The Holy Month has once again proven to be a great boost to mobile apps, leading to both increased downloads and app usage across the Middle East.

Mobile app trends during Ramadan showed significant increase in non-organic installs (NOIs) in the Middle East, with a 27% rise compared to pre-Ramadan levels. This surge surpassed the 21% increase observed during Ramadan last year.

According to data from AppsFlyer via Media Avatar, the UAE's NOIs increased by 164%. The researchers also examined trends in specific app categories such as finance, food delivery, and eCommerce. Finance apps stood out this year with a remarkable 384% increase in total installs compared to last year's Ramadan.

During Ramadan, financial apps saw a 39% increase in remarketing conversions, food delivery apps experienced a 169% spike in NOIs, while eCommerce apps showed a solid 27% growth.

Capitalising on the Ramadan effect

Recent findings by the research firm also indicates that UAE consumers are quick to uninstall mobile applications, with 56.44% of Android apps being removed within a month of download.

AppsFlyer's industry lead for eCommerce, Sue Azari stressed the importance for UAE brands to capitalize on the Ramadan Effect by consolidating their gains. “We have been analysing mobile app behaviours through the Holy Month for several years now and the ‘Ramadan Effect’ is abundantly apparent," said Azari.

“During this time, consumers have limited time to reach physical shopping destinations before iftar and mobile shopping sees a surge as a result."

“Companies must solidify their gains by retaining the hard-won customers through continuous engagement efforts. This will mean delivering outstanding customer experiences to reinforce the current user base and extending marketing and engagement strategies across email, SMS, and push notifications," Azari concludes.