While grocery and mass retailers are the dominant channels for Ramadan shoppers, there is still a significant opportunity for wholesale, specialty, general merchandise and pharmacy retailers, according to Numerator consumer insights.
The latest report covers Canadian shopping intentions for Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, an occasion that includes fasting, prayer and gatherings. This year’s observation goes until April 20.
Numerator’s survey was fielded to approximately 300 consumers between March 17 and 23, inquiring about plans for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Sweets, which commemorates the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting.
More than 60% of shoppers will purchase items at grocery store, followed by 51% at mass retailers like Walmart or Giant Tiger. Also, purchase intent figures reveal that 40% of consumers will purchase at wholesale retailers like Costco, while 32% will go to specialty retailers. About 22% of consumers will buy from restaurants or online only retailers, while 21% will opt for pharmacy chains. General merchandise locations, like Canadian Tire, follow at 19%.
The majority of consumers (84%) will be shopping at stores in-person, where 58% of buyers plan on purchasing on-sale items this, with 35% intending to save money by visiting dollar or discount channels.
Compared with Easter purchases, those made for Ramadan are far more likely to be done ahead of time: 45% of consumers plan for Ramadan at least a month in advance. Another 38% make their plan within two weeks of the holiday, compared with 53% for Easter shoppers.
Nearly every respondent (98%) plans on purchasing something over the month-long observance. Among those, over half (57%) will purchase food, followed by apparel (36%), gift cards (35%), home goods (32%) and toys or games (31%).
About 30% of shoppers plan to spend more than $200. Gen X is likely to spend the most money on Ramadan, while Gen Z will spend the least.
According to the 2021 census, 4.9% of Canadians identify as Muslim (up from 2% in 2001).
