The Shopee birthday sale, held on 12th December each year, is one of the most anticipated sales across SE Asia. It coincides with a major double-day sale – 12.12 and is very close to the holiday season. The Shoppee Birthday Sale 2024 is a prime opportunity for e-commerce sellers active on the platform to draw shoppers to their Shopee store and increase sales.
As a leading marketplace, Shopee continues to dominate sales across Singapore. In the first quarter of 2023, the platform recorded a GMV of US $2.1 billion. This marks a 1.3x growth from Q1 2022. The platform also leads in average monthly active users and total time spent on its platform. 64% of Genz users rate Shopee as their most preferred purchase channel. If you’re looking to sell your products on Shopee or have an active Shopee store, there’s no better time to capitalize on the shopping frenzy that the Shopee Birthday Sale brings!
When is the Shopee Birthday Sale 2024?
The Shopee birthday sale falls on 12 December 2024, smartly situated on the last double day of the year. Previously, on this sales day, Shopee has seen high sales and milestones. In the past, the day has set new records by selling over 80 million items!
In this blog, we’ll take a look at the strategies you can use to increase visibility on Shopee and make the most of its birthday sale. By implementing the right strategies, you can end the year on a high note!
Importance of the Shopee birthday sale for e-commerce sellers
The Shopee birthday sale isn’t yet another end-of-the-year sale. Its strategic timing and the platform’s popularity among SE Asian shoppers make this day a key e-commerce event. Here’s why participating in this event can be significant for your business:
- Trusted Reviews Influence Buyers: Over 75% of Shopee users in Singapore search, compare, and eventually purchase products on the platform. 3 out of 4 buyers consider Shopee reviews reliable. This significantly influences purchasing decisions.
- Frequent Purchases: More than 70% of consumers receive up to five packages per month, reflecting Shopee’s role in everyday shopping habits.
- Growing Customer Base: Shopee has seen a +15% year-on-year increase in buyers, showing that its customer base is expanding rapidly.
- Larger Spending Per Buyer: The average basket size has increased by over 10% year-on-year, indicating that customers are spending more per transaction.
The Shopee birthday sale provides the perfect opportunity to leverage the platform’s vast, active audience. The revenue generated during this period can provide the momentum needed for your e-commerce business in the new year!
Understand your target audience: Behaviour patterns of Shopee buyers
To make the most of the Shopee Birthday Sale, it’s essential to understand your target audience and their shopping behavior. Shopee shoppers are strategic and start planning their purchases well before the sale.
- Early Add-to-Cart Behavior: Many Shopee users are early birds, with 35% of online shoppers adding items to their carts two weeks before the big day.
- Incentives Drive Purchases: Shoppers highly value Cashback and free shipping. Take a look at the data! Sellers who participate in Shopee’s cashback and free shipping programs see a 2.5x increase in orders per buyer.
- Multiple Influencing Touchpoints: Shopee shoppers are receptive to various promotions. On-app touchpoints include discovery ads, display ads, in-app chat, and Shopee Prizes. External touchpoints like Facebook and Google Ads are also popular. Using a mix of these touchpoints can effectively drive traffic to your store.
- H2 Sees More Activity than H1: Shopping activity on the platform significantly increased in the second half of the year. For example, H2 has seen 1.7x more buyers and 1.9x more orders compared to H1.
To become eligible for Shopee’s Free Shipping Programme, sellers must meet specific requirements and maintain service level agreements (SLAs).
Locad helps you monitor account health in real-time and ensure 100% SLA compliance on Shopee!
Types of Shopee Buyers
- New buyers: These consumers are completely new to the Shopee platform and are motivated by new user incentives. These users already know what they want to buy and are just waiting for the right opportunity.
- Consumers who shop only during sales: As the title suggests, these shoppers buy products only on campaign days. They are very active during double-day sales, festive sales, and birthday sales.
- Shoppers who discover products via social media: These consumers are extremely active on social media and know what’s trending and when. Their purchase decisions are driven by what influencers are recommending. They also actively participate in Shopee Live stream sales, especially when these sessions are interactive and engaging.
Social commerce in Singapore has more than doubled between 2021 and 2024.
Locad seamlessly integrates with social commerce sites like TikTok shop to help you grow your business and scale new heights!
How to prepare for the Shopee Birthday Sale 2024
Identify best-selling products and categories
Analyze past sales data to identify top-performing items and categories with high conversion rates. For example, mobile and gadgets are the largest category on Shopee. Home appliances also witness rapid growth. During the holiday season, many consumers travel to visit loved ones and take vacations. As a result, travel-friendly electronics like power banks and batteries are in increased demand. Once you identify your best-selling products, put them up for flash deals during the Shopee birthday sale. This can help increase their exposure. You can also work on introducing more products under the popular categories.
Maximize sales by identifying your best-selling products and categories.
Locad helps you track inventory movement in real time to spot top performers and adjust your strategy!
Understand product performance
By closely monitoring product performance, you can identify which items generate the most clicks and conversions. Begin by reviewing your sales data to determine which products have consistently performed well, both in terms of sales volume and customer satisfaction. Analyzing this data will give you insight into which products meet customer expectations and drive revenue. Tracking product performance also helps you spot potential issues early on. For example, if a product gets many views but has a low conversion rate, it could indicate issues such as uncompetitive pricing.
Top metrics that determine product performance on Shopee
- Product bounce rate
- Conversion rates
- Product visitors
- Product bounce visitors
- Search Clicks
Improve Product’s Search Ranking via Shopee Bump
A key factor that can differentiate your business during the Shopee birthday sale is product visibility. Shopee’s Bump Now feature allows sellers to push their products to the top of their category’s search results. This increased visibility means more potential customers will see your products, leading to higher chances of conversion. To make the most of this feature, it’s important to bump your products regularly. Shopee allows sellers to bump up to five products every four hours, which gives you the flexibility to manage which products get extra visibility throughout the day. Leveraging this tool consistently can help maintain steady traffic and keep your listings in front of potential buyers.
Nominate prices and vouchers
This step is a must-have on your Shopee Birthday Sale checklist. It’s very important to nominate your products for Price Teaser and Voucher Campaigns ahead of time. These campaigns help highlight your best prices and exclusive discounts, encouraging shoppers to complete their purchases.
Price Teaser campaigns (also known as Deep Discount) give shoppers a sneak peek of your upcoming sale prices. Products featured in these campaigns get a special label, which increases visibility and boosts the chances of customers adding them to their carts early. Past events like 9.9 showed that products in Price Teasers saw a 6x increase in sales.
Voucher Campaigns allow you to offer discounts through seller-specific vouchers, which can be recommended by Shopee. These vouchers help attract more customers, as they are more likely to buy if they see a good deal. Shops with nominated vouchers saw a 4x increase in sales during previous sales events like 1.1 and 9.9 in 2024.
Why should you nominate?
By nominating your best prices and vouchers, you improve your product’s visibility and make it easier for customers to find deals they like. This can help you gain new customers, especially if your products have been in their cart for a while. You can also offer different types of vouchers to appeal to a wider range of shoppers and create urgency with time-limited discounts.
Make the most of marketing tools like Shopee Live
Shopee Live is a powerful tool to boost your sales, especially during campaign days like the Shopee Birthday Sale. Livestreaming allows you to reach more potential customers and build trust by showcasing your products in real-time. For example, categories like Fashion, Home Appliances, Beauty & Personal Care benefit greatly. Customers can see how products work before making a purchase, increasing their confidence and likelihood to buy. These live sessions can also be promoted on channels like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
After their 10.10 Shopee Livestream, the IEM Flagship Store experienced a 5x increase in GMV and attracted over 11,000 unique viewers. Shopee Live not only engages new customers but also provides an authentic shopping experience that goes beyond static images or videos.
Shopee Live can help you:
- Grow your follower base
- Raise brand awareness
- Increase orders
Utilize seller marketing tools to increase average order value
- Add on deals
Encourage customers to add more items to their cart by offering discounts on additional purchases. This is perfect for clearing stock, introducing novelty items, or pushing slow-moving products.
- Brand Box
Bundle premium or slower-moving items into curated packages to sell at a higher basket size. Ideal for categories like beauty, lifestyle, or gift sets, Brand Box bundles create value for customers while helping you push targeted products.
- Segment vouchers
Target both new and repeat buyers with personalized vouchers. These help attract new customers, convert them, and build loyalty, ensuring your brand stays top of mind.
- Multi-tier bundles
Promote bulk purchases by setting discounts based on order size. For instance, offer “Buy 3, get $5 off” or “Buy 2, enjoy 20% off.” Multi-tier bundles incentivize larger purchases, increasing order value.
Product bundling is a key strategy that can help drive online sales.
Locad offers bundling and kitting services to help you increase your basket value while clearing out inventory!
Managing stock levels and avoiding stockouts
Managing inventory is crucial to prevent stockouts and meet customer demand. Regularly tracking stock ensures you can identify fast and slow-moving items. This helps you adjust your restocking plans and prepare for peak periods.
Locad simplifies inventory management with these key features:
- Real-Time Stock Updates: Locad updates stock data every three minutes, so you always have the latest information on your inventory levels.
- Smart Inventory Lock: This feature allows you to reserve a portion of your stock for peak sale periods while selling on multiple sales channels, ensuring you don’t run out during busy times.
- Demand Forecasting: Locad helps predict demand during peak periods, so you can restock in advance and be prepared for high sales volumes.
- Fast and Slow-Moving Insights: The dashboard highlights which products are selling fast and which are slow, so you can adjust your inventory strategy accordingly.
- Stockout Alerts: Get notified when stock is running low, helping you restock in time and avoid losing sales.
- Blackout Day Updates: Stay informed about days when your warehouse is closed, allowing you to plan shipments and restocks more efficiently.
Automate Order Fulfillment for Speed and Accuracy
Automation also ensures that your orders are handled consistently, even during peak periods, which helps to maintain customer trust and loyalty. By streamlining operations, you free up valuable time and resources, allowing you to focus on growing your business and meeting customer expectations. Additionally, automated systems provide real-time visibility into your fulfillment process, ensuring that you can track and manage orders with ease.
The Locad logistics engine integrates all your sales channels (Shopee, Lazada, TikTok shop, Shopify, Amazon), warehouses, and shipping carriers in one unified system. With Locad, you can automate everything from inventory management to order processing and delivery. This seamless process ensures faster, more accurate fulfillment, giving you the ability to scale your operations.
Offer Flexible Shipping Options
Offering flexible shipping options is essential for meeting customer expectations and enhancing the shopping experience. Customers value convenience, and providing various delivery choices can help you cater to different needs. Whether it’s standard, express, or next-day delivery, offering these options allows shoppers to choose based on their urgency and budget.
In fact, Shopee merchants that implemented next-day delivery saw a $46 increase in their average order size. By providing such fast and reliable shipping options, you can attract more customers and increase the value of each order.
Locad helps merchants maintain 100% Service Level Agreements (SLA) with marketplaces, ensuring timely order fulfillment. This qualifies sellers for same-day and next-day delivery, enhancing customer satisfaction.
Stay Compliant with Shopee’s Policies
Staying compliant with Shopee’s policies is crucial for maintaining your seller account in good standing. Adhering to guidelines regarding product listings, order fulfillment, and customer service ensures smooth operations and prevents penalties. Compliance avoids disruptions and builds customer trust, contributing to long-term success on the platform.
How can Locad help you make the most of Shopee’s Birthday Sale in 2024?
- Timely dispatch with same-day pick and pack: Locad ensures orders are processed and dispatched promptly with same-day pick and pack services. This helps you meet tight deadlines and keeps your customers happy by ensuring fast deliveries, especially during high-demand periods like Shopee’s Birthday Sale.
- Real-time data monitoring: Locad’s real-time monitoring system provides you with up-to-date insights into inventory and order status. This allows you to stay on top of your sales performance, manage stock levels effectively, and quickly adjust to any changes during the sale.
- Inventory lock: Locad’s Inventory Lock feature enables you to reserve stock for peak sales events like Shopee’s Birthday Sale. When your products are featured in Shopee promotions, the resulting increase in demand can be managed efficiently, ensuring you have the right stock ready for fulfillment across various channels.
- Personalized reports to help understand product performance: Locad provides personalized reports that give you a detailed view of your product performance during the sale. These insights help you understand which items perform well, allowing you to adjust your strategy and maximize sales.
- Multiple national and international last-mile carriers: Locad partners with 20+ carrier partners across countries to help you reduce delivery times while saving money. Our software allocates the most cost-effective carriers based on package size and location. This reduces partner rejections and delays. In addition, we also offer preferential shipping rates.
- 100% SLA maintenance: Locad guarantees 100% SLA (Service Level Agreement) maintenance, ensuring your orders are fulfilled on time and in compliance with marketplace standards. This is crucial for meeting Shopee’s delivery expectations and maintaining your eligibility for same-day and next-day delivery features.
- Cross-border commerce: Locad simplifies cross-border commerce by handling the complexities of international logistics. We offer services like Importer of Record (IOR) and Shipper of Record (SOR), ensuring smooth customs clearance and compliance with local regulations. In addition, our freight forwarding solutions streamline the entire process, from managing international shipments to ensuring timely delivery across borders.
Conclusion
The Shopee Birthday Sale is more than just a retail event—it’s a chance for sellers to significantly impact their business growth. Shopee’s popularity can help sellers forge stronger customer connections and enhance their brand presence. Staying ahead of trends and adapting to the changing market can lead to sustained success and make the most of this shopping day. This occasion can become a springboard for long-term business development in the competitive online marketplace with the right approach.