There are so many holidays in China that it’s hard for businesses to keep track, or know how to best take advantage of them. But a successful marketing campaign factors in major retail holidays in China.

In China, traditional holidays are always times for family gatherings. Although these often give several days up to a week of vacation, the Chinese don’t shop much over the holidays themselves, since they’re busy with family. For e-commerce in China, what’s important is your promotion period before the holiday starts.

For example, Chinese New Year. We see discounts and promotions happening from Christmas right through to Chinese New Year (usually end of January / February), because shoppers are pocketing their end of year bonuses, and with the launch of spring / summer collections, they are looking for new clothing and gifts in preparation for the CNY holidays. Together with the fact that many start their homebound journeys a full week before the actual holiday, digital marketers for the China market would do well to start planning and executing promotions way in advance.

Tell your target customers about your sales promotions by engaging social media key opinion leaders (KOLs) to talk about your brand throughout your promotion period on platforms like Wechat and Weibo. Be creative about how their posts promote you and always remember, authenticity and a truly credible voice is key to influencing consumers.