10 Filipino Holidays That Can Help Boost Your Sales: A Retailer's Ultimate Calendar

Holidays provide retailers with a golden opportunity to boost sales and forge deeper connections with consumers. These celebratory occasions create a sense of heightened enthusiasm and a collective spirit of giving, which can then prompt customers to increase spending. Aligning promotions with holidays, then, enables retailers like yourself to tap into the inherent gift-giving culture of Filipinos.

One time-tested way of doing this is by offering enticing deals and themed merchandise that resonate with the festive atmosphere. Now would be a good time to mark your calendars and take note of the dates that are typically met with heightened consumer demand. Here’s a list of the holidays and events that you shouldn’t miss as a retailer:

Payday

While not technically a holiday, receiving one’s salary presents consumers with a sense of relief. During payday, individuals have the maximum level of flexibility to allot their financial resources as they require or please. As a retailer, you can make it easy for your customers to find practical and cost-effective deals that will enable them to meet their wants and needs. Do this by offering exclusive discounts during payday weekends, introducing limited-time promotions, and creating marketing campaigns that resonate with the payday spirit.

To keep up with the increased in-store or online sales during payday, check if your payment solutions provider presents scalable packages. Maya Business, for instance, offers small and mid-sized retailers in the Philippines flexible solutions such as Maya Terminal, a portable point-of-sale (POS) device and credit card machine for in-store transactions, and Maya Checkout, an online checkout solution for e-commerce sales. These can help you keep up with the influx of sales during the 15th and the 30th of every month.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is often celebrated with gifts and romantic gestures. This special date provides businesses everywhere with an excellent opportunity to boost sales. You can maximize the impact of this special occasion on your retail business by providing promotions on romantic products, offering couple-themed packages, and creating Valentine's Day-themed displays. These can help you build up on the emotional aspect of the holiday and encourage gift-giving among your customers.

To enable couples to create memorable shopping experiences together, ensure that they can complete their payments quickly and easily. This way, they can immerse themselves in the romantic atmosphere and not sweat the details. Prior to the big day, adopt a credit card terminal solution or a card payment machine like Maya Terminal that also accepts transactions made using e-wallets and QR Ph codes. With such a tool at your disposal, you can fulfill orders for heartfelt and thoughtful gifts in a snap.

Holy Week (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday)

Marked by solemnity and reflection, Holy Week is a significant religious observance in the Philippines. It also presents retail businesses with opportunities to diversify sales strategies. Prior to Holy Week, your business can run promotions on travel essentials that cater to the needs of families planning getaways. On top of cash transactions, anticipate buyers who prefer the convenience of using cashless payment options during this holiday. Be ready with a card terminal or card swipe machine that can also process QR and digital wallet payments. With such a device in your store, you can save your customers from having to deal with the hassle of lining up at an ATM.

Mother's Day (Second Sunday of May)

Instead of just offering promotions on gifts for mothers, retail businesses like yours can create Mother's Day-themed displays and generate a visual and emotional impact on shoppers, who might even be enticed to share images of your store online. To this end, consider setting up a photo booth or coming up with share-worthy visual merchandising decor. This is also an ideal time to offer special discounts on items popular with moms. After all, many friends and family members wish to give the moms in their social circles quality gifts during this particular celebration. By tapping into the sentimental value of the holiday, your enterprise can drive sales and position itself as a thoughtful partner in helping customers express gratitude to the special women in their lives.

Independence Day (June 12)

Independence Day is a holiday that offers retailers a chance to connect with consumers on a patriotic level. Running promotions with patriotic themes and offering discounts on local products during this particular holiday can evoke a sense of national pride. Additionally, participating in community events that celebrate Independence Day aligns retailers with the communal spirit of the holiday. By combining these strategies, your business can create a unique shopping experience that boosts sales and fosters a sense of unity and celebration among customers.

Now, if your retail store specializes in local products or is based in a location that receives a lot of tourists during this important holiday, make sure you can accept a wide range of payments using your POS devices or credit card machines. This way, you’re ready to accommodate buyers who have run out of cash or those who prefer to pay using cashless transaction options.

Father's Day (Third Sunday of June)

Father’s Day is another holiday for Filipinos who are steadfast in their commitment to filial piety. Instead of merely offering promotions on gifts for fathers, your businesses can create Father's Day gift bundles and run marketing campaigns that specifically target dads or their partners and children. By tailoring promotions to align with the interests and preferences of fathers, businesses can attract customers looking for thoughtful and unique gifts. This approach not only boosts sales but also positions retailers as thoughtful partners in helping customers express appreciation for the most important men in Filipino households. .

Back-to-School Season

There’s no doubt that the back-to-school season sees a lot of shopping sprees. Students and parents shop for school supplies, uniforms, and related items during this time, which means that it’s a standout opportunity for them to save money while spending. Retailers can capitalize on this desire to save more by offering discounts on school supplies, providing bundled deals on uniforms, and creating attractive displays for back-to-school essentials. You can streamline the process for families preparing for the new school year as well by offering payment options that prioritize convenience and value. You can use an electronic payment POS device or a credit card swipe machine that can help speed up transactions. By catering to the specific needs of students and parents during this season, your enterprise can increase sales and become a go-to destination for back-to-school shopping.

Halloween and Todos Los Santos (October 31 and November 1)

Halloween is another occasion that presents retailers with a fun and festive sales opportunity. Introducing Halloween-themed promotions, offering discounts on costumes and decorations, and creating spooky displays in-store can attract customers seeking to embrace the spirit of the holiday. Tapping into the growing popularity of Halloween in the country gives retailers like you the means to boost sales while also creating an engaging and enjoyable shopping experience for customers and Halloween revelers.

Additionally, Todos Los Santos, or All Saints' Day, is the original cultural and religious holiday in the Philippines observed on November 1st just after Halloween. During this time, families gather to pay respects to their departed loved ones. Retailers with relevant inventory can capitalize on this tradition by offering memorial products, such as candles, flowers, and religious items. Consider creating themed displays that honor the solemnity of the occasion while also providing convenient shopping options for customers looking to observe this holiday with reverence.

Black Friday

Black Friday, which originated in the U.S., marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. This occasion is associated with massive discounts, offering retailers a prime opportunity to boost sales. By offering doorbuster deals, providing early bird discounts, and leveraging both online and in-store promotions, businesses can attract a wide range of customers. Black Friday presents a chance for retailers in the Philippines to kickstart the holiday shopping season with enticing deals and promotions, driving customer traffic and sales both online and in physical stores.

Christmas (December 25)

Christmas is marked by gift-giving and festive celebrations in the Philippines, as it’s one of the biggest holidays in the country. You can enhance your enterprise’s sales strategies by offering Christmas-themed promotions, discounts, and bundles. Creating holiday gift sets and decorations adds a touch of festivity to the shopping experience. By aligning promotions with the spirit of Christmas in the Philippines, your store can become a preferred destination for holiday shopping. Don’t forget to make use of an efficient e-payment and credit card terminal machine so you can quickly process in-store orders even during the busy holiday season.

Understanding and syncing with consumers' financial cycles enables your business to attract more customers and boost sales regularly. Aligning promotions with local celebrations ensures that your business can tap into periods when individuals are more willing to spend.

Start preparing for these holidays and sales opportunities with Maya Business. You can begin by signing up for Maya Business, which lets you unlock the benefits of the Maya 1-2-3 Grow bundle. This special offer lets you enjoy a merchant discount rate (MDR) discount of 1% on all QR Ph payments for 3 months upon onboarding. This translates to PHP 14,600 in savings for every PHP 1 million worth of QR Ph sales. This bundle also enables you to take advantage of opening a Maya Business Deposit account and using it as your settlement account. With an industry-leading 2.5% per annum interest rate, you’ll earn PHP 25,000 in interest per year on a PHP 1 million deposit. Furthermore, it qualifies you for a no-collateral Maya Flexi Loan offer of up to PHP 2 million in just 3 months, which you can use to support your upcoming promotions and holiday sales. Just use Maya as your primary processor for all wallet and card payments. The more you use Maya Business payment solutions, the better the loan offer. Sign up now and begin enjoying the benefits of the Maya 1-2-3 Grow bundle.