Major Ramadan trends and three marketing strategies to help your brand excel

• Apparel: There was a natural quest for new outfits around this season.

Countries most interested in the category: Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt 

Peak time for interest and engagement: The second week of Ramadan

• Beauty and Personal Care: Consumers exhibited great enthusiasm about preparing looks for the occasion.

Countries most interested in the category: Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and South Africa 

Peak time for interest and engagement: The middle and end of Ramadan

• Computers and Consumer Electronics: Naturally, tech-savvy audiences under the age of 34 showed great interest in upgrading their gadgets.

Countries most interested in the category: South Africa, Nigeria, and the UAE 

Peak time for interest and engagement: Before, during, and after Ramadan, avoiding major holidays

• Finance: This was a key topic of interest among Ramadan consumers as they planned their activities.

Countries most interested in the category: Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Egypt 

Peak time for interest and engagement: The middle of Ramadan

• Home and Garden: Naturally, there was great interest in decorating living spaces during this season.

Countries most interested in the category: Turkey, South Africa, and Nigeria 

Peak time for interest and engagement: Before and after Ramadan

• Occasions and Gifts: Gifting was big among consumers in META during Ramadan.

Countries most interested in the category: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt 

Peak time for interest and engagement: The first half of Ramadan

• Travel and Tourism: Consumers in the region showed an interest in traveling around Ramadan.

Countries most interested in the category: South Africa, Turkey, and the UAE 

Peak time for interest and engagement: Before and after Ramadan

Common trends across regions

• Year-on-year growth: Searches and clicks from consumers saw significant lifts across regions during Ramadan in 2024 compared to 2023.
• Precise queries: Most search queries were specific to brands or products. Download the reports for a detailed list of the top queries in each country.
• Extended engagement: Most categories saw engagement both around and throughout the season.

3 marketing strategies to leave an impact

Here is what marketers should consider while creating their Ramadan campaigns:

1. Crafting communication that is thoughtful, targeted and timely: Reaching major demographics and leveraging top keywords will help deepen consumer engagement. It is also important to keep an eye on your category and note when interests and searches peak. When preparing for your Ramadan campaigns, consider Performance Max (PMax) in Microsoft Advertising to efficiently and effectively optimize the campaign in real-time, leveraging Microsoft’s AI innovations for bidding and creative automation to respond to changing consumer trends. Research shows Performance Max can significantly boost performance, achieving 2.6x more site visits and 4.2x more conversions compared to those not exposed to PMax.²
2. Adopting an omnichannel approach: Consumers journey across channels, which makes it critical to reach them on premium platforms they use every day. With Microsoft Advertising’s solutions, you can reach premium audiences across their digital journey, which includes platforms such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Copilot in Bing, and LinkedIn.

Let this season be one of making deeper and more lasting connections for you and your brand. For more insights into your region and category, download your copy of the Ramadan in the Digital World: The Marketer’s Manual.