Social media is key in celebrating Ramadan this year according to Facebook – during a media conference earlier today, Country Director of Facebook Malaysia Nicole Tan laid out the statistics of Facebook usage during this festive period, and how it affects local businesses.
With the MCO now extended until the May 12, Ramadan celebrations – one of the biggest aspects to celebrating the occasion is shopping, buying new clothes, groceries for breaking fast, and more. Facebook says that Ramadan observers plan their purchases three weeks in advance, with 93% of respondents sharing their purchasing plans with family and friends over social media.
With online shopping now the de facto mode of spending, during the festive period, Malaysians want the best deals available – the Shocking/Flash/limited time deals that knock off a chunk of the retial price. According to Facebook, 45% of respondents actually take their shopping onto the social media platform, choosing to get their bargains from local businesses there. This statistic shows the importance of a social media presence for local businesses.
Another interesting statistic shows how much Malaysians are attached to their smartphones and their social media, even while consuming content from a different medium, like TVs. A massive 82% of respondents use chatting apps and surf their social media while watching TV during Ramadan – further adding to the point of the importance of an online presence for local businesses.
On top of that, during this Ramadan, it was found that Malaysians are looking for health–centric products and services during this period.
To add to this, Facebook also recently announced that they will allow businesses to charge users for access to their events with Live videos – this is another avenue for budding content creators to earn a buck when they’re online, perhaps performing, or holding classes.
The message here is that social media, especially one as large as Facebook, has become a platform for Malaysians to connect with their peers, and to celebrate an age-old festivity during a time of lockdown; as people adopt modern-day tech to adapt to current situations, businesses should do the same as well.
