The month of Ramadan is approaching, marking the start of Raya 2022 – a key event on the retail calendar.
This year’s Raya is extra special because chances are high that Malaysians will finally get to celebrate sans restrictions- for the last two years, we were in a nationwide lockdown during the festive season. But this year, most of the country is vaccinated and the Covid-19 virus is fairly under control.
While the future isn’t set in stone, the government has made it clear that they plan on allowing interstate travel and the return of Ramadan bazaars.
There is hope for the first normal Raya in a while, and retailers have to be prepared for the festivities!
Here’s a list of things to check off your to-do lists.
Products to Stock Up on For Raya 2022
During any festive season, you can bet on an increase in consumer spending. For Raya, the shopping frenzy starts as early as before the fasting month, as Muslims prepare to observe Ramadan. This continues until up to a month after Raya, which is how long celebrations typically last.
To make the most out of this busy period, retailers must stock up on products that customers want. From popular fasting foods to spring cleaning necessities, you need to get your hands on these items.
Fasting Foods
Fasting twelve hours each day for a month takes a lot out of the human body, which is why consumers need to properly replenish and fuel up. It’s common practice to eat food that will keep you feeling full for as long as possible, such as those with high fibre, fat and carb content.
Dates are a must – it’s customary to break fast with the high-fibre fruit and many will munch on some before beginning their fast. Bread is also popular for a quick and easy meal at dawn instead of cooking rice. Lastly, have a good selection of dairy products in stock – milk, yoghurt or cheese.
Raya Ingredients
Home-cooked feasts are what everyone looks forward to during Raya. Traditionally, cooking for the first day of Raya is an activity that the entire family takes part in. Large-scale cooking is necessary because there are many dishes to prepare to feed visiting family and friends.
Rendang, lodeh, kuah kacang and sambal goreng are some of the common Raya dishes many families prepare to eat with ketupat or lemang. It’s essential to get your inventory ready with the ingredients for these dishes if you want to make more sales.
Drinks Assortment
Consumers will be buying an assortment of drinks to go with all the food they are serving their guests. Soft drinks are the ultimate celebratory beverage for Raya, along with cordial drinks like sirap and sarsaparilla.
This year, expect an increase in sales for bottled water too. In our 2021 top products wrap-up, we covered the popularity of bottled water – a hygienic alternative to water jugs or dispensers as they minimise high-contact areas. And because consumers celebrating will be doing all they can to avoid the transmission of Covid-19, it’s likely that many will be purchasing bottled water.
Snacks
Tidbits, both savoury and sweet, are top sellers not just for Raya celebrations but also for Ramadan itself. This is because consumers are snacking at night after they break fast to make up for a whole day of not eating.
For Raya, snacks like savoury chips, chocolate, wafers and candy are served to guests after the main course.
Cleaning Products
Another mass activity that takes place before Raya is cleaning. To get the house ready for guests, families work together to deep-clean and tidy up.
Be prepared for an influx of cleaning with the right products – sprays, detergents and even tools like microfibre towels.
Raya 2022 Promotion Ideas
Every business is gearing up for Raya 2022 as many want to capitalise on the rise of consumer spending. But this means that competition will be at an all-time high.
Here are strategic steps you can take this season to promote your business and set yourself apart from other retailers.
Special Festive Menus
This one is for the F&B retailers – you know that festivities like Ramadan and Raya revolve around food. It’s something that consumers look forward to each year and enjoy, so why not make it even more exciting for them?
Give your customers something new to try by creating special menu items just for the Ramadan-Raya period.
There are a few ways you can do this:
- Plan Ramadan buffets on weekends.
- Create Ramadan set menus for breaking fast.
- Include dates and ‘kuih’ in meals served during Ramadan.
- Add traditional Raya dishes to the menu for a limited time.
- Incorporate festive flavours like dates into desserts (e.g. Sticky Date Pudding)
Exclusive and limited offers like these draw customers in and play up your usual menu at the same time, which can positively impact sales.
Get the Timing Right
Peak business hours typically change during Ramadan as many customers are fasting all day. But those that are fasting break fast at the same time every evening, which creates a larger than usual dinner crowd. On top of that, there is a demand for F&B retailers to stay open much later for supper.
To take advantage of the changing consumer behaviour, retailers can make temporary changes to their operating hours and tweak the services offered.
Strategies to consider before Ramadan:
- Opening up late and closing the store later to accommodate peak hours.
- Start delivering food early as many customers may want to break fast at home.
- Allow customers to order in advance to ensure their food arrives on time.
- Set up a system to streamline delivery orders and pre-orders.
Join Marketplace Activities
If you are listing on marketplaces, be sure to take part in promotional activities as you don’t want to miss out on the valuable exposure.
Marketplaces like Grab, Shopee and Zalora always roll out promotional campaigns around a festive event like Raya. With the massive reach that these marketplaces have, you can attract new customers to purchase your products.
One of the benefits of joining marketplaces promotions is that they will typically assist you, provide the strategies and conduct the campaign for you. At the same time, you can use the analytics or insights from the campaign to improve your future offerings.
Create Gift Boxes
Raya is all about giving back to the community and people around you. For this reason, there is a demand for gift boxes or hampers that your customers can buy to send to their loved ones.
You can choose to make the gift boxes strictly food only or include other merchandise as well! Kuih Raya, serunding and dodol are traditional items commonly given as gifts during Ramadan. Rather than just sticking to one type of product, retailers typically bundle these products along with some of their own to curate the perfect gift box.
Playing up the packaging is also in trend lately, from boxes that look like kampung houses and cupboards! Using batik prints for packaging is another way to incorporate traditional Raya accents to gift boxes that your customers will love.
Use Festive Keywords
Getting consumers’ attention is essential to trade successfully during Raya 2022, but it’s not easy with so many businesses promoting at the same time. One way to cut through the noise is by utilising top keywords.
Using the right keywords can improve your discoverability online, making it easier for customers to find you.
Some festive keywords to include in your marketing messaging are:
- “Buka Puasa Set”
- “Ramadan Buffet”
- “Iftar Specials”
- “Ramadan Deals”
- “Jom Berbuka”
- “Iftar Menu”
- “Get Raya Ready”
The key here is to include words that your customers are bound to look for, whether it’s a food item or other. Using SEO tools like Semrush or Moz can also help you validate the top keywords online.
More Opportunities than Ever
After two years in lockdown, Raya 2022 is set to be a huge celebration. This means more consumer shopping and opportunities for retailers to profit from, as long as they are well prepared.
Head to Dropee for the best deals on Ramadan and Raya essentials!
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