With UAE consumers being overwhelmingly mobile-first, companies hoping to increase customer engagement and spending would be wise to maximize their customer acquisition efforts during Ramadan. This is according to new data from AppsFlyer, which compared mobile app trends in Ramadan 2023 to Ramadan 2022, to reveal that both overall installs of mobile apps and in-app revenues were up, by 14% and 19% respectively.

Connecting this data with the findings of a recent McKinsey report which highlights that in the UAE, engagement on apps is 1.6 times higher than that of the developed markets of Europe and North America, Paul Wright, General Manager Western Europe and MENAT at AppsFlyer said, “While it’s clear that mobile-apps are UAE consumers’ channel of choice, maximizing app installs, engagement and consequently revenues is no easy task. It’s a crowded playing field and organizations need an edge. Our research indicates that timing plays a vital role and companies should turn this to their advantage during periods such as the Holy Month of Ramadan.”

Android Beats out iOS

Both iOS and Android enjoy widespread popularity in the UAE raising the question of where the country’s marketers should focus their efforts. AppsFlyer’s data indicates that at present, Android users appear to be more receptive to these app marketing campaigns, as during Ramadan 2023, overall app installs on devices running the operating system increased by 21% over Ramadan last year. In sharp contrast, overall installs for iOS apps declined very slightly. However, non-organic installs increased this Ramadan for apps on both Android and iOS by 16% and 14% respectively.

A Resurgence of Shopping Apps

Last year, AppsFlyer’s analysis of Ramadan data revealed that overall installs for shopping apps dropped by 26% compared to Ramadan 2021. This year, however, there was a notable shift in the trend as overall installs for shopping apps grew by an impressive 41% compared to Ramadan 2022. This trend was even more pronounced for non-organic installs — app downloads that occur after a user sees a marketing campaign — where the year-on-year increase was 53%. Shopping apps also saw their remarketing conversions — app spending driven by campaigns that aim to re-engage users that have already downloaded an organization’s app — increase by a healthy 21%.

Finance Not Far Behind

This increase in the effectiveness of remarketing conversions was even more pronounced for financial apps for which this metric grew a staggering 177% over Ramadan last year. This category of mobile apps saw both overall installs and non-organic installs increase, by 35% and 40% respectively.

“Businesses that optimized their marketing strategies around Ramadan have reaped the rewards. They must now cement their wins by ensuring the customers they have worked hard to acquire remain engaged. This can mean offering exceptional customer experiences to fortify the existing user base and expanding customer engagement lifecycle efforts across email, SMS, and push notifications. Making sure teams are fully leveraging personalized messages, combined with audience segmentation, will help organizations drive stronger engagement, loyalty, and ultimately, more value for customers,” added Wright.