewa
Yogyakarta
Sumatera Kalimantan
Selatan Timur
Riau Sulawesi Kepulauan Lampung
Selatan Riau
Bengkulu Bali Maluku Sumatera
Barat
Pre-Ramadan Week Pre-Eid al-Fitr Week
DATA SOURCE: XACT, based on Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 2019

Malaysia
There are two spikes in travel. The ﬁrst occurs a week before the festive period,
and the second occurs on the third week of Eid al-Fitr. Surprisingly, more people
travel to Kota Kinabalu (in East Malaysia) over Johor Bahru or east coast cities (in
Peninsular Malaysia, which is home to a larger number of Muslims).
Top Travel Destinations During the Season
Malaysia, by City
Sabah (Kota Kinabalu)
Johor (Johor Bahru)
Kelantan (KotaBahru)
Terengganu (Kuala Terengganu)
Negeri Sembilan (Seremban)
Pahang (Kuantan)
Sarawak (Sibu)
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
May May May May Jun Jun Jun Jun
Travel Patterns During the Season
Malaysia, by Week
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Bangladesh
Travel out of the city centre only peaks after the second
week of the festive period.
Destinations States of Dhaka Travellers
by State
Rajshahi
Chittagong
Rangpur
Khulna
Sylhet
Mymensingh
Barisal
Domestic Travel Patterns: Out of Dhaka
by Week
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

prayer rooms,
and cemeteries
shift
2Visits to mosques,

Indonesia
As more Muslims head to
the mosques, less people
visit prayer rooms.
Meanwhile, the tradition of
cleaning relatives’ graves
only picks up closer to the
second week of the
festive period.
April July
Mosque
May June
Prayer Room Cemetery
Footfall to Top 3 POIs during the season
Indonesia, by Week
*Footfall represents the number of people who go into a shop or business in a particular period of time.
* POI represents points of interests.
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Malaysia
For Malaysians,
convenience is important
as the number of people
visiting both mosques and
prayer rooms increases,
which shows they do not
discriminate between the
two. Meanwhile, visits to
relatives’ graves start
picking up from the
second week of Ramadan
onwards. April July
Malaysia, by Week
Mosque
May June
Prayer Room Cemetery
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Bangladesh
There is a dip in the
number of people going to
mosques, prayer rooms,
and cemeteries the week
before the festive period,
possibly as people start
travelling back to their
hometowns.
(Combination of Mosques, Prayer Rooms and Cemeteries)
Bangladesh, by Week
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

3The usage of
religious apps
fluctuates

Indonesia
There is a 327% increase
in people using religious
apps which drops to -96%
by the third week of
Ramadan as people adapt
to fasting and other
routines of the
holy month.
People using Muslim apps
Indonesia, by Week
327%
-96%
Week 4
Jun
Week 3
Jun
Week 2
Jun
Week 1
Jun
Week 4
May
Week 3
May
Week 2
May
Week 1
May
Week 4
Apr
Week 3
Apr
Week 2
Apr
Week 1
Apr
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Malaysia
There is a sharp 82%
increase of people using
religious apps just before
Ramadan. This drops to
-2% once the fasting
month starts, and only
picks back up during the
second week of the festive
period.
-82%
-2%
8%
Malaysia, by Week
Week 4
Jun
Week 3
Jun
Week 2
Jun
Week 1
Jun
Week 4
May
Week 3
May
Week 2
May
Week 1
May
Week 4
Apr
Week 3
Apr
Week 2
Apr
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Bangladesh
Interestingly, the usage of
religious apps drops
throughout Ramadan but
picks back up closer
towards the festive period.
Bangladesh by Week
-83%
Week 4
Jun
Week 3
Jun
Week 2
Jun
Week 1
Jun
Week 4
May
Week 3
May
Week 2
May
Week 1
May
Week 4
Apr
Week 3
Apr
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Muslims start
eating out less
4

Indonesia
As the number of cooking enthusiasts begin to spike,
there is a correlating dip in interest towards eating out
as people shift their behaviour.
March April May
Cooking Enthusiasts
JuneMarch April May June
Dining Out
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Malaysia
Malaysians are quicker to
shift from dining out to
cooking at home and this
behaviour remains strong
throughout the festive
period as people often
get together for meals in
each other’s homes.
April JulyMay June
Cooking Enthusiasts
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Bangladesh
During Ramadan, Muslims
in Bangladesh dine out
more often, however,
they follow a similar
trend of opting to eat in
throughout the festive
period.
Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Dining Out
Bangladesh, by Week
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

5Last minute
buying of big-
ticket items

Indonesia
During the festive period, Muslims traditionally make purchases
of big ticket items - furniture, automotive, and electronics - as they prepare
their homes to receive guests in the days/weeks to come. A deep dive into our
XACT data shows that there is a slight dip during the ﬁrst two weeks as people
either end up making last minute purchases or they receive their salary then.
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr
May May May May June
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 1
Home Appliances Electronic Shoppers
May
Week 1
May
Week 2
May
Week 3
May
Week 4
June
Week 1
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Malaysia
Malaysians, on the other
hand, have a tendency to
purchase new cars leading
up to the festive period as
they plan to drive back to
their hometowns.
April May June July
People interested in purchasing automotive vehicles
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

6Muslims are
searching for
different content
at different times

Indonesia
According to our Video Analytics and
Creation Engine, during Ramadan
people show more interest in recipes for
kue kering and new models of festive
clothing as they prepare for the festive
period. During this time, Indonesians are
largely interested in videos about family,
togetherness, traditions, and beef dishes.
After the ﬁrst week of Eid celebrations,
people start gaining interest in trafﬁc
conditions and start becoming concerned
about price as their expenditures during
the festivities start to take a toll.
Eid al-Fitr
Ramadan
Post Eid al-Fitr

Malaysia
Insights drawn from our Video Analytics
and Creation Engine reveal that during
Ramadan, people were interested in
religious key words like Ustaz, Iftar and
Quran. They were also interested in
Ketuk-Ketuk Ramadan starring Sheila
Rusly which ended after 15 years in 2019.
During the festive period, their interests
centre around entertainment and
celebrities, but after the festive period,
people start looking for content on open
houses and vlogs.
Eid al-Fitr
Ramadan
Post Eid al-Fitr

7Avoid the clutter
when uploading
videos

Indonesia
Brands and creators post
the most the ﬁrst two
days before the Eid al-
Fitr period, which is by far
the most cluttered time in
Indonesia that advertisers
should avoid.
Week 1
May
Week 2
May
Week 3
May
Week 4
May
Week 1
June
Week 2
June
Week 3
June
Week 4
June
Video uploads
Indonesia, by Week
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

Malaysia
Brands and creators post
the most ten days before
Eid al-Fitr period, which is
by far the most cluttered
period in Malaysia that
advertisers should avoid.
Week 1
May
Week 2
May
Week 3
May
Week 4
May
Week 1
June
Week 2
June
Week 3
June
Week 4
June
Video uploads
Malaysia, by Week
Ramadan Eid al-Fitr

What does this mean for
marketers?
There is no one-size ﬁts all solution when it comes to marketing
during this season. People have different needs, interests, and
pain points – these go through lulls and peaks throughout the
season. In order to connect with Muslims during this period,
marketers need to make sure they are serving the right message
at the right time. Otherwise, they run the risk of being seen as
tone-deaf, or wasting valuable marketing dollars on a blanket
approach while hoping that something sticks.
1. Consider each pain point your target audience may have.
2. Connect with them through authentic and hyper-targeted
content.
3. Celebrate with entertaining content.
Best Performing Videos
(Highest Views and Likes)
404
Indonesia
https://youtu.be/Unk8nqbiw-4
Malaysia
https://youtu.be/ZuXZRehfuNE

ada-asia.com
Contact us
http://bit.ly/ADAramadan2020

Ramadan 2020 Data Trends for Marketers

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