Sellers beware! The impact of the 2021 Ramadan sales on e-commerce consumer shopping habits

During this month of promotion, e-commerce sales trends in Southeast Asia , the Middle East and other regions will also change accordingly. According to a survey, sales of home, groceries and fashion categories are expected to pick up during Ramadan .

A vice president of Middle Eastern e-commerce platform Noon said that at the start of Ramadan in April last year, the UAE was under a strict lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, so consumers mainly bought only basic food items online.

During Ramadan 2021, the situation looks more optimistic this year as quarantine restrictions have been eased, which is already reflected in the typical Ramadan trends seen on some e-commerce platforms.

Last year, due to the strict lockdown, there were almost no public gatherings during Ramadan. Although large gatherings are still not allowed this year, small family gatherings can be held and restaurants will be open.

Therefore, data shows that this year's Ramadan trends will be closer to 2019.

E-commerce platforms typically see a surge in purchases during Ramadan, which will be even more pronounced this year as consumers become more comfortable with online shopping.

Data shows that in 2020, more consumers turned to online shopping, with home decoration, home appliances and groceries being the most common purchase categories as consumers prepared their home items for Ramadan .

Since Ramadan is also a time when consumers are often at home, they seek more entertainment measures, so sales of games and toys, for example, are also increasing significantly.

While grocery items continue to perform well, fashion and beauty categories are gaining momentum as people prepare for breaking the fast with their extended families , such as perfumes or cosmetics.

These trends apply not only to the Southeast Asian market, but also to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt markets, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Today, omnichannel shopping still exists, but for Southeast Asian e-commerce platforms, Ramadan is still a time to gather traffic, and for sellers, it is also an opportunity to display their products in front of millions of customers.

Cross-border e-commerce market

Southeast Asia