Ramadan shopping to be bigger this year with two in three Indonesians doing more online shopping

More Indonesians choosing to shop online this Ramadan compared to last year

Jakarta, 18 February 2022 – As Indonesia approaches the festive season, new resarch shows that more Indonesian consumers are shopping online for Ramadan this year. A survey conducted by global advertising leader, The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD), and YouGov found that two in three (68 percent) of Indonesians are planning to shop more online this Ramadan, representing a 19 percent year-over-year increase.

Brands who engage early will stay top-of-mind during the purchase journey

According to the survey, this year’s Ramadan shopping will kickoff from end February, accelerating throughout March before peaking in mid April. Even though consumers intend to make the bulk of their purchases in the two to three weeks before Eid Al Fitr, they have been planning for their shopping ahead of time. In fact, the survey found that the large majority (91 percent) are planned shoppers when it comes to spending their bonus.

“The pandemic has fast-forwarded the adoption of programmatic advertising as marketers realize the need to be more agile in a world where everything can change in a minute. Despite the ongoing uncertainty, the survey provides a positive outlook for marketers as this Ramadan shopping season will be bigger than the last. Brands who take the opportunity to develop brand engagement strategies now will establish successful brand activation and stay top-of-mind throughout the Ramadan period and beyond.” said Florencia Eka, Country Manager of The Trade Desk in Indonesia.

Ads on OTT (over-the-top) help consumers discover new brands

When asked about how they will be spending their digital time during Ramadan, Indonesians cited channels in the open internet - from watching TV and movies online to streaming music, to watching short videos and reading online content. With Indonesians spending more than half of their total digital time on the open internet, these fast-growing media channels present valuable opportunities for today’s modern marketers.

The survey also highlighted that Ramadan is the ideal time for marketers to win new consumers for their brands. Fifty-six percent of Indonesians are interested in learning about new brands as part of their Ramadan shopping. Additional insights reveal that one in three consumers learn about new brands from ads on OTT platforms, while one in five consumers learn about new brands from ads on music streaming services. These insights affirm that ad opportunities on the open internet are helping brands reach new audiences and influence the consumer at every stage of their journey.

Ramadan will accelerate “phygital” retail

Even as Indonesians plan to increase their online shopping this Ramadan, they are still eager to spend time and money outside the home on shopping and dining. Seven in 10 are planning to shop in-store, and the top five product categories where shoppers still prefer to buy in-store are groceries, home & living, motors, home appliances and babies & kids. Furthermore, 60 percent of Indonesians are also planning to dine out as part of their Ramadan celebrations.

Building on this insight, Florencia adds, “With consumers moving between online and offline, marketers should re-assess their branding approach and leverage the power of an omnichannel strategy to engage shoppers along their entire consumer journey.”

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Methodology

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Singapore Pte Ltd. Total sample size was 2,149 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 10 - 14 Jan 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Indonesian adults (aged 18+) online.