5 things to keep in mind while planning for Ramadan this year, by Anghami’s Sabine Oneissy

For the second year in a row, Ramadan is taking place in the shadow of the pandemic. While restrictions are more lenient this year, Covid is still a big part of our reality. As brands, adopting a consumer-centric approach is how we become more relevant to our users’ day to day.

To better understand our MENA consumers this Ramadan, we launched a survey on Anghami conducted by our partners at Choueiri Group. We’re sharing some of the insights & learnings to help you with your planning:

This year more than ever – Ramadan is perceived as a month of Hope

Covid-19 challenges and restrictions are still impacting our lives & habits. Just like everyone else, our local community is affected by those restrictions.
Despite all this, 64% of our Anghami community is looking forward to Ramadan as it brings them a lot of hope.
This is why, this year more than ever, hopeful & positive messaging is needed during this holy season to support the community throughout their journey.

MENA consumers expect Ramadan to be as “normal” as possible. Make sure your ads relate to their lifestyle & concerns

Last year, Ramadan was coupled with a state of confusion. Everything was closed, even mosques. People were not allowed to go out even to visit family and friends. Ramadan suddenly had a different meaning.

Today, for the second year in a row, the muslim community will have to spend the holy month of Ramadan – together yet apart.

Our MENA community is aware of the challenges, and is planning on taking all the needed precautions to be able to live Ramadan as normally as possible – while being socially responsible

• 52% are expecting to have family gatherings and to visit friends & relatives (with restrictions)
• 48% expect to live Ramadan rituals with restrictions (Prayers in mosques, going out, gatherings, etc.)
• 25% will be taking high precautions even if there are no restrictions

Ramadan 2021 is happening at home. Make sure your brand is invited

While going out is part of the Ramadan lifestyle, the MENA consumers will favor staying safe at home as much as possible this year (86% will stay at home or go out once a week only).

Cooking will happen at home

• 96% of our Anghami community will be buying groceries, food & drinks products – which is 56% higher than the usual
• 36% said they never order food during Ramadan.

Gatherings for Iftar & Suhoor will happen at home

• 46% are planning on inviting people over for iftar or suhoor
• 64% said they will go out but to a family member’s house

Entertainment from home

For 8 years now we’ve been catering for our MENA community. One thing is clear, when it comes to entertainment and spirituality, each finds his or her own balance and chooses to live Ramadan in their own way. This is why we give our users the freedom to adapt their Anghami experience in the best way to suit their lifestyle: Focus on Spirituality alone – on entertainment alone – or a mix of both.

Audio is with them throughout the day

Whether they want to listen to spiritual content or entertaining content, audio is with them throughout the day.

According to the survey, listening our users are:

• 59% Using Social Media
• 41% working out
• 34% cooking
• 27% gathering with friends & family
• 25% driving
• 19% shopping
• 16% other

Watching series is one of their favorite activities

1. Ramadan TV series soundtracks are one of their most streamed content. In fact, 70% of series soundtracks made it to charts during ramadan 2020.
2. 71% use VoD platforms during Ramadan
3. And 56% plan on subscribing to Netflix, 41% to Shahid

Many shop Online, from home 

While they love shopping in physical stores – they plan on buying some products online

• 53% shopping in physical stores
• 35% shopping online
• 12% shopping online & in physical stores

Outings, shopping & staycations are part of the Ramadan/Eid planning – keep your brand ToM

Last year, MENA consumers were hesitant to spend & go out, however they do plan on shopping and going out this year.

• 81% plan on going to shopping malls while respecting the restrictions
• 63% take care of their beauty during Ramadan and said that they will be buying beauty products this year
  1. 84% Skin care
  2. 63% Hair care
  3. 51% Perfume
  4. 33% Lipstick & eye makeup
  5. 22% Face makeup

• 48% plan on going out to restaurants from time to time. 59% of them would pick a fast food restaurant.
• 79% consider going on Eid Staycations – while respecting the restrictions.

All brands can be relevant during Ramadan

Relevant communication always strikes the right tone for the users when targeted at the right time. It’s also important to adapt your communication strategy to each platform to make the users’ ad experience more relevant and engaging.

Understanding your audience is the first step for an effective communication strategy. We hope these insights & learnings will help you with your Ramadan planning. For more insights, you can download our full report from here.