Online shopping habits during Ramadan revealed

E-commerce websites can tap the spike in online browsing and sales after sundown.

Online sales and traffic increased in the lead up to and during Ramadan, but declined during Eid al-Fitr, also known as Hari Raya Puasa in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, the religious holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, according to data from Criteo.

Based on consumers’ online browsing and buying activity, the three weeks leading up to Ramadan — and more specifically, the third week of Ramadan — represent the biggest opportunity for retailers to engage consumers when they are actively browsing and purchasing items for upcoming celebrations. During this period, there was an average of 67% uplift in online retail sales and 14% increase in online travel sales.

Website traffic and e-commerce sales increased from three weeks before Ramadan and spiked during weeks three and four, with an increase of 110% and 77% respectively. During Ramadan’s third and fourth weeks, the biggest growth driver were online mass merchants, with an increase of 87% and 52% respectively, revealed Criteo.

The performance marketing technology company added that Ramadan traditions also influence shoppers’ behaviour throughout the day. During the fasting period in the day, e-commerce transactions were lower at 71%, compared to 76% for the period prior to Ramadan. However, after breaking fast at sundown, there is an increase in e-commerce sales to 29%, from 24% pre-Ramadan.

Additionally, 37% of on-site retail conversions happen on the mobile app. Fashion-related items are the most popular during this period, followed by home and living products and electronics, toys and games, as well as health and beauty items.

Decline during Eid

During the start of Eid al-Fitr, there was a decline of 44% in online sales and 20% in website traffic. However, in the week post-Eid, online sales rebounded, increasing 35%.

Interestingly, 46% of shoppers were found to be viewing products across multiple devices, with one in four shoppers switching devices at least three times during their purchasing journey.

With the rise of offline-to-online and online-to-offline (O2O) shopping habits, Criteo opined mobile will still be the foundational building block in O2O retail. Mobile continues to be a key driver for discovery and sales with an increase of 126% — surpassing desktops — during Ramadan.

More than eight million online transactions from 143 retailers based in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore were analysed for this report.

Ramadan is slated to begin on May 26 this year in these countries.