Hailed as “the land of the free,” Thailand, also known as Siam and the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia encompassing diverse ecosystems with the current Thai population at almost 70 million people. A beautiful contradiction lies within, as temples built during the ancient times coexist with modern structures such as tall buildings and shopping malls. Mysterious yet alluring, Thailand remains a top tourist spot visited often because of its tropical climate and hospitable locals.
Another reason why Thailand is the chosen destination for tourists is that the country has become one of the best shopping locations in Asia! Street markets and weekend bazaars offer a wide range of choices for even the most scrutinizing shopper, and prices are often dropped low without sacrificing quality. Unique finds include wickerwork, where local plants are sewn into bags, containers, and baskets, benjarong, the traditional form of hand-painted, multi-colored Thai porcelain, hill tribe silver, stunning jewelry pieces crafted by Thai hill tribes, and teak furniture, quality wooden furnishings, and carvings created by the finest craftsmen.
Ever respectful of other cultures globally, Thailand often participates in holidays it is not typically associated with, such as Easter and Christmas. Nevertheless, these holidays are embraced alongside sales and deals, which sellers would be remiss not to take advantage of. With Thailand sellers expanding into the digital scene, e-commerce businesses have begun to thrive, especially during these large sales. Listed here are the biggest sale events in Thailand that every seller should join:
New Year Sale
Thailand has its own Thai New Year, the Songkran Festival held every April, but since the middle of the 20th century, Thais have also celebrated on the 1st of January. Shopping malls all over the country, such as the riverbanks mall, Iconsiam, and the riverfront mall Asiatique, host countdown parties where revelers wait for the stroke of midnight together to usher in the new year. Loud parties and dazzling fireworks brighten the evening skies to greet every partygoer. One mall, Siam Paragon, shares joy and happiness through gigantic installations and interactive displays via augmented reality. Besides colorful light shows and sparkling displays, Siam Paragon also features lighted tunnels and crystal Christmas trees for everyone to marvel at.
New Year in Thailand is a time for families to come together to enjoy delicious meals with each other, either in buffet restaurants that are jam-packed on this special night, or via home-cooked platters of seafood composed of mussels, prawns, and fish, after an introspective family visit to a temple to begin the year with spiritual peace. Many families also opt to spend the day shopping, and sellers should join in and start the year with enormous sales, fully aware that shoppers have a surplus of spending in the form of gifts left over from the recently concluded Christmas holiday.
Lunar New Year Sale
Thais are soon back at celebrating a few weeks later with the advent of the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year and Spring Festival. Calculated using a lunar calendar, this often falls in January or February. Since a good number of Thais are of Chinese descent, this event, steeped in tradition and rituals, is still widely seen in Thailand; main streets are lined up with food vendors, trinket hawkers, and dragon and lion dances.
Once again, families crowd temples and shrines to pray for a bountiful new year. Symbolizing luck, joy, and happiness, red is the dominant color, permeating the country past houses adorned with decorative paper lanterns, beautiful posters, and lovely banners handcrafted with Chinese calligraphy. Handed out to family and friends is the ang pao, a monetary gift gently folded inside a red envelope printed with intricate golden designs. Sellers and Chinese businesses are encouraged to offer huge discounts to celebrate good fortune, enticing shoppers to spend their ang pao on treats such as sweet delicacies, Chinese dumplings, spring rolls, and Peking duck.
National Children’s Day Sale
Thailand places a lot of value and importance on the future generation slated to eventually take the reins of this great country. Also called Wan Dek, National Children’s Day falls on the second Saturday in January of each year. On this day, children are encouraged to be the best, and their accomplishments are honored and praised. Schools are packed with events commemorating this special day. Outside, businesses offer free admissions or half-price off for children who want to visit museums, zoos, and carnivals. Sellers can join the fun with discounts exclusively for children.
Valentine’s Day Sale
Despite its disturbing origins, Valentine’s Day is known worldwide as a celebration of love and romance. There are plenty of options to experience the most romantic day of your life in Thailand, specifically in Bangkok. Couples may spend the day leisurely strolling along the largest park in Bangkok, the Suan Luang Rama IX Park, a host to botanical gardens, colorful flowers, and a pristine lake right at the center of the park. At night, visit the SEEN Restaurant and Bar to absorb the beauty of Bangkok with a 180-degree view of the Chao Praya River, share a perfectly cooked and seasoned sirloin steak, and cap the night off with creatively-concocted cocktails served with a hearty dessert. A seller’s desire should be to enhance this day for couples with romantic offerings, at lovely prices any couple can afford.
St. Patrick’s Day Sale
Many countries have been going green the past few years by lighting up their monuments with the color of the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. Thailand joined them for the very first time on March 17, 2021, St. Patrick’s Day, with a bright emerald hue surrounding Wat Arun, Thailand’s iconic riverside Temple of Dawn. In 2022, more of Thailand’s landmarks were soaked in green, giving tribute and joining in the fun. On this day, sellers can leverage their theme around drinks, the color green, and Irish culture.
Easter Sale
While not as popular in Thailand, many Thais still enjoy Easter and respect the promise the resurrection fulfills. Despite this, surprisingly, the country is still one of the more famous destinations for Easter due to a scrumptious Thai cuisine, served particularly during occasions such as this. Based on the four pillars of taste – salty, spicy, sour, and sweet – many Easter brunches tickle the palates of global citizens aching for a memorable, one-of-a-kind experience. One favorite is the Yum Talay, a Thai-style spicy mixed seafood salad with shrimps, squid, cucumbers, carrots, and peppers.
Speaking of feasts, hotels in Bangkok also feature the Easter bunny as an inspiration for delicious desserts. Children decorate chocolate eggs with bright, pastel colors before munching on them. Sellers can use Easter as an opportunity to unload themed goodies such as eggs, stuffed rabbits, chocolates, and candies.
Songkran Festival Sale
Most popular in Thailand among Southeast Asian countries, Songkran is the Thai New Year’s national holiday every April 13, although it has been extended nationwide to five days: April 12 – 16. The Songkran Festival, which is also considered a Spring Festival, is known worldwide for its water fights involving splashing water on one another using buckets, hoses, and water pistols; these symbolize purification and cleansing in a ritual that washes away sins and bad luck. Families visit temples, donate food and clothing to monks, and reunite with their older relatives. A lot happens during this festival: gift-giving is very much a part of this tradition, Thais come home after months of working outside the country, and tourists travel straight to Thailand. Thus, in-store and online sellers, especially in the field of travel and tourism, offer numerous discounts to promote the festival.
Amazing Thailand Grand Sale
To hasten economic recovery, stimulate spending, and help the travel and tourism industries, the Tourism Authority of Thailand came up with the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale, which usually lasts for two months. In addition to exclusive deals and fantastic discounts to encourage non-stop shopping, the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale has expanded to include e-commerce and online shopping platforms, with online vouchers redeemable in various establishments. Sellers from all industries such as technology and gadgets, health and beauty, sports, fashion and retail, food and beverages, hotel and spa, communication, tourism, and more are invited to participate in this eagerly awaited government initiative.
Mother’s Day Sale
Mother’s Day is a way of honoring the women, especially mothers and role models, who continue to sacrifice to provide good lives for their children and the people they love. Mothers’ Day Work Clubs, whose goal was to guide women in caring for their children, were some of the early prototypes for Mother’s Day. In Thailand, this day is celebrated on August 12, to commemorate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, honored as the Mother of all Thai people. Mothers are treated like the queens they deserve, by way of chocolates and flowers such as Jasmines, which sellers include in their repertoire of Mother’s Day offerings.
Halloween Sale
People used to wear costumes to ward off ghosts, and this carried over to our modern-day Halloween. While present in many countries, Halloween isn’t much of a big deal in Thailand, generally focused on the commercial aspect of the event, which sellers can utilize every November. Thai Halloween parties do exist especially with the younger generation, with costumes, DJs, and music to supposedly scare spirits and rock the night away.
Singles’ Day Sale
Singles’ Day always falls on November 11 as the date (11/11) represents four ones or four singles banded together to push for an anti-Valentine’s Day movement. Since people without dates are invited to spend money and buy gifts for themselves on this day instead of treating a significant other, sellers and E-commerce platforms also use this date to launch their biggest sales for the year. Thailand in particular was tagged as having increased awareness of online shopping thanks to the monthly mega sales. Another strategy to entice Thai shoppers to participate in these sales is for sellers to list and tag their products on Facebook before streaming live. The preview allows shoppers to discern in advance.
Black Friday Sale
The Black Friday Sale is heavily advertised in the US because sellers and retailers offer massive discounts right after Thanksgiving. This continues onto the Cyber Monday Sale, which allows shoppers who missed out during Black Friday to still have the chance to avail of good deals. The proliferation of e-commerce sites has introduced Black Friday to the Thai shopping community. The following well-known platforms have major sellers who may avidly participate during the sales: Lazada, Tarad, Central Online, WeLoveShopping, Zalora, and Munkong Gadget.
Father’s Day Sale
After Mother’s Day was established, Father’s Day soon followed suit. In Thailand, however, it falls on December 5 to commemorate the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, honored as the Father of the Nation. It is a day spent recognizing the men and father figures who have served as inspirational role models and showering them with gratitude, appreciation, and a canna flower. Sellers have a lot to offer Fathers on this day such as discounts on tech and gadgets, restaurants, and even mass transit.
Christmas Sale
Christmas is not an official public holiday in Thailand, but the Christian festival is still enjoyed all over the country. Christmas decorations adorn shopping malls, bright Christmas lights, potted and planted Christmas trees dot city walkways, and Christmas music can be heard from all around. Never turning down an excuse to have fun, Thais host parties filled with food, drinks, and gifts. Grand year-end sales in December and Christmas sales are eagerly anticipated because sellers have made it a tradition to lower their prices in an attempt to discard old stocks before the new year.
Truly, Thailand has a lot to offer the consumer world in so many ways, and sellers must be prudent enough to maximize earning potential by joining the sale events guaranteed to yield the highest returns.
