2019 Lunar New Year celebrations are underway, with millions around the region taking time off to spend with friends and family. Using Google Trends data, we took a look at what piques interest across the APAC region throughout the holiday season.
Millions of people will be travelling in and around APAC over the next few weeks to celebrate one of the most important holidays for many countries across the region. From China to Thailand, tourist records are expected to be broken, but while all that travel says a lot about people’s offline habits around the holiday, it doesn’t speak to their online motivators or behaviors. Here’s what we learned about consumer interest online around Lunar New Year by looking at Google Trends data from the last five years.
1. Singaporeans love Lunar New Year.
Singapore’s searches for Lunar New Year festivity-related terms are the highest in the region — at least 2X higher than Malaysia, which is in second place. Hong Kong follows next, with Taiwan generating the lowest volume of searches. See how Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam measure up to each other.
2. Promotions, not sales, please.
In both Singapore and Malaysia, the search term “CNY promotion” trumps “CNY offer,” “CNY deal,” and “CNY sale.” And, surprisingly, interest in Chinese New Year retail promotions isn’t just restricted to the festive period — it happens all year long. See how Singaporeans and Malaysians use search to find the best online promotions.
3. Tasty treats trend.
The local Singaporean tradition of Yusheng tops the search charts for Lunar New Year foods in both Singapore and Malaysia. In Hong Kong, Nian gao topped the list, though we also saw the celebratory tossing of prosperous ingredients (yusheng) over the seas and onto the tables of Hong Kong. See how popular these common dishes compare in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
4. Feng Shui ranks high in Vietnam.
While Singapore may have the highest interest in Lunar New Year-related topics, Vietnam is the most likely to bank on the higher powers — there are higher searches for Feng Shui in Vietnam than any other market, every single year. See how Vietnam stacks up against other countries in the region for Feng Shui-related searches.
5. It all starts earlier than you might expect.
Searches for Lunar New Year-related topics start about 8-10 weeks before the holiday, so it’s worth getting Lunar New Year messages out earlier. The term “Chinese New Year Holiday” even starts picking up in the summer because Lunar New Year is the longest holiday for most and people want to make sure they keep their options open by planning early.
Regardless of what consumers find interesting during the Lunar New Year season, it’s important for brands to show that they’re celebrating alongside them. Use these trends to better connect with your audiences for a more prosperous 2019.
