Retail Toolkit
The Asian retail calendar: sale dates, festivals and planning lead times
The trading peaks that matter across Asia, platform sale dates, Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Raya, mid-year and year-end, plus the lead times each one requires.
Guide 7 of 9 · 9 min read · Updated 6 August 2026
Asia has more trading peaks than any other region, and they do not line up. A calendar built around Western seasonality misses the largest revenue days in most ASEAN markets, and, worse, schedules stock arrivals into the exact weeks when factories and freight are closed.
This guide lists the peaks, what they do to demand, and when work has to start.
The peaks that matter
| Period | Markets most affected | Planning starts |
|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year | China-influenced markets across the region | 4-5 months ahead; factories close |
| Ramadan and Raya | Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Thailand | 3-4 months ahead |
| Mid-year platform sales | Regional e-commerce | 2-3 months ahead |
| Double-digit dates (9.9, 10.10, 11.11, 12.12) | Regional e-commerce | 2-3 months ahead |
| Back to school | Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand | 2 months ahead |
| Christmas and year-end | Philippines strongest, then urban markets | 3 months ahead |
The factory closure trap
Lunar New Year is not only a demand event. Manufacturing across much of the region slows for one to three weeks around it, and the ramp back to full output takes longer than the holiday itself. Orders that need to land in the weeks after must be placed and produced well before.
The practical rule: identify every shipment that would be produced in the four weeks around Lunar New Year, and move it earlier. Attempting to compress it afterwards costs air freight.
“The practical rule: identify every shipment that would be produced in the four weeks around Lunar New Year, and move it earlier.”
Demand shape, not just demand size
Each peak has a different shape. Platform sale dates concentrate an entire month into 24 hours with a pre-sale build. Ramadan builds gradually over several weeks and then drops sharply after Raya. Christmas in the Philippines is one of the longest build-ups anywhere. Staffing and stock decisions follow the shape, not the total.
- Week -285index
- Week -170index
- Sale week310index
- Week +165index
- Week +290index
Indexed to a normal trading week. Pre-sale pulls demand forward.
Working backwards from the peak
- Stock on hand: two weeks before the peak, not the week of.
- Marketplace campaign registration: platform deadlines usually fall 4-8 weeks ahead.
- Warehouse and carrier capacity: committed 6-8 weeks ahead.
- System change freeze: from four weeks before the first peak until after the last.
- Post-peak clearance plan: agreed before the peak, executed within two weeks after.
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