Top ten brands Malaysian and Indonesian Muslims are buying from this Ramadan

Food and beverage brands come up on top

With the holy month of Ramadan coming up, YouGov Plan & Track looks at the brands Malaysian and Indonesian Muslims are buying most of in preparation.

In spite of governmental measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, data shows that Muslims in both nations are still stocking up and spending on goods and services in preparation for Ramadan. In Malaysia, where strict lockdowns have been in place since mid-March – it appears many have turned to online shopping, with Southeast Asian e-commerce brand Shopee topping the list. The top ten has been compiled by looking at the Current Customer scores -- which measures what brands consumers have been purchasing from in the past 28 days. We then compare the difference in scores between Muslims and the overall national population.

The top three is rounded up by financial brand Bank Islam, a key player in the Islamic finance sector and with its pilgrimage (Tabung Haji) fund, and snackfood brand Oreo. They are followed by food brands such as popular QSR chain KFC and coffee brand Nescafe.

Personal care brands are also popular, with local Halal-certified Safi and global hygiene brand Lifebuoy. With all of Malaysia likely to be social distancing or stuck at home for Ramadan, streaming brands fare well with local media giant Astro and subscription video-on-demand service iflix.

In Indonesia, beverage brands appears to take precedence in consumer spending for Ramadan. With their popular annual Ramadan ads, sweet tea brand Teh Pucuk Harum tops the list. It is followed closelely by Japanese probiotic beverage brand Yakult and fellow sweet-tea competitor Tek Kotak rounds up the list of beverages.

The rest of the top ten is rounded up by brands to prepare Indonesian Muslims for the month ahead. Personal care brand Rexona Men comes in fourth, followed by convenience store franchise Alfamart. Shoe brands Bata and Nike also fare well. Cooking oil brand Bimoli is in seventh, whitegoods manufacturer Toshiba in ninth and telco provider Indosat in tenth.

Ervin Ha, Head of Data Products for YouGov APAC commented: “For Muslims around the world, Ramadan marks a significant occasion of prayer and celebration. While this year’s Ramadan will differ greatly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers in Malaysia and Indonesia are still spending on the goods and services to prepare for this holy month. With month-long fasting ahead, it is perhaps unsurprising that food and beverage brands come up on top in both nations.”