Online sales rise over 35 percent in the Middle East during Ramadan

A recent study has revealed that online activity rises significantly during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, exponentially growing the time consumers spend on social media or shopping on e-commerce sites.

According to a recent Facebook research, over 86 percent of Facebook users celebrate Ramadan, giving brands an extra 57.6 million hours to capture attention in MENA during Ramadan. Furthermore, adds the social network, in Ramadan usage of Facebook sees an overall 14.8 percent increase across the MENA region, jumping to a 36.9 percent increase at night, peaking at 3am.

This is part of a wider rise in e-commerce activity in the region during the most important Muslim holiday; online activity increases on average 35.8 percent, peaking at a 78 percent increase at night during the period. This amplified activity is primarily driven by mobile purchases, which gets a 43.2 percent bump, when compared to a 5.5 percent increase in desktop activity during the celebration, point out from Facebook.

Many regional labels such as Splash (Landmark Group), one of the largest online fashion retailers in the Middle East, has leveraged this trend by promoting its Ramadan collection on Facebook, driving a 75 percent increase in sales during the weeks the celebration lasts.

Shant Oknayan, Regional Business Lead across Retail, Telecom, Technology, Services and Entertainment across Facebook, Instagram and the family of apps said: “As the use of mobile to discover and engage with products and services continues to increase, our aim is to enhance this experience for both brands and consumers. For a period as significant as Ramadan, which sees tremendous traffic on the platform, marketers in the region have the opportunity to leverage Facebook’s family of apps and services to personalize content at scale, and thereby influence people at the point of inspiration, consideration and conversion.”