Top Strategies to Promote Business During Eid-al-Adha

by Buana Sari Digital Marketer

As an important Islamic festival, Eid-al-Adha is approaching, Muslims worldwide are preparing to celebrate this occasion with their loved ones. Commonly known as Bakra Eid, Bakrid, Eid Qurban, or Qurban Bayarami, Muslims observe this significant festival during the twelfth month of the Islamic or lunar calendar, known as Zul Hijjah/Dhu al-Hijjah.

Eid-al-Adha brings about a consumer boom in various industries globally, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. This public holiday is observed in many countries, including the UAE, Turkey, Jordan, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

With a potential market reach of whopping 419 million customers in the Middle East alone, businesses recognize the importance of Eid-al-Adha (Source : IstiZada). Even in many European nations and in the United States, Muslim employees and families take the day off from work or school to celebrate the occasion.

It is evident that Eid-al-Adha significantly contributes to increased market spending, as Muslims worldwide gather at local mosques to partake in prayer. Donned in their finest attire, they spend the day socializing with family and friends and exchanging gifts. Charity plays a significant role during this holiday, as it is customary to donate a substantial amount of money to help the less fortunate purchase new clothes and food, enabling them to join in the celebrations.

A notable marketing aspect of this holiday is the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Muslims in good health and financial standing are required to undertake this pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime, with over two million Muslims completing the Hajj each year. Given the surge in demand for gifts, new apparels, hospitality and transportation services, Eid-al-Adha presents the right time to upscale business.

Several brands and telcos, like Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson (IOH), have launched unique marketing campaigns targeting Hajj pilgrims. For instance, on June 9, 2023, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison introduced an internet package specifically designed for pilgrims traveling to Mecca. The package offers an affordable internet quota for IM3 and Tri customers, enabling them to stay connected with their families during the pilgrimage period from May to August. It encompasses internet, telephone, and SMS services in one card, ensuring broad coverage in Middle Eastern countries. Non-Indosat customers can also purchase Indosat SIM cards and recharge with these packages.

Similarly, on June 22, 2023, Ooredoo Maldives brought out exclusive offers to keep customers entertained and connected during the entire Eid-al-Adha holidays. The Bodu Chuttee Pack provides 100GB of data for MVR 150, valid for five days (120 hours). Available to both prepaid and postpaid customers, this data pack ensures uninterrupted high-speed internet access during the Eid celebrations. Customers can activate the Bodu Chuttee Pack through various channels, including SMS, USSD, the Ooredoo App, and QuickPay.

Therefore, brand marketers need to understand how to effectively target their marketing efforts during Eid-al-Adha to capitalize on the numerous opportunities available. With over two billion Muslims worldwide celebrating this occasion, it presents a vast potential audience.

Here are the top strategies to successfully promote business and leverage the festive spirit of Eid-al-Adha :

1. Embrace Rich Media Advertising

During this Eid-al-Adha, there has been a noticeable increase in mobile video consumption, particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, around 68% and 61% of individuals, respectively, have reported watching more mobile videos compared to the previous year. As a result, there are higher expectations from brands to deliver engaging content during this festive period.

To capitalize on the growing popularity of mobile video and other rich media formats, experts are recommending advertisers to embrace the moLotus mobile video customer interaction platform. This platform is renowned for introducing innovative revenue models for brands and advertisers, enabling them to achieve significant returns on their Eid-al-Adha marketing campaigns. Through unique 40-second mobile video campaigns, brands can directly reach customers' mobile phones without requiring any application downloads or data plans. It would be interesting to note that moLotus offers more rich formats such as Greetings, SideShow, Brochure, and Showcase.

Popular mobile apps such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp play a crucial role in generating mobile ad revenues during Eid-al-Adha. According to Statista, more than 50% of customers in the MENA region spend their online time-consuming videos on mobile apps like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram reels. Advertising through these platforms allows businesses to benefit from good video impressions during the festive season. However, it is important to note that the festive period is highly competitive for YouTube Ad and Facebook Ad auctions, leading to higher advertising costs.

2. Go for Giveaway Contests

During Eid-al-Adha, there is a strong emphasis on community and charitable activities, and research indicates that this generosity is being spread via digital media. Many businesses in the Middle East and Southeast Asia are showcasing their creativity by designing innovative giveaway campaigns that highlight the importance of sharing with others.

With the increasing use of smartphones, experts strongly recommend marketers to embrace mobile-based giveaway contests as a way to engage customers during Eid-al-Adha. This approach can lead to increased customer satisfaction and long-term value.

While Eid-al-Adha giveaways present lucrative marketing opportunities for businesses, managing them can be challenging. However, there is good news for businesses this year, as technology platforms like moLotus have made it convenient to create and manage mobile contests. moLotus has been assisting brands in launching and managing cost-effective, quick, and hassle-free mobile contests, resulting in improved customer response. Studies indicate that businesses in the MENA and SEA regions are gradually shifting away from traditional digital tools such as Facebook and Instagram contests, and embracing new platforms like moLotus to enhance their campaign return on investment (ROI).

3. Emphasize on Personalized Greetings

According to research, 65 percent of customers dedicate more time to watching videos during Eid-al-Adha. Two-thirds of customers have enjoyed personalized purchasing experiences through various technologies, and 64 percent have made purchases based on personalized ads. Furthermore, 71 percent of customers have found it easier to shop on the basis of personalized product suggestions (Source: Critman).

In light of this buying behavior, businesses should recognize the importance of creating personalized experiences for Eid-al-Adha shoppers. Major brands are already engaging with their customers by utilizing moLotus, a unique personalized mobile advertising platform that offers multiple options such as personalized greetings, names, calls-to-action, and rewards for individual customers. For example, businesses can incorporate greetings like "Eid-al-Adha Mubarak" along with the customer's name in their campaign messages.

It is worth noting that customers no longer prefer email messaging. They have become more attuned to a brand's presence and are inclined to spread word-of-mouth appreciation to their acquaintances. This, in turn, leads to increased customer acquisition and greater profitability.

4. Offer Coupons & Vouchers

Industry experts recommend that businesses should recognize and reward their loyal customers for their desired purchasing behavior during Eid-al-Adha. Surveys have indicated that observers of Eid-al-adha from Southeast Asia (SEA), the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and the Indian Subcontinent tend to shop more when they receive special coupons and vouchers.

With the emergence of marketing platforms like AdColony, moLotus, HubSpot, and others, businesses now have the opportunity to effectively engage and convert customers through digital coupons and vouchers.

moLotus, in particular, is helping businesses design personalized and automated campaigns that offer mobile vouchers and coupons. This technology is rapidly replacing traditional printed paper coupons with digital, hyper-personalized, real-time, and mobile-based alternatives. These digital coupons and vouchers not only generate high response rates but are also more cost-effective and faster to distribute compared to their printed counterparts. Furthermore, they are easy to administer and eliminate the risk of fraud. moLotus technology has introduced new levels of control, accuracy, tracking, and analysis for businesses, ultimately leading to a higher return on investment (ROI).

5. Focus on Brand Storytelling

In Eid-al-Adha marketing, brand storytelling is highly valued for its ability to create cultural relevance, emotional engagement, authenticity, product differentiation, and extended business reach. By leveraging the power of brand storytelling, businesses can deeply connect with their Muslim customers, cultivate stronger brand loyalty, and develop memorable promotional campaigns for Eid-al-Adha.

The essence of effective storytelling during Eid-al-Adha lies in understanding consumer behavior and delivering the right narrative through suitable marketing platforms. This combination allows for the activation and connection with the intended audience, resulting in relevant, compelling, and lighthearted long-form stories.

Many brands have adopted a fresh approach to Eid-al-Adha storytelling through mobile video advertising platforms like moLotus. moLotus enables the creation of interactive narratives by stringing together images, videos, and captions. Creators have the opportunity to incorporate product videos, images, voice-overs, and music, resulting in captivating brand storyboards. Additionally, businesses have been utilizing Instagram's carousel and video advertising features in conjunction with reels to visually present their stories in an appealing manner.

6. Launch New Products & Services

Eid-al-Adha is a time to explore for consumers, as they are more open to trying new brands and their offerings. For businesses, launching and promoting new products or services has always been a challenging endeavor. However, Eid-al-Adha provides a favorable opportunity to introduce new products. To effectively promote these launches, businesses should utilize marketing channels such as moLotus, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Google Ads, and more.

With the assistance of moLotus, the process of launching and promoting new products or services has become even more convenient and cost-effective. Businesses can easily create explanatory product videos using moLotus, enabling them to present complex concepts in a clear and understandable manner for their customers. These product launch videos can generate more clicks, impressions, and conversions, leading to greater success in promoting new offerings.

7. Promote Ecommerce

Eid-al-Adha is the time when Muslims engage in the tradition of exchanging gifts. From a marketing perspective, this gift-giving tradition presents significant opportunities, particularly in the realm of e-commerce. The interest in purchasing goods and services through ecommerce platforms has also surged globally, including in regions such as South-East Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and India.

According to Hepsiburada, an ecommerce platform, Turkish customers predominantly purchased food items, baby care products, books, and cosmetics leading up to the Eid-al-Adha holiday. NielsenIQ recently reported a 68 percent increase in ecommerce volume for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) in Turkey during the first four months of 2022 compared to the previous year. The study by NielsenIQ also highlighted that the baby care category experienced the highest growth rate, closely followed by confectionery and hot beverages. Online FMCG sales in Turkey account for 5.7 percent of the total FMCG sales. The report also stated that the ecommerce sales share of FMCG is increasing in countries like China and South Korea, with significant rises observed in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, and Russia. In terms of online share, Turkey ranks third in Europe, following the United Kingdom and France.

Experts suggest that now is the opportune time for ecommerce businesses to embrace and leverage mobile technologies like moLotus to capture customers' attention, ultimately leading to increased visibility and sales. The moLotus advertising platform encourages customers to place orders through ecommerce sites and enables them to engage in conversations with brands through various response options such as URL clicks, SMS, USSD, call-back, mgram and more. This allows customers to address their queries before making a purchase from their preferred ecommerce brand.

Some ecommerce brands are also utilizing mobile advertising and marketing platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Google Ads, and AdColony to create promotional campaigns and drive mobile shopping. However, these platforms have limited interactivity and may not be as cost-effective as moLotus.

Conclusion

Eid-al-Adha presents an excellent opportunity for businesses to engage with the Muslim community and promote their products or services. By understanding the cultural significance of this festive occasion and delivering the right marketing campaigns via the right marketing tools like moLotus, businesses can effectively tap into the spirit of Eid-al-Adha.

Brands should remember to be authentic, culturally sensitive, and genuinely engage with their customers. By incorporating these strategies, they can foster stronger customer connections, increase brand loyalty, and unlock success for their business during this joyous celebration.