Ramadan is here – and for millions of people in the GCC and beyond, cultural focus shifts towards prayer, family & community. For marketers, it brings the challenge of respectfully and positively engaging with Ramadan in a way that makes sense for their brand when audience and user behaviours drastically change.
Extra downtime at home results in consumers in the UAE & KSA leaning on social media and entertainment more than any at other time in the year, with 31% of consumers increasing their time spent watching TV, streaming or gaming, and 87% of users’ social media usage peaking. This engagement spike provides marketers with a unique opportunity to better connect with Middle Eastern audiences and create lasting relationships with their customers.
Before you get too carried away opening Canva to quickly create some ‘Ramadan content’ – it’s important for marketers and businesses to appreciate cultural nuances of the season. It’s not simply a case of wishing customers Ramadan Kareem – brands should authentically engage with their consumers across every touchpoint to celebrate the season effectively.
As with any cultural season, there are winners and losers when it comes to sales for different industries, and Ramadan is no exception. Let’s delve into some examples:
Ramadan is an ideal season for supermarkets. 97% of surveyed consumers in the UAE prefer nights in with family and friends over dining out during Ramadan, and 57% of consumers in the UAE & KSA increase their spend on groceries and daily essentials over the season. The cultural significance of familial bonding and community during Ramadan enables supermarkets to focus their messaging on the idea of stocking up for meals at home to great effect. Carrefour have homed in on exactly this anticipation - offering 'spend-and-save' discounts on bulk buy purchases to incentivise their customers to 'unlock the spirit of Ramadan' with their offers.
Consumer behaviour drastically shifts from travel and toward home life during Ramadan, and for businesses in the travel and tourism industry, this presents a real challenge. 50% of users in the UAE and 45% of users in KSA said that they did not plan to travel during Ramadan 2025, and a further 22% responded that they only planned to travel within their city or region. For hotels and holiday destinations in the GCC this means fewer and shorter bookings.
Rather than seeing this as a limitation - the UAE's largest holiday destination, Yas Island, embraced the shift in their consumers' plans by highlighting their Ramadan offerings to better connect with local audiences. With free iftar available every night of stay across all bookings at participating hotels, Yas Island celebrates Ramadan by making it easier for their guests to observe their fast and eat together during the evenings across a range of restaurants and hotels.
In recent years it has become expected to see flash sales and discounts from automotive brands during Ramadan. DubiCars released a report in 2024 stating that for the past three years on the trot, impressions on ad listings increased by an average of 8.37% during Ramadan compared to the previous 30 days. Not only that, but those who deliberate purchasing a car during Ramadan convert in the following month by a further 2.27% on average. Cars priced between AED 200,000 & AED 250,000 saw the largest increase in demand at 21.97% - where pricier motors didn't see the same uplift. Overall, the report suggests that second hand car purchases win out in the period immediately after Ramadan as users enter the purchase journey during the reflective season.
As giving is a core aspect of Ramadan, it's no surprise that charity and non-profit organisations experience a busy season during the holy month. 48% of users surveyed increase their spend on charitable giving or gifts over Ramadan, but 65% of these users want to ensure their donation is used effectively. This indicates a hesitation to donate for many consumers unless there's a personal touchpoint as 60% of consumers prefer to donate in-person or direct to charities.
Cultural and religious events are key times of the year for marketers to focus on community management to develop authentic connections with their customers. Whether it's new product releases, highlighting a seasonal offer, or simply extending opening hours and the timings for customer live chats on websites, a little goes a long way during the holy season.
Most malls in the UAE remain open for extended hours during Ramadan to accommodate for evening leisure, and with 47% of consumers in the UAE saying that shopping in malls during Ramadan evenings appeals to them, it's easy to see why.
Stunning decorations and activations in malls highlight Ramadan well in advance to build anticipation for the season, but some mall groups' social media platforms and websites tend to be slower to highlight their seasonal offerings. Delayed Ramadan activations and offerings could result in establishments missing out on the 54% of shoppers that complete their purchases in advance of the season.
In light of those who prefer to stay at home or shop online during Ramadan, it is common for websites & social media platforms to see a surge in users from 11PM to 3AM as people often stay awake later into the evenings to socialise. This late-night website traffic also increases in the hours before Suhoor.
Enhancing your business' capability to answer customer enquiries overnight has twofold benefits during Ramadan: maximising user engagement during late night online activity and avoiding customer frustrations if they experience an issue during these hours. Brands should think less about the sales they risk by leaving customers hanging during the busy online period and more about the customer loyalty that can be gained from being the brand that is active when their customers are.
In 2025 we have seen a resurgence of holiday countdown calendars, that celebrate Ramadan, from a range of businesses. From traditional options like Bateel's Chroma calendar packed with a curated selection of organic dates to L'Occitane en Provence's Ramadan beauty calendar - countdown calendars have been sell-out successes in 2025. Both are great examples of companies using their hero products to celebrate Ramadan, while seamlessly ensuring that their brands are at the front-of-mind for their customers throughout the month.
L'Occitane launched an effective social ads strategy to promote their beauty calendar and generate hype for their Ramadan campaign. Once their customers could no longer get their hands on the coveted calendar, L'Occitane utilised the interest generated by their hero product to direct customers to their broader Ramadan gifting range via search ads.
The importance of omni-channel messaging during Ramadan cannot be underestimated, but there's more to be done when it comes to maximising your reach over the period.
When posting across any platform or medium during the holy month, it's crucial to ensure you're releasing content that reinforces your brand values and resonates with your audience. Consumers are sensitive to any whiff of performative marketing at the best of times - and the likelihood is that if your brand tacks on a 'Ramadan post' which does not align with your wider marketing strategy or communications it will either flop or be subject to critique.
With home dining, entertaining and hosting all cornerstones of the season, Ramadan is a home furnishing store's time to shine: and Homecentre have stolen the spotlight this year with their omni-channel Ramadan campaign. From traditional Fawazeer riddles promoting core product categories on their website to socials to OOH billboards offering their solutions for Ramadan hosting; Homecentre authentically embraces Ramadan to create real community moments with their consumers.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record: omni-channel approaches win out with seasonal marketing. Aligning these channels with consistent messaging, authentic communications and seasonal product offerings improves the impact of each of these channels individually. 31% of users in the UAE agree that flash sales or exclusive deals promoted on social media would influence their buying habits during Ramadan 2025. A further 25% of users agreed that recommendations from trusted influencers would sway them to purchase during Ramadan so while these branded social media campaigns alone are impactful, it's recommended to support them with a strong influencer marketing strategy for maximum impact.
Timing makes a world of difference when marketing at the best of times, but especially during Ramadan. With increased online and media engagement throughout the month and consumers that are actively looking for Eid gifts, groceries and homeware, marketers have all the ingredients they need for an impactful season. All that's required then is the right timing to maximise views, engagement and conversions within the month.
Throughout Ramadan, it's best to imagine online engagement as a bell curve. During the first 10 days, websites and social media platforms generally observe lower than average engagement since most people are adjusting to their new routines. Therefore, it's a good idea to decrease ad spend to save on wasted budget. The middle 10 days of Ramadan usually see an uplift in engagement as routines settle and many individuals begin to consider their needs for the upcoming Eid celebrations. Allocate additional ad spend during these 10 days to improve the reach of your campaigns and be sure to highlight seasonal offers & discounts. The final 10 days of Ramadan may see user engagement drop off again, as focus begins to shift towards preparations for Eid, resulting in less engagement with marketing efforts. Keep in mind that there may still be a few last-minute shoppers during this period, so consider altering ad copies and promotions to highlight fast and convenient delivery to increase conversions.
To summarise, it's recommended to strategically manage ad spend across social media platforms and online search engines by increasing budgets during peak online periods of activity when engagement is likely to be at its highest, particularly mid-month and between 11pm and 3am, timings when budgets are usually nominal. Furthermore, consider minimising ad spend during prayer times, particularly during the last week of Ramadan when worship times are longer.
It's no mean feat converting customers to loyal advocates - and resonating with your customers during Ramadan could make the difference. At its core, marketing effectively during Ramadan should be an extension of best practice principles with altered timings to suit changed schedules. Communicate authentically, consistently and at the right times across all your marketing channels and your brand can foster a community within your consumers during Ramadan and throughout the year.
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