The inventory may be ordered, and the schedules may be (at least tentatively) made, but that doesn't mean retailers are done planning for Christmas.

Countries within the APAC region share relatively little in common in terms of Christmas shopping. Australia and New Zealand are most closely aligned, and most shopping is expected to happen in late December. Chinese shoppers start the earliest, and Singapore's busiest days all fall within a four-week range. When it comes to understanding peak shopping patterns in such a diverse region, there's a lot at play. After all, Christmas shopping isn't just one day — so which days will be busiest?

To help retailers plan ahead, Sensormatic Solutions has predicted the busiest shopping days for this Christmas.

Get your copy of the APAC Busiest Christmas Shopping Days 2021 Report now or keep reading for more.

We don't have a crystal ball — but we do have a variety of ways to predict Christmas shopping traffic. We start by accounting for historical shopping patterns, like how early (or late) customers start their shopping. From there, we examine data points like:

• how and when shoppers respond to sales and promotions
• what days of the week holidays fall on
• weather predictions and how similar weather impacted shopping in the past
• changing shopper behaviours and preferences

Taken together, these insights enable us to make data-driven predictions about when retailers will be busiest during the upcoming peak season.

Retailers expect all their Christmas shopping days to be busy, and rightfully so — but the busiest among them represent their highest-earning days of the year. When equipped with the data-driven insights in our report, retailers can:

• Ensure their stores are appropriately staffed — not just with the right number of associates, but with associates trained for key areas (inventory, Click & Collect, customer service, etc.)
• Distribute best-selling inventory items to the stores that need them most
• Tag inventory in advance, either in-store or — ideally — via a source tagging partner
• Optimise their Click & Collect offerings for maximum efficiency

Each of these steps helps retailers prepare their stores, inventories, and associates for a Christmas shopping season that delivers exceptional customer experiences — and boosts their bottom line.

It will come as no surprise that we expect national year-end days to be busy in China, FESTA in South Korea, and a combination of others for the rest of the region, from Boxing Day to Super Saturday. But there are interesting changes and unique factors that are expected to impact shopper traffic this season.

Fabe Lin and Andy Sumpter, who are both Retail Consultants APAC for Sensormatic Solutions, Global Retail Consulting Practice, commented on what specific factors APAC retailers need to consider.

“Our predicted busiest days mark the peaks of in-store traffic, but we expect as like last year, consumers will start their shopping earlier to offset inventory limitations, shipping delays and ongoing concerns about social distancing,” Fabe Lin said of China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Andy Sumpter noted that, while the same is true for Australia and New Zealand, there is an extra consideration for retailers in these two countries. "Additionally, with Christmas Day on a Saturday for the first time since 2010, and stores closed that day to observe the holiday, we expect more holiday shopper traffic than usual will occur in the days leading up to Christmas and peaking on December 26."

Australia

1. Boxing Day – Sunday 26th December
2. Day before Christmas Eve – Thursday 23rd December
3. Two days before Christmas Eve – Wednesday 22nd December

China

1. First Saturday after National Holiday – Saturday 9th October
2. New Year's Day – Saturday 1st January
3. Just a Saturday – Saturday 13th November

Hong Kong

1. Christmas Day – Saturday 25th December
2. Christmas Eve – Friday 24th December
3. Super Saturday – Saturday 18th December

New Zealand

1. Boxing Day – Sunday 26th December
2. Day before Christmas Eve – Thursday 23rd December
3. Super Saturday – Saturday 18th December

Singapore

1. Christmas Day – Saturday 25th December
2. Saturday after Black Friday – Saturday 27th November
3. Super Saturday – Saturday 18th December

South Korea

1. First Sunday in FESTA – Sunday 7th November
2. First Saturday in FESTA – Saturday 6th November
3. Second Sunday in FESTA – Sunday 14th November

To see all of the 30 busiest shopping days for APAC this year-end season, download your copy of the APAC Busiest Christmas Shopping Days of 2021 report today. It's a helpful resource for preparing your staff and stores for the rush of Christmas shopping that's just around the corner.