For e-commerce businesses to succeed, a vital part of the winning formula involves strategic planning of sales and promotional dates. By focusing on the most opportune times, e-commerce businesses get to draw the biggest crowds with the best deals.
While major festivities like Christmas or Valentine’s Day are internationally known and celebrated with a time-honoured gifting culture that will inadvertently boost sales, the best days for your biggest sales as well as the type of products to sell may differ across countries. Therefore, it will be in the business owner’s best interest to pick which festivities to focus on and plan ahead of time to yield better results and optimise revenue.
To aid businesses in New Zealand, we have rounded up a couple of the most important global and local online sales days in New Zealand to take note of, so read on to find out more!
1. Black Friday
Topping the list is the globally famous American shopping holiday observed on the fourth weekend of November – Black Friday. In 2022, shoppers in New Zealand spent NZ$350 million, with a significant portion of spending focused on items like consumer electronics, clothing, footwear, and personal accessories. For e-commerce giants such as Shopify, sales revenue for Black Friday has broken multiple records, showing the allure and impact of this online shopping holiday.
As the stress of escalating cost of living catches up, research has shown that shoppers are beginning to look for the best deals within New Zealand and overseas on Black Friday. This makes having an effective sales tactic, a trustworthy logistics partner, and efficient shipping services core concerns for savvy business owners wanting to appeal to this market of increasingly discerning consumers.
2. Christmas Eve
Following the surge of sales activity since Black Friday, the second biggest sales day in New Zealand is Christmas Eve. According to reports, Kiwis spent over NZ$200 million on this day in 2022, making Christmas Eve a major sales event not to be missed for brick-and-mortar stores as well as e-commerce sites.
With the trend continuing over the past few years, including the COVID-19 affected periods, there are no signs of it slowing down in the foreseeable future, and business owners are advised to push out attractive holiday deals to attract gift buyers. Encouraged by the festive promotions as well as the tradition of gifting during Christmas, shoppers are likely to spend more on presents and festive delicacies in preparation for Christmas, hence e-commerce businesses or even small business owners selling these items should be well-prepared.
3. Boxing Day
As a final conclusion to the promotions from Black Friday to the Christmas season, business owners engaged in the sale of luxury items, furniture, and larger or more expensive electronics may consider Boxing Day as an ideal sales day to plan their year-end series of promotions.
4. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
Mother's Day and Father's Day are popular retail holidays celebrated in New Zealand, with the former being honoured on the second Sunday of May and the latter being celebrated on the first Sunday of September. These are the days when people show appreciation and gratitude to their parents for all that they have done. However, Mother’s Day sales in New Zealand have historically performed better due to the comparatively larger number of luxurious sales in beauty services, jewellery, tech gadgets, and dining offers.
Popular gifts on Mother’s and Father’s Day may also include more unique and personalised items such as photo albums, special cards, novelty frames, as well as embossed jewellery and leather goods. As digital natives like Gen Z continue to take on a larger share of the consumer market, it is a great idea to ensure that e-commerce businesses and small businesses selling speciality items are well-staffed to prepare for higher incoming traffic.
5. Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day is a widely celebrated holiday in New Zealand, marked on February 14th annually. It is a day that encourages people to express their love and affection through the giving of gifts. Additionally, the rise of online shopping has also contributed to an increase in e-commerce sales, as many opt for the convenience of buying gifts from the comfort of their homes.
6. Waitangi Day
Another possible high sales day may include long weekend holidays such as Waitangi Day in New Zealand. Observed as a public holiday, Waitangi Day is honoured on February 6th, as it marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which is known as the country’s founding document. While the biggest official celebrations may take place at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the Bay of Islands, Northland, there are many other events throughout the country, from traditional Māori cultural performances to speeches from Māori and Pakeha (European) dignitaries.
Waitangi is also a festive period that includes music, dance, traditional Māori customs, and food. Thus, businesses owned by the Māori people, as well as restaurants specialising in Māori cuisine, capitalise on this holiday to spread the love of their colourful culture and history with exclusive online promotions.
Capitalise on the festive seasons with DHL Express
As an e-commerce business, it is essential to have a reliable logistics partner to ensure the timely delivery of your customers' gifts during these special online sales holidays. At DHL Express, we understand the importance of timely delivery and how it impacts customer loyalty and satisfaction, which is why we offer a wide range of logistics solutions to cater to your needs and global audience.
Our portfolio of delivery services is designed to not only help you save time and money; it also helps you build a better customer experience for a user-friendly online shopping journey. And with our advanced tracking system, you can keep up with the latest delivery status so that your customers can expect their items to arrive on time, no matter when or where they are shopping. In addition, our customs clearance support service takes care of all the paperwork and formalities, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free international shipping experience for you and your customers.
When you choose to ship with DHL Express, you can rest assured that your packages will be handled with care and delivered on time, as our dedicated team of logistics experts will work closely with you to ensure that your customer experience is the best one yet.
Partner with DHL Express today and let us take care of the logistics and shipping while you focus on growing your business. Open a business account with DHL Express today to kickstart 2023’s festive seasons.
