Making The Most Of A Mobile Ramadan

It’s that time of the year again in Indonesia! Across industries, be it retail, FMCG or ecommerce, marketers are all eagerly waiting for the big season of Ramadan to drive sales in the busiest and best quarter of the year. We at InMobi conducted a detailed survey among our users to find out their Ramadan spending plans and habits, in order to empower mobile advertisers to succeed in their pursuit of a high sales momentum. Here is what we found:

• Consumer sentiment is strong but marketers still need to be focused

The buzz around Ramadan shopping is positive this year, with 46% of Indonesians planning to do more Ramadan shopping this year than last! However, 35% of users, are planning to spend less than last year. One of the top reasons for lower spending, cited by these users, was a lack of discounts and offers. Marketers must seize the opportunity to induce these users to spend by driving awareness, at scale, about the discounts and offers that are available this Ramadan season.

• Induce the unsure with impulse buying options

19% of users are still unsure about their shopping plans - marketers have a golden opportunity to tempt these users with impulse buying options. The way to engage these impulse buyers on mobile, is with m-coupons, gamified ads and chatbots.

• Know your top spenders!

Homemakers and millennials are all set to be the top spenders this Ramadan, being conservative shoppers and flamboyant purchasers respectively. It’s important, therefore for advertisers to tailor their mobile strategies to the unique needs of these segments as they behave differently and are therefore, influenced differently, to purchase. Contrary to popular thinking, homemakers are prone to make impulsive and last minute purchases. Homemakers are also highly price sensitive, with 49% citing discounts as the main driver of purchase. Millennials on the other hand intend to make more of larger purchases, spending upwards of IDR 1 million. The demographic, however, is very ad sensitive - with 23% stating that attractive advertising is a key driver of purchase.

• Focus on upstream brand building

When asked about what influences shopping decisions during Ramadan, 43% of users cited brand-related reasons - attractive advertising and having a trusted brand/product is important to them. Marketers should, therefore, ensure that their marketing strategy ensures focus on brand-led advertising and innovative creatives to stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of this key chunk of Ramadan shoppers.

• Capitalize on app seasonality

During the season of observance and bonding with family, 37% of Indonesians spend most of their Ramadan time on Ramadan-related apps, pertaining to lifestyle, books and charity. This app category stands neck-to-neck with shopping apps, which 38% of users spend time on.

While the pull from the shoppers this Ramadan is definitely strong, it’s imperative for marketers to have hyper-targeted mobile strategies in place before the Ramadan Rush begins on May 12th, 2018!