(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
China’s rich calendar of cultural holidays offers overseas brands unparalleled opportunities to connect emotionally with consumers, drive seasonal sales, and strengthen long-term loyalty. With family reunions, traditions, and gifting at the core of these celebrations, strategic holiday marketing can significantly boost visibility and revenue. As an agency with over a decade of experience guiding overseas brands through China’s localization, we share proven approaches to harness these cultural moments effectively.
- Aligning Brand Messaging with Holiday Values
1.1 Emphasizing Family Reunion and Harmony During major festivals like Chinese New Year, position products as enablers of family togetherness through warm, heartfelt storytelling. Campaigns showing shared meals, travel, or home preparations create deep emotional resonance. This alignment helps overseas brands appear culturally respectful and relevant, fostering trust across generations.
1.2 Highlighting Gratitude and Respect Festivals such as Mid-Autumn Festival center on gratitude toward elders and loved ones—use this to frame premium gifting solutions. Showcase thoughtful packaging and quality that convey respect. Such positioning elevates perceived value, encouraging higher spending from consumers honoring tradition. - Creating Limited-Edition Holiday Collections
2.1 Exclusive Packaging and Collaborations Launch festival-specific packaging featuring traditional motifs like lanterns, dragons, or mooncakes for seasonal appeal. Partner with local artists or cultural icons to add authenticity. These limited editions generate urgency and collectibility, driving immediate sales spikes for overseas brands.
2.2 Thematic Product Bundles Curate family-oriented bundles—such as health snacks plus teas for reunion dinners—that solve practical holiday needs. Promote them across e-commerce platforms with clear storytelling. SaaS personalization tools can recommend these bundles based on past purchases, increasing average order value. - Activating Across Digital & Physical Channels
3.1 WeChat Mini-Programs & Red Packets Develop interactive Mini-Programs offering holiday games, fortune draws, or virtual red packet gifting experiences. Integrate brand products as rewards to drive engagement. This approach leverages China’s most-used social ecosystem for viral sharing and direct conversions.
3.2 Douyin & Kuaishou Short-Video Campaigns Produce short, festive videos featuring real families celebrating with your products, optimized for Douyin’s algorithm. Use trending holiday sounds and challenges to boost organic reach. Data from SaaS analytics helps refine content in real time for maximum virality. - Gifting as a Core Holiday Strategy
4.1 Premium Gifting Sets Design elegant gift boxes tailored for corporate and personal gifting during Mid-Autumn and Chinese New Year. Include customization options via SaaS platforms to add names or messages. This taps into China’s massive gifting culture, often driving the highest single-transaction values of the year.
4.2 Corporate Gifting Programs Offer B2B holiday gifting solutions with bulk ordering, tracking, and delivery via integrated SaaS logistics tools. Provide tiered options suitable for employees, clients, and partners. This channel builds long-term business relationships while generating substantial revenue during peak seasons. - Measuring & Optimizing Holiday Performance
5.1 Real-Time KPI Tracking Use SaaS dashboards to monitor traffic, conversion, and ROI across platforms during holiday campaigns. Set up holiday-specific benchmarks to evaluate success quickly. Rapid adjustments based on data ensure maximum return on seasonal marketing investments.
5.2 Post-Holiday Feedback Loops Collect consumer feedback through mini-surveys and reviews after each festival. Analyze sentiment and purchase patterns to refine future strategies. Continuous iteration helps overseas brands become more proficient and culturally attuned year after year.
Case Study: Starbucks’ Chinese New Year Activations
Starbucks consistently excels by launching limited-edition red-and-gold cups, festive beverages, and WeChat red-packet campaigns during Chinese New Year. Their 2025 campaign featured family reunion-themed stores and digital lucky draws, resulting in a 35% year-on-year increase in holiday beverage sales and record store traffic. This demonstrates how blending global brand identity with local cultural symbols creates powerful seasonal momentum.
Conclusion
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, TikTok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries’ exports in China account for 97% of the total exports in Asia. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation!
