In the United States, shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become culturally ingrained opportunities to splurge and buy gifts for loved ones (or yourself!). These shopping days have also grown in popularity outside the U.S., and they’re not the only regional shopping days to do so.
How does this growth benefit businesses? Strategic brands can advertise in less saturated markets or plan promotions for these important dates when expanding globally. Learn more about nine growing shopping days below, including where they’re popular and which product categories sell best.
Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year)
Second new moon after the winter solstice.
Feb. 10, 2024
Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in China and is also celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with large Chinese populations.
In the United States, targeting ads in areas with large Chinese populations may prove successful. In fact, Washington state legislators have discussed making Chinese New Year an official holiday.
What are the most purchased products on the Chinese New Year?
Money is typically gifted in red envelopes on this day, however, other items like alcohol, tea, tobacco, sweets, and clothing are also given. According to Pattern, top-selling products on Chinese New Year include festive foods, flowers, accessories, furniture, and electronic appliances.
Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar
March 10, 2024
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection. While it is most popular in the Middle East and Muslim-majority countries, it is growing in popularity with advertisers as a shopping season in the UK, where four million Muslims reside.
Ramadan is commemorated by Eid Al Fitr, the celebration marking the end of the fast of Ramadan.
What are the most purchased products for Ramadan and Eid-Al-Fitr?
While not a traditional shopping day per se, Muslim purchasing habits change during Ramadan and Eid. Notably, shopping for groceries, clothing, confectionary goods, and apparel all increase during this period, according to CRIMTAN.
Halloween
Oct. 31 every year
This spooky American holiday is also celebrated in Canada, the UK, Germany, Spain, Japan, and the Philippines. While the vast majority of Halloween celebrations (and shopping) occur in the US, this does present an opportunity to advertise in less saturated markets.
What are the most purchased products for Halloween?
Halloween is a good time to sell costumes, candy, decorations, and other spooky-themed items.
A 2023 Jungle Scout report shows that 44% of consumers typically do Halloween shopping on Amazon first, before turning to other options. Consumers planned to buy costumes, accessories, candy, decorations, and party supplies online in 2023.
Diwali
During the Hindu month of Kartik, on the day of the new moon (typically in October or November in Western terms)
Nov. 1, 2024
Diwali is an official holiday in India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and other Asian countries. It is one of the most important festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Diwali is a post-harvest festival with the spiritual symbolism of victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
The festival takes place over five days, with each day holding religious and cultural significance.
What are the most purchased products for Diwali?
Traditionally, gold and silver are purchased during Diwali. However, in 2021, Business Insider India reported that furnishings and food were the two most popular purchase categories in the five days leading up to Diwali.
Singles’ Day
Nov. 11 every year
Singles’ Day is an unofficial Chinese holiday and shopping day that celebrates people who are not in a relationship. It started in the 1990s and has grown to become the world’s biggest shopping day.
The shopping day is recognized across Southeast Asia, in countries like Taiwan, Vietnam, and Singapore. More brands in European countries like Italy, Spain, and France have begun Singles’ Day promotions. Savvy brands may choose to ramp up Singles’ Day promotions in regions with higher Chinese populations, even in countries where the holiday is less recognized.
In 2021, Singles’ Day sales exceeded $139 billion, compared to an estimated $40 billion on Black Friday.
What are the most purchased products on Singles’ Day?
Shoppers typically look to spend on themselves, or the singles in their lives, with more feel-good, self-indulgent products. According to Byrd, the most popular categories in 2022 included electronics, cosmetics, beauty, and fashion.
El Buen Fin
The weekend before Mexican Revolution Day (November 20)
Nov. 15, 2024
El Buen Fin, or “The Good Weekend,” is a four-day nationwide shopping event in Mexico. Technically, this shopping day hasn’t spread beyond its region of origin, but it makes the list because it was inspired by Black Friday, and started in 2011 as an initiative to stimulate the economy.
In 2022, $1.31 billion in online retail sales revenue was generated from this shopping day. El Buen Fin has seen steady year-over-year growth, with large national participation in Mexico; AMVO reported that seven out of 10 online shoppers in Mexico planned to purchase a product during El Buen Fin in 2020.
What are the most purchased products on El Buen Fin?
Fashion, groceries, electronics, home appliances, and beauty were the top-selling categories of 2022.
Black Friday
Friday after Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday of November)
Nov. 29, 2024
What started as an American shopping day has now become a full weekend of product promotions from stores around the world.
You can expect shoppers from North America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and some Asian countries to respond to your Black Friday ad campaigns. In the Middle East, Black Friday is called “White Friday” and runs for four days to the Monday after Thanksgiving.
According to Adobe Analytics, consumers spent more than $9 billion online during Black Friday in 2022.
What are the most purchased products during Black Friday?
Black Friday shoppers are more likely to be buying gifts for their friends and families for Christmas and the holiday season. The top product categories sold on Black Friday are clothing, shoes, electronics, home and garden, and home appliances, with $9 billion in online consumer spending in 2022.
Cyber Monday
Monday after Thanksgiving
Dec. 2, 2024
Cyber Monday is a shopping day that has become an extension of Black Friday in many ways, but with a special focus on online sales. Much like Black Friday, you can expect North America, Europe, the Middle East, and some Asian countries to be receptive to Cyber Monday promotions. In the Middle East, Cyber Monday runs as part of the White Friday four-day shopping event.
According to Simon Kucher, 28 countries outside the US participate in Cyber Monday, with awareness highest in the U.K. at 89%, followed by Germany (86%), Spain (85%), Italy (80%), Netherlands (70%), Sweden (69%), and Denmark (52%).
What is typically purchased on Cyber Monday?
Cyber Monday shoppers are more likely to buy gifts for their friends and families for Christmas and the holiday season. According to NASDAQ, the highest-selling categories in 2022 were clothing, toys, gift cards, electronics, and media.
Boxing Day
Day after Christmas (Dec. 25)
Dec. 26, 2024
Boxing Day is celebrated on the day after Christmas in commonwealth countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Jamaica. Boxing Day sales can last a whole week after Christmas day.
According to a Finder survey, Boxing Day and Black Friday are equally popular among Gen Z shoppers in the UK.
What are the most purchased products during Boxing Day?
Since Boxing Day occurs after Christmas shopping is completed, you can expect shoppers to make more purchases for themselves. They may also be less likely to splurge after holiday spending. A 2022 Statista survey shows that Australian consumers were most interested in buying the following product categories: Clothes and shoes (62%), electronics (27%), beauty and makeup products (18%), and homeware and furniture (14%).
Use feed management to optimize your listings and scale for major shopping days
As a part of your brand’s multichannel ad strategy, you can tailor your ad campaigns for popular shopping days on channels like Google Shopping, Facebook, and Instagram.
By using a product feed management solution, brands with large product catalogs can automate product listing, data optimization, and catalog updates, freeing up time for other important initiatives. You can also use custom labels in your product feed to segment campaigns around your seasonal and top-performing products.
Find out how our full-service support team can help scale your ecommerce business.
With its leading data feed management platform, Feedonomics helps brands, retailers, and agencies optimize and list products on hundreds of shopping destinations around the world. Learn more about our full-service solutions for advertising channels and marketplaces.
