Indonesia’s 2024 Ramadan shopping outlook: Key purchase categories and retail channels

What is the outlook for consumer spending across various retail categories during Ramadan 2024 in Indonesia? What’s the mix of online vs offline shopping that Ramadan shoppers plan to do this year for various goods – and which e-commerce channels do they plan to use?

In Part 1 of our three-part study on Ramadan 2024 in Indonesia: Trends in Festive Shopping, THR spending and Mudik Travel, we unpack the key purchase categories and retail channels of Ramadan shoppers in Indonesia this year.

Ramadan shopping in 2024: Are consumers planning to spend more, less, or the same on various goods this year?

Latest research from YouGov Surveys show that, among Muslim consumers in Indonesia who observe Ramadan, most expect their spending on various categories of goods in 2024 to be the same as or more than past years – very few are looking to spend less than they did previously.

However, nearly six in ten expect to spend more on donations (57%) during Ramadan this year, while almost half expect to spend more on food and drinks (48%).

In contrast, Muslim consumers are least likely to spend more on household appliances and electronic products this Ramadan – the two retail categories which also have the largest proportion of consumers who expect to spend less on them this year.

Online vs Offline: How are consumers planning to shop for various goods this Ramadan?

The vast majority of Muslim consumers intend to purchase at least some mobile data / internet plans (86%), fashion and apparel (78%), and personal care and cosmetics products (70%) via online channels during Ramadan this year.

Just under six in ten also intend to use online channels for contributing at least some of their donations (59%) and purchasing at least some of their household appliances (53%) and food and drinks (53%) over Ramadan in 2024.

On the other hand, almost half of consumers intend to buy medicine and vitamins (48%) entirely though offline channels this Ramadan – the category with the largest proportion of exclusively in-person shoppers – ahead of food and drinks (46%) and donations (36%).

Which online shopping channels are most popular among consumers this Ramadan?

Almost nine in ten (89%) Muslim consumers intend to do some Ramadan shopping on Shopee this year – by far the most popular online shopping channel – far ahead of GoTo’s Tokopedia (51%), Bytedance’s TikTok Shop (41%) and Lazada (34%).

Across genders, Shopee is the most popular Ramadan online shopping channel, although it is more popular among women (92%) than men (85%). This is also true for TikTok Shop (49% among women vs 33% among men), which is the next most popular Ramadan online shopping channel among women.

In contrast, Tokopedia is the next most popular Ramadan online shopping channel among men, where it is significantly more popular (59% among men vs 42% among women).

Across generations, Shopee is undisputedly the most popular e-commerce platform for Ramadan shopping in 2024. But while Tokopedia is the next most popular among Millennials and Gen X – ahead of TikTok Shop – the reverse is true among Gen Z.

Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online in January 2024, with a sample of 2,136 adults in Indonesia (aged 18+ years), using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by gender, age, socioeconomic class, city tier to be representative of the adult Indonesian online population (18 years or older) and reflect the latest Indonesian Bureau of Statistics (BPS) population estimates. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.

_{Cover photo by xavierarnau}