NielsenIQ unveils real-time Ramadan insights across MEA
The 2026 Advent Calendar will cover 10 key markets: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan Lebanon and Morocco.
The initiative provides real-time market intelligence throughout Ramadan, helping businesses unlock regional growth opportunities, refine planning cycles and optimise commercial strategies during one of the year’s most influential retail periods.
Leveraging NielsenIQ’s end-to-end and omnichannel capabilities, the Ramadan Advent Calendar aims to deepen understanding of shifting consumer behaviour patterns during the holy month — a period that continues to command a disproportionate share of annual retail sales across multiple sectors.
Ramadan’s commercial weight across MEA
Ramadan remains a defining moment in the retail calendar. According to NielsenIQ data, the period contributes nearly 19% of annual FMCG sales and approximately 15% of annual Tech & Durables (T&D) sales across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions.
By delivering daily insights across these territories, NielsenIQ aims to equip businesses with granular visibility into category shifts, channel dynamics and innovation performance.
FMCG: Food categories lead exceptional growth
Ramadan remains one of the most commercially significant periods in the Middle East and Africa. NielsenIQ data shows that Ramadan contributes nearly 19% of annual FMCG sales and 15% of annual Tech & Durables (T&D) sales across the Middle East and North Africa regions.
During Ramadan 2025, the market witnessed strong momentum across sectors:
Ramadan 2025 demonstrated significant year on year gains:
- +20.2% value growth and +7.9% unit growth vs. Ramadan 2024
- Food categories accounted for 81.7% of sales value, with Non-Food contributing 18.3%
- E-commerce: +45.4%
- Traditional Trade: +24.4%
- Modern Trade: +16.9%
Innovation remained central to Ramadan performance, with 500 to over 4,000 new Food and Non-Food SKUs launched across MEA markets. Private label continued to rise regionally, with growth observed in all countries except Kuwait, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Top-selling categories remained consistent, with 75% of Ramadan FMCG sales driven by Grocery, Beverages, Dairy, and Confectionery.
Tech & Durables: Telecom and cooling products lead Ramadan demand
Across the MENA 6 markets (UAE, KSA, Türkiye, Morocco, Oman, Egypt), T&D sales grew by 7.4% in 2025 compared to the previous year.
Sector highlights:
- Telecom (+9.4%), Major Domestic Appliances (+1.4%), and IT (+5.6%) drove the strongest revenue gains.
- Smartphones alone generated an additional $290m during Ramadan 2025.
- Seasonal demand boosted home climate categories, especially:
- Air Conditioners (+$104m)
- Vacuum Cleaners (+$50m)
- Steam Cleaners (+$17m)
Ramadan contributed approximately 15% of annual T&D sales across MENA, with the UAE (16.2%) and Saudi Arabia (16.3%) seeing the highest share.
Omnichannel transformation
E-commerce maintained its momentum, contributing 30% of total T&D revenue during Ramadan 2025 across MENA6 — reinforcing the need for fully integrated omni-channel strategies during key seasonal moments.
Market-specific trends
- Air Conditioners delivered the strongest revenue growth, particularly in:
- UAE (+41%)
- Türkiye (+44%)
- Saudi Arabia (+19%)
- Telecom delivered remarkable absolute gains:
- +$200M in Türkiye
- +$72M in Saudi Arabia
- +$52M in UAE
Oman showed a distinct shift toward wellness and connectivity, with Smart Watches, Media Tablets, and Laptops outperforming all other categories.
Turning seasonal insight into year-round strategy
With Ramadan representing a high-stakes trading period, NielsenIQ’s Ramadan Advent Calendar 2026 is positioned as more than a data campaign — it is a structured intelligence tool designed to help businesses move from reactive planning to proactive execution.
By combining daily insights with end-to-end omni analytics, NielsenIQ aims to help companies strengthen forecasting, optimise assortments, sharpen promotional strategies and capture incremental growth across MEA’s diverse retail ecosystems.
As Ramadan continues to account for a meaningful share of annual FMCG and T&D sales, the ability to decode consumer behaviour in real time may increasingly separate market leaders from the rest.
View the Advent Calendar 2026 https://nielseniq.com/global/en/landing-page/ramadan-advent-calendar-2026/