Sure, Black Friday is catching on in China, Japan – even traditional France – as retailers eye another opportunity to boost sales by luring consumers with heavy discounts. But every market has its own distinct holidays and consumption cycles, and you would be missing out on big sales drivers if you ignore them.
This is especially true for ecommerce, where the barriers to entry into a new market are often lower than traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. A solid distribution channel and multiligual product descriptions, supported by creatively adapted marketing and transcreated advertising, can open up opportunities for you to reach a much bigger audience, especially if you target local retail seasons thoughtfully.
So what are you waiting for? Have you planned out your 2020 retail calendar already? It’s not too late – Supertext is here to help you throughout the seasons.
Winter
Santa may bring presents to nice children around Dec 25 in some parts of the world, but in countries like the Netherlands, St Nicolas comes with gifts around Dec 6. Children in Mexico and Russia have to wait even longer, until Jan 6. Boxing Day (Dec 26) is a huge sales day in the UK, Canada, Australia and South Africa, while in East Asian countries such as China and South Korea, Christmas is the time to prepare gifts for Lunar New Year – a two week festival that starts on Jan 25, 2020.
Spring
Valentine’s Day may be Hallmark’s signature day, but do you know about White Day, Asia’s response to Feb 14? It’s one of Japan’s biggest retail days since traditionally, men gift women presents in return for the ones they received on Valentine’s Day – often of three times the value. It’s a commercial trend that’s spreading across China, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, too. Eid al-Fitr, the day that marks the end of Ramadan, is celebrated by Muslims worldwide with good food, new clothes, gifts and parties; in the UK, the Muslim Pound contributes millions to the economy.
Summer
The first day of June is Children’s Day, the most important day for children in China after their birthdays when they perform, attend field trips and receive gifts from school and parents. The whole month of July is the time for summer sales in Europe – it’s even mandated by legislation in France and lasts up to 4 weeks. And don’t forget: Tokyo is hosting the Olympics this summer, offering a huge opportunity for brands to reach a global audience!
Fall
Oktoberfest, Halloween, Thanksgiving – there are so many reasons to celebrate in the fall. It’s also the season of big commerce in China, when Single’s Day on 11/11 has been marketed to cheer up people without romantic partners. 11/11 has since kicked off a series retail benchmark days that now include 9/9, 10/10, and 12/12. The Chinese ecommerce platforms Taobao & T-Mall generate tens of billions of dollars in sales on these days, and this trend has now expanded to other SEA countries – Indonesia, Phillipines, Vietnam, and more.
From Uniqlo to Apple, many retailers are seeing more than half of their revenue coming in from international consumers. The opportunities are huge – and Supertext is here to help you reach global markets.
| Winter / 冬 / l’hiver / شتاء / 겨울 / Winter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dec 6 | St. Nicholas Day | Netherlands, Germany, Lebanon |
| Dec – Jan | Christmas & New Years sales | Worldwide |
| Dec 26 | Boxing Day sales | UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand |
| January | Winter sales | Major European countries |
| Jan 16 – Feb 29 | Grand sales | South Korea |
| Jan 25 – Feb 9 | Lunar New Year | Chinese Spring Festival, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Solnal | Spring / 春 / le printemps / ربيع /봄 / Frühling |
| March 9 | Holi Festival | Hindus across India and other South Asian countries |
| March 14 | White Day | China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia |
| May 1 – May 10 | Spring sales | Greece |
| May 24 – 27 | Eid al-Fitr | Worldwide | Summer / 夏 /l’été/ صيف / 여름 / Sommer |
| June 1 | Children’s Day | China |
| June 12 | Dia dos Namorados Brazillian Valentine’s Day | Brazil |
| July | Summer sales | Major European countries |
| July 24 – Aug 9 | 2020 Summer Olympics | Japan |
| Aug 19 – 20 | Islamic New Year | Arab world | Autumn / 秋 / l’automne / خريف/ 가을 / Herbst |
| Sep 9 Oct 10 Nov 11 Dec 12 |
9/9 10/10 (TBBD – The Big Billion Days) 11/11 (Single’s Day) 12/12 (Double-12) |
China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Phlippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan and other Asian countries |
| Sep 19 – Oct 4 | Oktoberfest | Mainly Germany, U.S., Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, China |
| Oct 14 | Canadian Thanksgiving | Canada |
| Nov 1 – Nov 10 | Autumn sales | Greece |
| Nov 14 | Diwali | Hindu community in India |
| Nov 20 – 23 | El Buen Fin | Mexico |
| Nov 27 | Black Friday | Worldwide |
| Nov 30 | Cyber Monday | Online |
Cover image via Unsplash