The Upcoming Chinese Shopping Holiday Publishers Should Be Tapping Into

You may have heard of Singles Day, China s rough equivalent to Black Friday, but did you know it s not the only major shopping holiday in China? Every year from late May to June 18, Chinese consumers flock to online stores for the "618" shopping holiday. During this period in 2019, shoppers generated tens of billions of dollars on the online shopping platforms. This mid-year bonanza obviously means a lot to the e-commerce industry, but it also spells opportunity for mobile app publishers.

The start of 2020 has been unusual, but fortunately for those who are looking forward to 618, businesses and consumers have been on the rebound in recent weeks. While sales may not jump quite as wildly as they did in previous years, 618 is still bound to be a major event. Hundreds of thousands of brands have signed up to take part in 618 sales on various online platforms, and they are eager to advertise to potential customers. *

How publishers can maximize revenue during 618

Source: Pangle Internal Data

1. Get the timing right.

In 2019, ad budgets of advertisers on Pangle started rising in early June, peaking from June 16 to 19. Advertisers budget to spend big in the weeks leading up to 618, and publishers who seize this opportunity stand to benefit greatly.

This year, some 618 marketing campaigns and ad investment strategies are already kicking off as of late May, but June 1 to 18 will continue to be the most active marketing period. On average, Pangle generates 10 billion ad impressions in the Chinese market every day, reflecting heavy investment from online retailers and other advertisers. As shown in the figure below, the 2 or 3 days preceding June 18 are when advertisers really ramp up ad investment. Publishers stand to benefit most during these few days.

Ad Flights Scheduled by Pangle s 4 Biggest e-Commerce Advertisers in 2020

But June 18 isn t the end date for everyone. Some ad campaigns will continue running through the following weekend, or even all the way through China s Dragon Boat Festival at the end of the month. It follows that publishers also have the chance to boost revenue significantly during this period.

2. Use eCPM-boosting ad formats

Video ads are trending in China, and it s easy to see why. Video ads monetize apps up to 10 times more effectively than ordinary image ads. In particular, rewarded video ads and interstitial video ads were some of the top-performing ad formats. According to Pangle s internal data, the eCPM of rewarded video ads soared by 20%-30% during the similar scale of shopping craze in 2019.

One ad format that s much more common in China than elsewhere is the splash ad – a skippable full-screen ad that appears for a few seconds when an app is launched. With a simple implementation, this strategic placement is great for exposure and yields the high conversion rates advertisers are always after. For publishers, that means remarkably high eCPM. To put it into numbers, Pangle s internal data shows that during shopping holidays of a similar scale, eCPM for splash ads is typically 50-100% higher than usual.

Splash ads

Chinese retailers and shoppers are counting down the days to 618, and if you want to maximize your revenue as an app publisher, you should be too! For more insider insight, helpful tools, and strategic guidance as you prepare, feel free to reach out to your dedicated Pangle account manager or through email at pangle_support@bytedance.com.

*Source: https://jdcorporateblog.com/jd-to-boost-post-covid-consumption-with-618-grand-promotion/ and https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/china-tmall-pushes-618-shopping-festival-with-1-41-billion-stimulus-1203637887/