Black Friday and Cyber Monday are usually the most obvious choices when we think about shopping holidays.
There are, however, many other worldwide shopping holidays, some of which generate even more sales than Black Friday and Cyber Monday put together.
If you’re marketing to overseas customers, you’ll need to know when they’ll be shopping. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the world’s most important shopping days.
#1. Black Friday
Thanksgiving is usually held on a Thursday in the United States, while Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving. Black Friday has traditionally been a bustling day for shops as the start of the Christmas shopping season. It has been the largest shopping day of the year in the United States since 2005.
Black Friday, like many other American consumer trends, has spread worldwide. Black Friday 2017 was predicted to be the largest shopping day in history in the United Kingdom, overtaking Boxing Day like an invading consumerist plant.
In Romania, it’s also a big shopping day, and it’s starting to catch on in other European nations. However, in some nations, the concept of Black Friday has been spread rather than the date. Romania, for example, observes Black Friday a week before the United States.
Meanwhile, in Brazil, Black Friday has devolved into a frantic shopping festival as shoppers compete for the best prices. However, because some shops have been found raising prices before “discounting” them, it’s sometimes referred to as “Black Fraude.” Businesses who want to capitalize on the Brazilian Black Friday frenzy should manage their reputations carefully and be upfront with their prices.
#2. Cyber Monday
In 2005, retailers coined the term “Cyber Monday” to encourage people to shop online on the Monday after Thanksgiving. The Black Friday rush, with its throngs and frantic, occasionally violent rivalry, turns off many shoppers.
Cyber Monday has swiftly become a popular shopping day in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Brazil. Meanwhile, according to Independent Retailer, Cyber Monday is particularly popular in Spanish-speaking Latin America, where Black Friday has yet to gain traction.
#3. Singles Day
However, in China, there is one shopping day that reigns supreme: Singles Day, which takes place every year on November 11th. In the 1990s, a group of Chinese college students created Singles Day. It was adopted by Alibaba eight years ago, and it was transformed into one of the greatest online shopping experiences.
And today, the amount of money spent on Singles Day in China makes Black Friday look small. Alibaba claimed Singles Day sales of $25.3 billion (€19.5 billion) this year. In 2016, however, Thanksgiving and Black Friday e-commerce sales in the United States reached barely $4.7 billion.
#4. Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year celebrations include a lot of shopping for presents, food, and clothing. Foreign companies may find a lot of fortune in the Chinese market during CNY, especially via cross-border eCommerce.
However, the Chinese New Year is more than simply about shopping. The Chinese New Year shopping season helped even brick-and-mortar companies in London in 2017.
#5. Diwali
Meanwhile, Diwali, which occurs in October or November depending on the year, is India’s most important shopping season. The month leading up to the holiday is often seen to be a good time to make significant purchases. Retailers generally compete with promotions and discounts to make it even more appealing.
#6. El Buen Fin
El Buen Fin kicks off the Christmas shopping season in Mexico. This annual event occurs on the weekend preceding the Da de la Revolución celebration on Monday. Stores lure shoppers with special discounts, credit offers, and package deals during El Buen Fin.
#7. White Friday
White Friday, the Middle East’s version of Black Friday, occurs towards the end of November and accounts for a significant portion of overall sales. White Friday earnings are expected to reach $48.8 billion in 2021, according to some estimates. If your company is based in the Middle East, White Friday is a great holiday to take advantage of, just like Black Friday in the United States.
#8. Children’s Day
Children’s Day in Brazil is an excellent example of a commercial holiday because it was designed solely to market children’s gifts. Children’s Day has evolved into a popular day for giving children gifts that include not just toys but also gadgets, clothes, and other items. As with the other commercial holidays, revenue data for Children’s Day is not generally disclosed. Children’s Day is the fourth biggest commercial holiday in Brazil, after Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Christmas.
#9. Ramadan
Ramadan is becoming a more important shopping occasion in the UK, with grocery chains competing for the £200 million spent by gearing items, displays, and deals to Ramadan in locations where Muslim communities are concentrated.
And it’s not just the Middle East and the United Kingdom that gain from Ramadan online sales. It’s expected to be worth more than £3 trillion to the global economy by the end of 2021, with food and travel expenditure leading the way.
