Understanding Lunar New Year Consumer Psychology: Timing KOC Bookings to Drive Sales
Author: Market Analysis Department, Height Media | Topic: Customer Insights
Lunar New Year is not just one day (Day 1); it is a season lasting approximately 6-8 weeks. During those 8 weeks, customer psychology changes as frequently as the weather:
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First, they take their time looking after themselves.
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Then they rush to arrange gifts for others.
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Ultimately, they only care about eating and enjoying themselves.
If you sell confectionery but book KOCs to publish while people are busy going to beauty spas (too early), or sell a Sofa while people are shopping for ceremonial offerings (too late), your campaign will fail badly.
Below is a KOC booking strategy closely aligned with 3 Spending Stages among Vietnamese consumers.
Stage 1: Lunar New Year Self-Care (5-6 Weeks Before the Holiday)
Timing: Around the Full Moon of Lunar Month 11 to the Beginning of the Final Lunar Month.
This is when customers have just received news of their Lunar New Year bonus. Their first thought is: “I have worked hard this year; it is time to refresh myself and my home”.
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Main categories: Furniture, household goods, made-to-order fashion, spas/aesthetics, hair services and dentistry.
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KOC Booking Strategy:
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Topic: “Give Yourself an F5 Refresh”, “Clean Your Home for Lunar New Year”, “Makeover”.
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Why book at this time? Beauty treatments involving eyebrows, lips or skin require recovery time, while home renovations or sofa purchases require delivery and installation. If booking is left until just before Lunar New Year, customers will worry there is not enough time.
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KOC type: Beauty Blogger, Home Decor Reviewer.
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Stage 2: Caring for Others at Lunar New Year (3-4 Weeks Before the Holiday)
Timing: Week 1 to Week 2 of the Final Lunar Month.
After taking care of themselves, customers begin thinking about relationships: gifts for parents on both sides, their boss and business partners. This is the prime time for gifts.
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Main categories: Lunar New Year gift baskets, wine, bird's nest products, dietary supplements, premium nuts and cakes.
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KOC Booking Strategy:
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Topic: “Elegant, Premium Lunar New Year Gift Ideas”, “Gifts for Your Parents-in-Law”, “Unboxing Corporate Gift Baskets”.
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Requirements: KOCs should film close-ups of packaging and gift boxes to highlight their elegance. Emphasise meaning and health.
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KOC type: Lifestyle, family and office-life KOCs.
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Stage 3: Lunar New Year Celebration (The Final 1-2 Weeks)
Timing: From Day 20 to Day 30 of the Final Lunar Month, Lunar New Year's Eve.
At this stage, the major preparations are complete. Customers only care about what to eat, drink and serve guests during Lunar New Year. Their shopping mindset is now Fast, Simple and Convenient.
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Main categories: Mass-market confectionery, soft drinks/beer, prepared foods such as Vietnamese pork sausage and cured sausage, snacks and ready-to-wear fashion.
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KOC Booking Strategy:
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Topic: “Delicious Food for Guests”, “Refreshing Snacks for Lunar New Year”, “Last-Minute Sale Shopping”.
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Requirements: Emphasise delivery speed (“Shipping Throughout Lunar New Year”, “Delivery Within 2 Hours”).
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KOC type: Food Reviewer, Mukbang.
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So, Which Month Should Businesses Start Preparing?
For KOCs to publish at the 3 key moments above, you need to prepare at least 1 month beforehand.
Backward Planning Schedule:
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Gregorian Month 10 (Lunar Month 9): Prepare the plan and finalise the KOC list.
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Why? KOCs need 2 weeks to receive products, 1 week to film and 1 week for revisions. To publish in month 12, finalise the contract in month 10.
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Gregorian Month 11 (Lunar Month 10): Produce & Approve Content.
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Make sure all videos are ready in advance. Do not wait until the last moment to ask KOCs for revisions.
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From Gregorian Month 12 Onwards: Simply press “Publish” according to the schedule and handle incoming sales.
Warning: If it is already month 12 and you are only beginning to look for KOCs, you can only catch customers in Stage 3, the celebration stage. You have completely missed the high-spending customers in Stages 1 and 2.
KOC Booking Solutions: The Right Person, the Right Task, the Right Time
At Height Entertainment, we do more than book KOCs; we advise on Campaign Timing. We will tell you that, for this product, publishing on the 15th day of the lunar month will be twice as effective as publishing on the 25th.
Do not waste budget during the market's inactive periods.
Do you want every part of your Lunar New Year campaign to hit the mark?
Let our experts prepare a detailed schedule for you:
