The Christmas and New Year celebrations may have just wrapped up, but the festivities that come with the year-end, new year season are not over – Lunar New Year is right around the corner, bringing fresh opportunities for brands to capture consumer attention and spending. The stakes may be high, but so are the rewards: GrabAds’ latest Lunar New Year Insights 2025 report across Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam revealed that over half of in-app users in these countries are expecting to splurge more this year, whether it is on festive feasts with loved ones, stylish outfits, or seasonal goodies.
Brands seeking to maximise brand discovery and sales during this time need to stay two steps ahead of shoppers. Winning brands proactively anticipate consumer needs, delivering the right products at the most opportune moments to drive purchase decisions. They also increasingly leverage unique omnichannel touchpoints to offer engaging, interactive experiences to delight shoppers.
Here are three key strategies that could help brands craft more impactful campaigns this Lunar New Year:
#1 Surprise! Last-minute shoppers are still on the hunt
Although it is best practice for brands to launch early-bird promotions and campaigns in hopes of influencing buying decisions in the discovery phase, our data shows that it can still be effective to invest in strategic marketing campaigns close to the festive occasion. For instance, daily average orders on GrabMart increased by 10% in Singapore and 9% in Malaysia during the Lunar New Year period last year from 8 to 11 February 2024, as compared to the previous 90 days.
Brands could create more visibility during these moments by launching flash sales specifically targeted at these last-minute shoppers, especially for popular retail categories like gifts and hampers, fashion and apparel, and beauty and personal care. Advertising messaging that highlights convenience or stress-free shopping would also resonate with these harried consumers who are most likely scrambling to gear up ahead of all their new year visiting.
That said, brands have to be discerning about when and how to be on the radar. GrabAds’ data found that groceries are usually purchased in advance, with 67% of users in Singapore, 64% in Malaysia and 55% in Vietnam shopping for Lunar New Year groceries at least one month before. As the festivities draw closer, consumers gradually shift their focus to gift-giving, supported by our data which found that Grab Express deliveries started surging one to two weeks before Lunar New Year last year. Brands should carefully consider factors like target audience alignment, product relevance, and overall marketing strategy before deciding how much marketing dollars should be invested, for what duration and for which audience. This will ensure more meaningful engagement and higher returns on investment, rather than simply jumping on the bandwagon. For instance, a snack or confectionary brand offering festive treats might gain more traction earlier in the preparation phase as households stock up for gatherings. Conversely, brands offering gift hampers are likely to see higher demand nearer to Lunar New Year, when gift-giving takes centre stage.
#2 Bring the best of both online and offline worlds to hybrid shoppers
Shoppers today demand for omnichannel shopping experiences, as GrabAds’ Lunar New Year data revealed that roughly half of Grab users in Singapore (49%), Malaysia (45%) and Vietnam (55%) buy their Lunar New Year groceries via both online and offline channels. This trend is consistent with broader festive shopping behaviours. An earlier report by GrabAds on year-end shopping trends in 2024 found that 57% of shoppers leverage both online and offline platforms throughout their gift hunting journey. Brands that embrace an omnichannel strategy across multiple touchpoints will gain a significant competitive advantage in achieving better reach in the short-term and improving brand building over time. In fact, GrabAds’ recent report with Kantar found a 5% increase in positive ad receptivity and 2% decrease in negative perceptions towards brands that leverage both online and offline channels, underscoring the long-term value offline channels bring to brand building.
#3 Target the people handling group orders – the Chief Family Officers (CFOs)
Large group celebrations with family and friends are the heart of the Lunar New Year festivities, reflecting Southeast Asians’ strong cultural roots. Based on GrabAds’ data, reunion meals or gatherings make up 31% of the Lunar New Year budgets of Grab users in Singapore and Malaysia, and 23% of Tết budgets in Vietnam.
Product offerings aside, brands should anchor their marketing strategies on targeting the people who are making the purchase decisions – whom we call the Chief Family Officers (CFOs). They represent a high-value user segment on the Grab platform, and are often the primary decision-makers for household purchases. Millennials are their households’ CFOs during the Lunar New Year, making up 77% of those who make the bulk of Lunar New Year purchase in Singapore, 74% in Malaysia and 61% in Vietnam. From the hectic working life to caring for their families, preparing for the Lunar New Year adds another responsibility for Millennials to juggle. As such, brands that can make festive purchases hassle-free, such as by offering group bundles or pairing with efficient last-mile delivery, stand to capture the loyalty – and spending power – of these influential users.
While Millennials hold the purse strings for their households’ Lunar New Year purchases, there is another consumer segment not to be overlooked – the Gen X and Boomers. Although accounting for less than one-fifth of the primary household shoppers for the festivity across Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam, this user group spends significantly more per order than Gen Z and Millennials – 13% more in Singapore, 44% more in Malaysia, and 47% more in Vietnam. Targeting this group of consumers is another effective way for brands to capitalise on the festive momentum to boost sales.
Starting the New Year right
The Lunar New Year is a golden opportunity for brands to not just increase sales but also to forge meaningful connections with consumers that extend beyond the celebrations. The key to turning a good brand experience into an unforgettable one lies in crafting campaigns that capture the essence of the festival or value-add to the celebrations. From launching promotions and discounts targeted at the right audiences, and at the right moments, to curating memorable offline-to-online campaigns, brands can provide a joyful, immersive experience that resonates with their consumers, spreading the new year cheer across every interaction.
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