Indonesian more online during Ramadan

(Left - right) Ayu Fadjar - VP Marketing Blibli.com, Aulia Marinto - CEO Blanja.com dan Ketua Umum Asosiasi E-Commerce Indonesia (idEA), Henky Prihatna - Head of E-Commerce Google Indonesia, dan Jason Tedjasukmana - Head of Corporate Communications at Google Indonesia ​at The Press Briefing E-commerce Insights,​(23/5). (Foto:Google)

JAKARTA (IndoTelko) - Google released more new insights into Indonesian consumer behaviour during Ramadan.

The festival is a time for spending time with friends and family, it’s also a time for shopping. Last year, according to the Indonesian Association of Retailers, consumer spending rose by 30% during Ramadan.

Increasingly they are turning to their phones to help them get things done, whether it’s looking for help preparing a family meal or buying gifts for the family. Google carried out research to see how last year’s Ramadan played out on Search and YouTube to see how consumers are spending their time online during Ramadan and the implications for marketers in 2017.

“It’s about grabbing the opportunity of Indonesian consumers during the Ramadan season,” explains Henky Prihatna, industry head of ecommerce at Google Indonesia. “Even people who normally don’t shop online during the rest of the year will buy something online during the Ramadan holiday. For marketers this is a moment that matters and brands need to be there for consumers at this important time.”

Based on 2016’s consumer behaviour, we believe that during Ramadan 2017, Indonesians will turn to the web to help them:
1. Get inspired. ​Search is one of the key places Indonesians turn to for Ramadan-related information and inspiration — and it’s a growing trend, with 28% more searches in 2016 vs 2015.
2. Shop for the latest products. ​In 2016, searches for clothes spiked 2.8X, Branded home appliances spiked 2X, and mobile phone promotions by 1.8X.
3. Find credit cards to cover their costs. ​Ramadan can be an expensive time and many people won’t be able to pay for everything with cash. In 2016, we saw a notable increase in searches related to paying by installments, or “Cicilan” (1.6X) and for credit card deals (1.2X).
4. Find deals and discounts. ​Ramadan is the annual peak for searches related to sales and discounts. For example, searches for smartphones peak during THR week, where price and promotion keywords increase 40%.
5. Plan trips early. ​Based on the evidence of Search trends, ​Indonesians plan train journeys around 3 months before Ramadan while bus and domestic flights start two months before.

“During Ramadan, Indonesian consumers turn to digital to do all sorts of things including shopping. Businesses that want to win during Ramadan need to plan ahead and start earlier to create content and campaigns that show how their product or service helps during Ramadan,” Henky added. “Google has helpful tools and products that can help businesses of all sizes find their audience online.”(es)