A survey conducted by e-commerce aggregator iPrice has revealed unique online shopping trends during the month of Ramadan in 2021 across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The survey, based on products and sessions on iPrice, indicated that during the fasting month, a spike in online shopping happens among Singapore consumers in the early morning from 5am onwards, presumably by Muslim consumers who get up early for the pre-fasting meal.
This is followed by a steady increase until around 2pm, before a lull during the evening and sunset period when Muslims break fast. Shopping picks up again from around 9pm onwards, which coincides with the completion of the nightly tarawih prayers.
For Malaysian and Indonesian consumers, online shopping sessions begin even earlier, from 4am and 2am respectively.
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In terms of what consumers are shopping for, Singapore consumers displayed higher searches for perfumes, supplements, and cooktops during Ramadan this year compared to the Ramadan period the year before. iPrice reports that searches for perfumes, based on impressions, surged 6078%, while searches from supplements and and cooktops increased some 2000% respectively.
Other product categories that showed higher searches include kurtas, coffee, toothpastes, and latex gloves.
Malaysian consumers showed a marked increase in searches for skincare (+8140%), perfumes (6183%) and ovens (+5563%), while Indonesian consumers had the highest increase in searches for kaftans (+8773%), food containers (+3541%), and other modest wear.
Consumers across all three countries prefer smartphones as their main device for online shopping, especially in Indonesia. Data showed that 98% of Indonesian consumers used a mobile device for their session, followed by 68% for Malaysia and 55% for Singapore.
