Waze to ‘Huat’ this Chinese New Year
2020 has ushered in a year of celebrations and festivities for Malaysia, starting the new decade with a bang, and now with the Chinese New Year (CNY) — also known as the Lunar New Year — right around the corner. It seems like only yesterday we were hanging up the Christmas tinsel, and now we are seeing CNY decorations commemorating good fortune and prosperity for the Year of the Rat decked out in the streets of Malaysia!
This is also a time where everyone is out shopping, whether for CNY goodies and treats, new ornaments to usher in luck and wealth, or new clothes to wear while visiting friends and family. According to internal data from Waze, searches for stores and store locations in Malaysia start six weeks before CNY and double in the weeks leading up to the occasion.
No matter the size or type of your business — a retail outlet, restaurant or petrol station — this is one of the best times to direct traffic to your location and entice regulars back. Here are some insights to help you get your slice of the cheese in this new Year of the Rat.
- Maximize Key Moments For Your Brand
As the saying goes: the early bird gets the worm, but the night owl gets the mouse! While it is important to start your campaigns early, it is even more critical to maximize your key moments. People tend to visit different category locations at different periods of time, and so you should be there when it’s most relevant. The timeline below charts the typical CNY celebration journey for a Malaysian. Take note of the peak demand period for your product or service and be ready to capture it!
(Source: Waze Data, 2019)
2. New Year, New Things
It is no secret, Malaysians love to shop. And what better reason to shop than for Chinese New Year? With all the preparations needed to spruce up homes, buy new clothes and stock up on food, Malaysians made 8.75 million navigations to retail locations during CNY month last year. In order to get a head start, they started shopping 3 weeks before CNY and continued right up until the CNY weekend. Make your customers’ journeys to your store worthwhile by offering good deals and seamless retail experiences for all.
(Source: Waze Data, 2019)
Malaysians tend to shop at 6pm on weekdays and from 12pm — 3pm on weekends.
3. Jom, Makan!
Nothing brings Malaysians together more than, yup, you guessed it — food. This especially rings true during Chinese New Year, when family and friends reconnect over reunion dinner, to toss the yee sang and feast on tantalizing spreads. When it comes to food, Malaysians are not afraid to shell out, spending up to 50 percent more on food and beverages during Chinese New Year. As a business owner, don’t lose out on this opportunity! Create a game plan of how you can reel in crowds to your restaurant with irresistible deals, seasonal menu items and inclusive dining options that will appeal to everyone’s taste buds.
(Source: Waze Data, 2019)
Restaurants are busiest during dinner time, from 6pm onwards on weekdays and weekends.
4. Open Up Your Homes (And Wallets)
It is easy to get caught up in the rush of promotions, offers and deals during the Chinese New Year season, but we must not forget that we also need to prepare angbaos — or red packets — for the children of families paying us a visit, as well as those unmarried guests! Sometimes a few trips to the bank or the ATM will be needed during this period. In 2019, Waze’s data indicated that there were a staggering 1.3 million navigations made to banks and ATMs, and that traffic to these locations start to peak 2 weeks before and after CNY.
(Source: Waze Data, 2019)
Malaysians would visit banks and ATMs on weekday mornings, and weekend afternoons during CNY.
Seems like everyone is rushing around withdrawing cash for red packets, and depositing collected angpaos afterwards. With Malaysians out and about giving and receiving angpaos, there is a golden opportunity to make your brand more discoverable, especially if you are located near ATMs and banks!
As the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app, Waze uses its crowdsourcing model to understand the mobility patterns of the community. These insights reveal more than just traffic conditions. It affords us a glimpse into the community’s lives — where they’re headed to and what they want while on the road. Waze can help brands leverage these insights to provide consumers more targeted content that is specific to their needs.
We hope that these insights helped shed some light on consumer patterns and gave you ideas on how to make the most of this season. Here’s wishing you a rad Chinese New Year!
