Mobile app activity across the region saw a significant uplift during Ramadan this year, with in-app purchase revenue climbing by 18.6 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to reach $1.70 billion, an industry report said.
In its annual Ramadan analysis, AppsFlyer, a leading global firm in marketing measurement, attribution, and data analytics, said it found that mobile app activity across the region saw a significant uplift during the Holy Month.
Sessions, a measure of app usage across all app categories, increased by approximately 15 per cent YoY, with gaming, shopping and finance apps driving steady engagement throughout the Ramadan period, the report said.
Non-organic installs also increased by an estimated 10 per cent year-over-year across categories, it said.
During Ramadan, shopping app sessions across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar rose by over 20 per cent YoY, reaching 682 million this year.
This was accompanied by a 76 per cent increase in non-organic installs across the region, the report said.
Shopping apps saw the strongest uplift in the first half of Ramadan, with a 111 per cent increase in installs, compared to the same period in 2024, followed by a 47 per cent rise in the second half.
Finance apps also delivered strong results, with sessions increasing by 9.7 per cent and in-app revenue growing by 29.35 per cent, reaching S$650 million.
However, non-organic installs in finance declined slightly – 6 per cent YoY – suggesting that while fewer paid users were acquired, those who did convert delivered higher value, the report said.
Sue Azari, Industry Lead – e-commerce at AppsFlyer, said this year’s Ramadan data reinforces how critical the season has become for mobile-first engagement strategies.
“The leap in shopping installs across the region reflects users’ growing comfort with mobile commerce as their default shopping channel – particularly in markets like the UAE where promotional cycles and user expectations are maturing fast,” Azari said.
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