There are two Eid celebrations each year, Eid al-Fitr (which means "the festival of breaking fast", held at the end of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (which translates as "the festival of sacrifice"). These events are significant occasions for Muslims worldwide and often feature in the top 10 most significant retail events of the year. 

Eid represents an excellent opportunity for e-commerce brands from various industries to optimise their online stores and marketing funnels to capture new audiences celebrating these holidays.

However, there are a few things sellers need to be mindful of when targeting new communities around the world. Firstly, the timing of Islamic holidays changes each year because they are tied to the lunar calendar. Plus, the times of the day people prefer to shop differ, often resulting in website conversion boosts of approximately 17% around 4 am each day during Ramadan, followed by dips in sales during the early evening. 

In addition, many customers shopping for Eid gifts are looking for traditional clothes, foods, and decorations – in keeping with the religious significance of the occasions. Therefore, e-commerce marketers need to alter their offerings to align with their customers' preferences (such as ensuring their products are Halal-certified) to attract the most sales. 

So, let's cover effective ad campaigns, finding suitable suppliers and ensuring customers are satisfied at all times. 

Give yourself time to plan your Eid campaigns

Like with other worldwide shopping events, preparing early will give you time to design and test your targeted ad campaigns, order extra inventory in time for Eid shoppers, and organise your fulfilment strategies ahead of the holiday. 

Here are some tips on preparing your store for the boost in demand for Eid-related products. 

Audience research

Research the cultural and religious significance of Ramadan/Eid and your target audience's shopping habits and preferences. 

Traditional clothing and foods are good to explore to capture Muslim audiences. Customers are also keen to shop from brands overseas, so make sure you cast your net wide and try expanding through marketplace sites like Amazon – open a World Account to collect funds seamlessly from more than 100 global marketplaces. 

Inventory planning

Review your existing inventory and identify the most relevant products to Muslim audiences. Ordering additional merchandise can help you meet increased demand during the holiday seasons. 

Alibaba and AliExpress offer a wide range of Eid-themed products that may appeal to your audience, including: 

1. Islamic clothing and accessories, such as hijabs, abayas and prayer rugs
2. Home decor items, such as lanterns and wall art
3. Gifts and toys, such as stuffed animals and board games with Islamic themes
4. Beauty and personal care products, such as halal-certified skincare and makeup

You can also search on both websites for Halal-certified manufacturers, which will help you ensure that the products you sell are suitable. Don’t forget to also look at seasonal buying trends within your targeted selling region. Here are some popular shopping search terms we found with Google Trends: 

UK: Ramadan gift box, Ramadan hampers, Gift bags, Eid chocolate, Dates (fruit)

USA: Eid dresses, Eid gifts, Eid clothes, Eid party

Australia: Eid dresses, Eid gifts, Eid cards, Eid decorations

Singapore: perfumes, Kurtas, coffee, artificial plants and cookies

Setting up your marketing strategies ahead of Eid

Here are the main tasks to ensure your e-commerce store is ready:

Plan your marketing collateral

Create a detailed plan for your Eid campaigns, including product offerings, discounts and promotions, marketing channels and timelines. 

Ramadan lasts an entire month, so you can divide the month into several periods and run separate adverts for each. For instance, during the fasting period, marketers can find success in promoting Iftar foods (ie traditional dishes served in the evening after the fasting period). 

Here are some of Google's statistics, which may help in your marketing and ad content planning: 

• In the MENA region, grocery searches increased by 25% approximately two weeks before Ramadan 2022 started 
• There was a 170% rise in searches for "Eid dress" during Ramadan 2022
• During the first two weeks of Ramadan, "moisturiser cream" searches increased by 35%. Search interest for "Ramadan cards" rose by 180%
• In weeks three to four of Ramadan 2020, Eid preparations increased. For example, there was a 45% increase in "men's grooming" product searches. Food delivery app searches were also the highest during this period. 
• During the post-Ramadan period (one to two weeks after Ramadan finishes), travel and holiday searches increase. This may be because many people celebrating like to take time off work. Also, remember that many gift purchases still happen after Eid during this time. 

The statistics above are just a sample of the information available on Eid celebrations worldwide, so conduct more product advertising research based on your specific brand offerings. 

Create enticing marketing campaigns

Create high-quality visuals and content that appeals to your target audience, including graphics and photography featuring the following imagery:

• New moon
• Crescent moon
• Stars
• Lanterns
• Ramadan drummer
• Mosques
• A timer counting the days of Ramadan 

You can also research successful Eid marketing campaigns that resonated with audiences, including ’The ¾ Pizza Box' from Pizza2Go. This idea worked because it tied into the Islamic Pillar of charitable giving (or giving Zakat). You may want to replicate this idea within your e-commerce store by setting aside a percentage of your profits to give to charity during Ramadan season.

Tips on planning in the run-up to Eid festivities

Once Ramadan has started, and around two weeks before the start of Eid al-Fitr, e-commerce preparations should be focussed on order fulfilment and customer service. Here are some tips to help make sure your sales season goes smoothly: 

Ensure seamless order fulfilment

Ensure order fulfilment and delivery processes are running efficiently to avoid delays or errors that could impact customers. 

You can help this process along by clearly communicating with customers about shipping times and delivery expectations. In addition, make sure you set up order tracking with your logistics partners and e-commerce storefront. 

Also, be mindful of employees taking time off work to celebrate and how it may impact your fulfilment. Muslim-majority countries have official public holidays for Eid that typically range from three to five days. 

Plus, Eid celebrations vary according to the lunar cycle and which location your suppliers, logistics partners, and customers reside in. With the World Account, you can pay your international business partners swiftly and securely using local details to help strengthen your relationships during these peak shopping seasons. 

Last-minute Eid preparations

Last-minute preparations for Eid involve finalising your inventory and ensuring you have enough stock to meet customer demand. 

Send a reminder email to your customers about your Eid campaigns, promotions and shipping deadlines. Consider adding some last-minute deals to catch any last-minute Eid gift shoppers. . 

Your order tracking should be running smoothing, but be sure to check. You should also monitor and respond to all customer emails and complaints and use their comments to make company improvements.

Eid celebrations

Engaging with your customers on social media during Eid is vital. Communicate with your audience on the celebration days, set up social media graphics and post photos. 

Show your appreciation and respect for Islamic customs and traditions. Also, remember to keep some of your promotions going to catch those who are sending belated gifts and continuing their Eid celebrations.