Generally, the month of Ramadan is a special moment not only for Muslims but also for business owners. Consumer behavior during Ramadan tends to differ from other months due to changes in eating patterns, daily activities, and traditions observed throughout the entire month.
Recognizing these shifts, as a business owner, you need to understand and adapt to them to craft effective marketing strategies that accurately target your audience.
According to HubSpot, consumer behavior refers to the buying habits of individuals when shopping or purchasing a product. These behaviors are often influenced by several key factors, including social trends, purchasing frequency, and personal decision-making backgrounds.
In the world of business, understanding consumer behavior is essential. By analyzing how your target audience thinks and acts, you can create more effective product offers, improve your customer experience, and develop marketing strategies that truly resonate.
Understanding the details behind consumer behavior also enables businesses to communicate more effectively and engagingly with their customers.
There are typically three main factors that influence changes in consumer behavior: personal, psychological, and social. During the month of Ramadan, shifts in consumer behavior are mainly driven by personal and social factors.
In Indonesia, for example, it’s common for people to adjust their lifestyles during Ramadan, changing their eating patterns, spending habits, and daily routines. Many households also face increased needs in preparation for key moments like iftar (breaking the fast) and celebrating Eid al-Fitr.
This makes Ramadan a unique opportunity for businesses to align their marketing strategies with the changing needs of customers and cultural traditions.
Read also: Building Market Positioning in Business
Here are some changes in consumer behavior during Ramadan:
According to Niagahoster, which cites data from Google’s 2017 Ramadan observations, Indonesians tend to adjust their daily routines and take more rest during the holy month.
This shift in rest hours leads to significant changes in eating patterns and free time compared to regular months. Normally, Indonesians eat three meals a day (morning, afternoon, and evening), but during Ramadan, it becomes just two meals for sahur (pre-dawn meal) and iftar (breaking the fast).
Additionally, the long holiday approaching Eid al-Fitr is often used for shopping or simply taking a break from daily routines. This increased downtime during Ramadan often leads people to spend more time browsing online platforms.
To market your products more effectively during Ramadan, it’s a good idea to create light and engaging content that accompanies consumers during their breaks.
This kind of content should entertain while still being relevant to the Ramadan theme. To make it even more appealing, consider creating content that sparks curiosity or a series-based format that can be published daily throughout the month.
Read also: 9 Types of Consumers You Should Know to Improve Business Services
As mentioned earlier, changes in rest hours during Ramadan also affect people’s daily activities. Many prefer low-energy activities while fasting, such as spending time online—whether that’s playing mobile games or scrolling through the latest updates on social media.
According to Kompas, here’s the average monthly time Indonesian users spend on popular apps:
Given these digital habits, it's clear that online consumption increases significantly during Ramadan, especially with more time available for rest and leisure.
For businesses, this means more opportunities but also more competition. Marketers need to work harder to deliver entertaining and informative content, whether it's about your brand, products, or Ramadan-related insights.
Read also: 22 Ramadan Business Ideas for 2024 Guaranteed Profit!
According to data from Think Ramadan With Google, the search volume for the keyword “zakat” experiences a significant increase during the month of Ramadan. Many Indonesians begin to look up information related to zakat and charity, including how to perform them correctly.
This change in consumer behavior can present a lucrative opportunity for businesses running promotional campaigns during Ramadan. For example, one campaign idea could be offering a promotion where, with every purchase of your product, consumers also contribute a portion of their money to a trusted zakat organization.
Through this kind of promotion, consumers are likely to be more enthusiastic about doing good. So, they’re not just buying a product they’re also contributing to a meaningful cause by helping those in greater need.
As previously mentioned, Indonesians tend to spend more time online during Ramadan. One of the most common online activities is watching entertaining videos.
Based on data from Think With Google, the most significant behavioral shift occurs in the early morning hours before sunrise, during sahur. This is when mobile search activity spikes, with online video being one of the most popular types of content searched for.
According to Niagahoster, two platforms—YouTube and Facebook—saw a 1.5-fold increase in watch time during Ramadan compared to other months in 2017. The most popular videos were those related to Ramadan themes.
If your business marketing strategy doesn't yet include video content, now is a great time to start creating it.
Read also: Want to Boost Sales? Try These Tips for Creating Reels to Promote Your Business!
In general, people love shopping promotions because they can get various products at discounted prices. That’s why many companies strive to offer attractive promos during Ramadan, Eid, or events like National Online Shopping Day (Harbolnas). These promotions aren’t limited to online stores; they can also be applied offline.
Such promos are likely to increase public interest in purchasing your products, as they become more affordable. During the fasting month and leading up to Eid, people have many needs to fulfill, especially for essential goods like cooking oil, rice, and sugar, so they will seek out the most beneficial shopping deals.
Observing these shifts in consumer behavior clearly shows that launching special promotions during Ramadan has become a necessity. While running these promotions, business owners (or “Bosses”) can also try offering bonuses, discounts, or other special deals.
Read Also: 5 Most Effective Marketing Strategies for Your Business During the Ramadan Fasting Month!
The variety of promotions mentioned earlier naturally leads to a continuous rise in consumer shopping activity. According to Google’s internal data, e-commerce transactions doubled during Ramadan in 2017.
Not only online, but offline transactions also experienced a significant increase. The transaction value rose by up to 50% compared to the same event in 2016. A wide range of products sold well—both online and offline—including daily necessities, food, flight tickets, clothing, and even internet packages.
This shows that both online and offline businesses have great potential to earn higher profits during Ramadan. Many types of products can be sold, so choose the ones that match your budget and skill set.
Read Also: 5 Easy Side Business Ideas to Try During Ramadan!
The final consumer behavior shift that business owners need to be aware of is the desire among people to present their best appearance throughout Ramadan and especially for Eid al-Fitr. Typically, many people make an effort to look their best on Eid, prompting them to search for fashionable Muslim clothing.
This trend presents an opportunity for businesses to create clothing that meets this consumer need—helping people look their best for Eid. Additionally, make sure you can convince your customers that your products or services can enhance their overall appearance.
These are some of the key changes in consumer behavior during Ramadan that every business owner should understand. The goal is to continue meeting consumer needs while also boosting your profits.
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