With the Holy month of Ramadan slowly fading away into the beginning of the festivities of Eid Al Fitr, families and individuals alike are getting ready to celebrate the occasion with loved ones. A big part of Eid celebrations includes giving and receiving gifts. As such, people start to plan their gift-giving and usually like to wear something ‘new’, making this special occasion a prime time for shops and businesses to dazzle their customers and encourage them to shop and spend.
Eid Al Fitr is one of the most important marketing periods during the year for brands operating in the Middle East. As we near the end of the Holy month of Ramadan, entrepreneurs and small businesses are getting ready for the season with a strong social media and digital presence. GoDaddy is there to support them along their entrepreneurial journey online, with an integrated suite of tools to help them attract new customers and grow their businesses online.
Below we have curated a list of practical tips to help small business owners capitalize on the unique characteristics of the Holy month. If you’re a small business owner or are in the process of launching a new business, this list is for you.
1 Use time to your advantage
Start early and capitalise on this time-bound window of opportunity. As people end their month-long daily fasting and return to usual eating and dining schedules, consumer behaviour changes dramatically; online and offline. Use insights from your e-commerce websites to plan and post your products, services and prices etc., and know when to promote what.
2 Be friends with trends
Another great way brands can celebrate this season and reach out to potential audiences is by sharing their products and services attractively on their social media platforms, especially Facebook and Instagram (feed posts and Instastories).
Put yourself in the celebrating customer’s shoes who are starting to think about last-minute shopping and gift-giving. What would they want to buy? Who will they buy for; their friends, children, family members themselves, even business acquaintances? Bear in mind the seasonal, religious and cultural significance. Keep up-to-date on local and regional trends and showcase trending products to guide your customers towards popular products and best meet their needs.
3 Add a value-add
Whilst Ramadan is a key shopping period itself with people shopping for food, snacks, chocolate and sweets, as well as eating out, Eid Al Fitr represents another shopping opportunity; this time mostly for apparel and fashion, health and beauty products, as well as gifts like jewellery, decoration and toys. Now is the time when customers are ready to spend generously, so consider adding extra offers, promotions and discounts to reward your loyal customers. You can also reward and encourage them by hosting ‘giveaways’ and ‘social interactions and sharing’ to garner interest and to help increase brand awareness and social media pages’ engagement rate.
4 Curate relevant content
Benefit from the Ramadan/Eid holiday context to help get closer to your customers. Genuine Eid greetings and well wishes are a great way to create brand preference and likeability. GoDaddy Direct Email Marketing tool and GoDaddy Studio are both good ways to simplify drafting, designing and sending out Eid greetings to your customer database or post them on your social media platforms.
5 The last night of Ramadan
Pay attention to the last night of Ramadan or the night before Eid Al Fitr. It is a time when people will start to ease out of the Ramadan schedule and become even more active on social media and on shopping sites. As they browse online, it is a good idea to share your brand’s special products, last chance offers, discounts and new shopping ideas and gifts, and promote them on your website and on your social media platforms.
Eid Al Fitr Mubarak!
Eid Al Fitr can also be a perfect time for brands and small businesses across many industries to engage with their loyal customer base and increase their sales. With an increase in customer spending, and online usage to search for gift ideas for themselves as well as others, entrepreneurs are encouraged to engage with their customers throughout the festive period. Whether you’re a new small business owner looking to attract customers or a seasoned business looking forward to Eid Al-Fitr to boost your business, make use of this time-sensitive and busy shopping season. And Eid Mubarak.
