How Inter-Connected Communities Empower Marketers in Ramadan
The latest IPSOS research reveals new insights about the holy month and how people's attitudes, lifestyles, and behaviors are changing.
Traditional community activities surrounding the Holy Month have been reinvented in the past two years as people adjust social interactions and socializing to adhere to a post-pandemic world. Platforms such as TikTok, with communities at their heart, have been successful in adapting to changing needs, as we witness user behavior rapidly changing; proven by the exponential growth in UGC over the past couple of years during Ramadan.
Almost everyone IPSOS interviewed in this research claimed to have accessed digital platforms daily to connect with the community, express their creativity, and consume relevant & authentic Ramadan content. Digital platforms now play a pivotal role during Ramadan by delivering authentic and relevant bite-sized content. Social media channels and video platforms are the key drivers of digital platforms' usage and adoption.
Ramadan is about connecting with the community
The pandemic has had a significant impact on the cultural manifestations of Ramadan across MENAT markets over the past 3 years, and it is important for brands to reflect on this in their communication. Benevolence, a traditional Ramadan value is stressed more than ever.
Community platforms like TikTok are enabling connections to flourish
The research also revealed that TikTok’s everyday usage considerably increased during Ramadan (67% pre-Ramadan vs 71% during Ramadan). Since 2020, a considerable shift towards short-form video content consumption has occurred and TikTok is driving this change. TikTok is the most downloaded app in 2020 and 2021 based on App Anni TikTok users are fully immersed in the platform as they watch, create and share content seamlessly in preparation for and during Ramadan. 9 in 10 access content on TikTok daily, 7 in 10 create original content, and 6 in 10 share content on TikTok during Ramadan.
With 89% of TikTok users coming to the platform for inspiration, brands have a chance to take part in related rituals or inspire new ones. The entertainment category grew by 1.7X on TikTok during Ramadan and there is a clear opportunity for brands to engage with a community that is seeking joy & distraction.
Ramadan content has been flourishing on the TikTok platform with the hashtag #Ramadan garnering 14.5 billion views so far, followed by #RamadanMubarak delivering 2.6 billion views and IPSOS’ analysis of public social data found that Ramadan related content on TikTok has found its ways and flourished across other social and video platforms and the potential impressions of such content have grown from 60 million in 2019 Ramadan to 4.2 billion potential impressions in 2021 Ramadan, exemplifying the impact.
Connected community commerce is a new way of shopping during Ramadan
85% of the people that IPSOS interviewed for this research claimed to have shopped ahead of time in preparation for and during Ramadan. Being fully prepared for the Ramadan season, discovering attractive deals and promotions from the community, and ensuring readiness to host guests for Iftar are the motivators for shopping. The connected communities are at the center of the e-commerce shopping ecosystem. Close to 2 in 3 members of this community showcase a very high dependence and increased frequency of online shopping apps during the holy month.
