Guide · Planning
Seasonal Campaign Calendar for Singapore Retailers
Seasonal campaign calendar planning starts with the dates you cannot move. For Singapore retailers, those are public holidays, then sale windows such as the Great Singapore Sale, 11.11 and 12.12. This guide lists real dates and gives you a simple table to plan the year.
Start with the fixed dates
Every Singapore retail year hangs on a few dates you cannot move. Put them in the plan first. Then add the sales you choose to join.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) lists the public holidays. For 2023, Deepavali falls on Sunday 12 November, so Monday 13 November is a public holiday. Next year, Chinese New Year is on 10 and 11 February, with Monday 12 February as a holiday.
Hari Raya Puasa is on Wednesday 10 April next year. Hari Raya Haji is on Monday 17 June next year. Deepavali is on Thursday 31 October next year.
Public holidays and shop traffic
Holidays change how people shop and when your team works. Your own staff may be off. Your delivery partners may slow down. Plan stock and ad copy before the break, not during it.
Date Moment What to plan 10 to 12 February, next year Chinese New Year Gift and stock plans, and a clear note on shipping cut-off dates 10 April next year Hari Raya Puasa Festive offers ready before the day 17 June next year Hari Raya Haji Staff cover and delivery timing 31 October next year Deepavali Offers that fit the festival Work back from each date. Many teams start creative work six to eight weeks ahead. That gap is a planning habit, not a rule from the government.
The Great Singapore Sale
The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) has run since 1994. The Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) organised it for nearly 30 years. In September 2023 the SRA said that from next year it would only announce the dates and act as a coordinating partner. It will no longer run activities or fund marketing for the sale.
That changes your plan. You cannot wait for a big central campaign to carry your offer. In 2023, 23 HDB malls took part from 9 to 30 September. Check the dates each year before you commit budget.
Treat GSS as a window you fill yourself. Pick your own offer, your own message and your own end date.
Sources: Marketing-Interactive, 19 September 2023; TheSmartLocal, GSS 2023 malls; Wikipedia, Great Singapore Sale (archived November 2023)
11.11 and 12.12 online sales
Online platforms run their own sale days. Shopee's 11.11 Big Sale in 2023 began on 31 October, with the main day on 11 November. Shopee ran its 12.12 Birthday Sale up to 15 December in 2022. Single-day sales also fall on 1.1, 2.2, 3.3 and 4.4, and Lazada ran a birthday sale on 25 March in 2023.
If you sell on these platforms, you often need to join the campaign early. Check each platform's seller notices for sign-up dates. If you run your own web shop, you can still plan an offer on the same day, since shoppers are already looking for deals.
Do not match every discount. Choose the sales where your margin can take it.
Sources: TheSmartLocal, Shopee 11.11 (archived November 2023); Mothership, Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale, 4 December 2022; OOm, e-commerce sales dates
A simple yearly planning table
Use one table for the whole year. Each row needs a date, a goal, an offer and an owner. Here is a starter for Singapore retailers.
Window Goal Start planning Chinese New Year Gift sales and early orders Late November Hari Raya Puasa Festive offers Early February Mid-year GSS window Clear stock, win new buyers April Deepavali Festive offers August 11.11 and 12.12 Online volume September The start times are suggestions from us, not official dates. Move them to fit your lead times. Add your own sales, such as a shop anniversary.
Check the table each quarter. Cut any row that did not earn its cost.
Sources: MOM, Public holidays (archived November 2023); OOm, e-commerce sales dates
What to do next
Open a blank sheet today. Add the public holidays from MOM first. Then add the sales you will join, with the dates the platforms announce. Add a start-planning date to each row.
Share the sheet with your agency or freelancer. Ask them to book creative and ad time against it. A shared calendar stops last-minute rushes and wasted spend.
Keep the sheet simple. A plan that people read beats a clever plan nobody opens.
Sources
- MOM, Public holidays (archived November 2023)
- Marketing-Interactive, 19 September 2023
- TheSmartLocal, GSS 2023 malls
- Wikipedia, Great Singapore Sale (archived November 2023)
- TheSmartLocal, Shopee 11.11 (archived November 2023)
- Mothership, Shopee 12.12 Birthday Sale, 4 December 2022
- OOm, e-commerce sales dates