Melissa O’Malley, Director of Global Merchant & Cross-Border Trade Initiatives, PayPal

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For most online businesses, marketing during peak consumer holidays is a given. Christmas specials and back-to-school deals are an opportunity to connect with customers, promote new product lines, and capture the attention of an audience that is eager to spend.

With ecommerce sales on the rise, small businesses need to adapt their selling strategies and sales calendars for a more diverse audience of global consumers.

One holiday that remains largely underserved from an ecommerce perspective is Ramadan, a holy month of fasting and prayer in Islamic culture. Beginning this year on June 17th, Muslims will abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours, coming together each evening with friends and family to break the fast over a large spread of gourmet delicacies. The festive spirit will culminate on July 17th with Eid Al-Fitr, a holiday also known as the Sugar Feast that marks the end of Ramadan.

In predominantly Muslim countries, employers typically cut back on working hours to give employees more time to allow for fasting and religious reflection. While business slows considerably, activity and spending on food and consumer goods see a marked increase, especially in the evening hours when the fast is broken and people find renewed energy.

Several Muslim-majority countries see incredible ecommerce spikes during this period. In Indonesia, the Muslim community makes up 88 percent of the population, 66.8 million of which are active online users[1]. During Ramadan in 2014, online sales of Muslim apparel skyrocketed, with a 96 percent increase in transactions and an 84 percent increase in revenue[2].

Another market with impressive growth is the United Arab Emirates, where the booming ecommerce market grew 300 percent between 2013 and 2014 alone[3]. During Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr, sales of fashion apparel, consumer electronics, and home goods top the list of popular purchases for Emirati shoppers[4].

Ramadan is a clear opportunity to connect with Muslim populations around the world, but adjusting your marketing strategies to the Muslim consumer lifestyle is vital to successfully increasing sales. For example, women’s apparel, while fashionable, should be modest and cover the arms and legs. Rethink your bestsellers and product homepage to reflect Muslim values and culture, using language and imagery that has been vetted and approved by an expert.

In short, the increased commercialism surrounding Ramadan and the readiness of Muslim consumers to move their shopping habits online makes this holiday hard to ignore. With the Muslim consumer market reaching 1.8 billion people[5], there is no better time to begin marketing your products and services for a diverse set of cultures and values.

[1] Eat Pray Shop: E-Commerce Ramadan Case Study- aCommerce (July 2014)

[2] Eat Pray Shop: E-Commerce Ramadan Case Study- aCommerce (July 2014)

[3] UAE e-commerce growth surge 300% last year- ICN (November 2014)

[4] Dubai retailers look to continue brisk business- Khaleej Times (July 2014)

[5] Winning over the Muslim consumer- OgilvyNoor