With larger budgets, multi-channel shopping journeys, and a thirst for travel, spending on Ramadan celebrations is set to reach new heights this year. Three out of five consumers in Indonesia plan to spend more than Rp 3 million this Ramadan, latest research by InMobi, a leading provider of content monetization and marketing technologies that help businesses fuel growth, and Glance, the world’s leading smart lock screen, has found.
The Marketer’s Guide to Ramadan Report delves into the expectations and behaviours of Indonesian consumers during Ramadan season, offering invaluable insights to brands for enhancing their marketing strategies during the nation’s holy month.
Conducted in January 2024, the survey polled 500 smartphone users in Indonesia, revealing that 60% of respondents plan to increase their online shopping budgets, while 41% intend to increase their offline shopping expenditures.
The report emphasizes the critical importance for brands in Indonesia to prioritize a mobile-first approach in the pre-Ramadan period. 97% of consumers in the country rely on their smartphones for research and are swayed by app-driven promotions when making purchasing choices.
Over 73% rely on mobile for making purchases. Leveraging cutting-edge mobile marketing technologies and focusing on top content categories like news, games, and video is essential for brands to deliver experiences that can establish robust connections with consumers.
“There’s no denying the central role of smartphones in influencing purchasing decisions among consumers in Indonesia. To win in this market, brands must engage with their audience through seamless, single-tap mobile experiences, and state-of-the-art technologies that are built to foster meaningful brand-consumer connections,” said Vasuta Agarwal, Chief Business Officer, InMobi Group.
She added, “One such technology is the Glance smart lock screen, which empowers consumers to discover premium, personalized content directly on their smartphone lock screen without the need for unlocking, downloading, or searching. With Glance, brands in Indonesia are achieving remarkable success, driving deep and seamless engagement with consumers even before they unlock their phones.”
The report showcases brands that have effectively utilized the smart lock screen in the market. For example, a campaign for Indofood Freiss successfully reached 102% coupon redemption target by capitalizing on awareness generated through the smart lock screen.
Glance boasts over 30 million active users in Indonesia, with 1.2 million daily game plays and 2 million hours of monthly content consumption. Interactivity levels remain strong across various geographies and content categories, encompassing Regional News, Fashion Trends, Food Content, Gaming, and Entertainment.
Other key findings:
Who and what consumers shop for
While 57% of Indonesians are shopping for themselves, the spirit of giving is alive and well as family, neighbours, and people in need are also a priority for Ramadan spending. Household staff, business partners and clients are in line for festive generosity as well.
Clothing and accessories (89%), grocery (71%) and gift packs (70%) are the top purchases that people plan to buy. Clothing, health and beauty products and gadgets are most frequently bought on mobile, while Indonesians prefer to shop in physical stores for grocery, gift packs and vehicles.
The Mudik movement
The Mudik wave is on, as 74% of traveling Indonesians plan to take a trip to visit loved ones who live in their hometowns or outside. This mirrors the travel patterns seen in 2023.
Overall, 41% plan to travel in the last week of Ramadan to just days before Idul-Fitri. A further 20% will travel on the actual holiday. 22% travel ahead of the month of Ramadan or at the start.
Mobile-first for shopping and research
Mobile shopping is seen as great for easy payments, app-only special offers and free shipping, while shopping in stores allows people to see or try products and avoid buying the wrong item. But mobile is by far the biggest platform for research (97%) followed by physical stores (62%) and just 34% on desktop.
The report also identifies three types of shoppers in Indonesia:
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Unplanned Shoppers (17%) – undecided on products and brands, keen to explore the biggest deals. They’re more likely to be older consumers, 61% have budgets under Rp 3 million
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Category Explorers (68%) – decided on products but still actively exploring which brands. These are more likely to be younger consumers, 59% have budgets over Rp 3 million
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Brand Lovers (15%) – already decided on brands and are loyal to their favourites. These are typically older consumers, 45% have budgets over Rp 5 million
