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Ramadan E-commerce Ads Strategy for Saudi Arabia

Ramadan changes when people shop, what they shop for and what ads cost. Plan it as a season with phases, not as a single campaign.

By , performance marketing consultant · · 3 min read

Short answer

For Ramadan in Saudi Arabia, plan in phases: build audiences and creative before Ramadan; expect online activity to shift late into the evening and night, after iftar; plan for higher auction costs as advertisers compete; push gifting and Eid categories in the second half, with clear delivery cut-off dates; and keep campaigns running through Eid and the days after. Track by hour, not just by day, and set targets for the whole season rather than week by week.

How Ramadan changes behaviour

  • Time of day shifts. Activity moves later — after iftar and late into the night. Ad schedules, budgets and customer service hours built for normal days will be wrong.
  • Categories change. Food and groceries, home and kitchen, fashion and modest wear, gifts, fragrance and electronics rise in different weeks.
  • Gifting peaks before Eid, and delivery dates become the deciding factor.
  • Competition rises. Many advertisers concentrate budgets in the same weeks, so CPMs and CPCs increase.

Plan it in phases

Phase Focus
4–6 weeks before Creative production (Arabic and English), audience building, feed and stock checks, tracking verified
First days of Ramadan Lower-funnel and existing customers while behaviour settles; watch hourly data
Mid-Ramadan Scale categories that are working; introduce gifting messages
Last ten days Eid gifting, delivery cut-offs in ads and on site, urgency where it is real
Eid and after Keep running — post-Eid demand and gift-card or voucher spending continue

Channel notes

  • Google Search and Shopping capture intent; make sure the feed, prices and stock are correct before demand rises.
  • Meta and Snapchat carry most demand creation in Saudi Arabia for consumer brands; creative made for Ramadan, not reused from other seasons, performs better.
  • TikTok is significant for younger audiences.
  • WhatsApp is part of the purchase journey — track clicks to chat as conversions.

Budgets and targets

Set a ROAS or cost-per-acquisition target for the whole season, not per day. Early days may look expensive as learning settles and costs rise; the last ten days and Eid often carry the result. Use your margin to decide the floor — the break-even ROAS calculator shows it.

Operations decide the result

  • Delivery cut-off dates for Eid stated clearly in ads, on product pages and at checkout.
  • Stock planned for the categories you advertise.
  • Customer service available in the evening and late at night, when people are shopping.
  • Payment methods Saudi shoppers expect: Mada, Apple Pay, and buy-now-pay-later options such as Tabby and Tamara.

After the season

Compare the season with the previous year and with the weeks before it, on store revenue rather than platform ROAS. Note which creative and categories worked; next Ramadan's plan starts there.

For help planning a season, see performance marketing in Saudi Arabia.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start Ramadan ad campaigns?

Prepare four to six weeks before — creative, audiences, feed and tracking — and launch as Ramadan begins, with gifting and Eid messages in the second half.

Do ad costs go up during Ramadan?

Usually, because many advertisers concentrate spend in the same weeks. Plan budgets and targets for the season, not day by day.

What time should Ramadan ads run in Saudi Arabia?

Activity moves to the evening and late night after iftar. Check hourly data in the first days and adjust schedules and budgets accordingly.

Should I stop ads after Eid?

No. Demand continues for several days after Eid, and audiences built during Ramadan are valuable for remarketing.

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