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Editor’s note: MoCuan di bulan Ramadan is an initiative by MoEngage. In these articles, we talk to our customers to understand their customer growth strategy, engagement tactics, and best practices across product and marketing during Ramadan.

Please share a brief overview of your background and your role at XL Axiata. 

XL Axiata is a telecommunications brand offering businesses and customers mobile and telecommunications network services. Our core corporate customer base comprises non-governmental/governmental SMEs and large enterprises. Some industries we cater to are manufacturing, transportation, banking, wholesale, etc.

Our company’s portfolio of services include essential telephony services such as internet services, closed fixed network services, SMS broadcasting, machine-to-machine services, enterprise mobile solutions, personal tracker services, etc. We also offer mobile surveillance, vehicle tracking, electronic data capture, and automatic meter reading. 

XL Axiata also offers mobile advertising through SMS, MMS, and display channels; cloud server and storage services; and digital merchant services. Further, the company is involved in the rental of telecommunications towers. 

My role here at XL Axiata is to ensure the growth of activation and engagement while enhancing our customers’ experience. 

When do you start planning for your Ramadan campaigns?

At XL Axiata, we want to be prepared well in advance to give our customers the best possible Ramadan experience. To do so, we start planning and strategizing around 1 to 2 months before Ramadan begins, I’d say.  Ramadan is a very crucial time for both our customers and ourselves. To give our customers what they want, we analyze their behavior and preferences from past Ramadan campaigns and current trends. This is what’s proved successful for us in the past.

What trends do you see among brands running customer-centric Ramadan campaigns?

In my professional opinion, most campaign trends can be linked to Gamification and loyalty campaigns. With gamification, the idea is to make customers’ experiences more interactive and fun, which helps boost customer engagement and retention. On the other hand, loyalty campaigns aim to build retention by offering rewards and incentives. The goal is to build a positive relationship with customers so they keep returning and referring to friends and family.

When combined, these gamification and loyalty campaigns can be a powerful way to motivate and engage customers. This can help drive sales, boost customer satisfaction, and ultimately build a stronger brand.

How can brands drive maximum revenue from running holiday campaigns this Ramadan?

One piece of advice I’d give is to “make hay while the sun shines.” Ramadan is one of the peak seasons for brands to increase their revenue. Capitalizing on increased customer engagement and purchasing power should be the highest priority for brands this Ramadan. While it’s not feasible for me to give specific recommendations, here are the fundamentals brands should abide by:

• Analyze data from past Ramadan campaigns
• Understand your customers’ preferences and affinities
• Leverage gamification and  loyalty campaigns to retain customers

Additional Insights on XL Axiata’s Successful Campaigns

19% Uplift For Push Notifications with Cause-based Marketing

Ramadan this year is all about empathy and fraternity. To leverage this, consumer brands can take a leaf from XL Axiata’s cellular brand licensing service AXIS.  In December 2021, AXIS encouraged its customers to help aid the relief efforts from the devastation of the ‘Semeru’ volcano eruption crisis. AXIS’s customers could contribute by buying one of AXIS’s packages and giving to charity starting at IDR 1000. This effort successfully generated over 8,600 transactions/conversions (with a 19% uplift from Push AmplificationTM). 

This effort helped AXIS and XL Axiata build trust and empathy with customers and public consumers.

Reviving Non-transacting Customers to Boost Conversions By 13%

Every single consumer brand (if not all) has identified a segment of customers who use its app/platform but haven’t transacted in a long time. Considering the increased platform usage and increased spending power, brands must leverage this to generate additional revenue this Ramadan. 

XL Axiata’s AXISNet identified a segment of customers who hadn’t made a transaction in over 60 days. By leveraging omnichannel strategies via reactivation campaigns, they were able to empower customers who had been inactive to make purchases. Here are the observed results:

• 2 million conversions
• 16.3% conversions rate
• 13% boost in conversion rate (compared to control group results)

Tips for Brands to Drive Retention Beyond Ramadan

Every consumer brand wants to win Ramadan this festive season. But what are brands doing for their customers beyond Ramadan? Here are some trends and strategies for brands to drive engagement, retention, and revenue beyond the holy month:

1. Boosting customer loyalty is vital since loyal customers are 5x more likely to drive repeat purchases.
2. Build on Ramadan’s sentimental principles of fraternity, empathy, and forgiveness. Developing a better relationship with customers helps boost trust and loyalty. And loyal customers are 7x more likely to try new product offerings. 
3. Prioritize the omnichannel approach to engagement to optimally reach customers in both digital and offline channels.
4. Measure with long-term vision. Engagement and conversions for Ramadan are good ways to measure the short-term success of campaigns. But you must use ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and Customer LTV (Lifetime Value) to measure beyond Ramadan.

The only question remains: Is your brand ready to use these opportunities during and beyond Ramadan?