Jan 25, 2021|

Themed Calendars Gain Popularity among Consumers

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by Rachel Liu

People may like to buy calendars ahead of Chinese New Year, as the beginning of a new year brings a fresh start and good luck. JD’s big data shows that themed calendars launched by museums and art organizations have enjoyed great popularity at the turn of the year. On December 30th, sales of a Forbidden City themed calendar increased 450% YOY.

Designed by the Forbidden City Cultural Products flagship store, the Forbidden City calendar follows China’s traditional Almanac, which is based on the lunar calendar and provides guidance on what to do on each day. The cover of the calendar features the classic “Forbidden City red” color and is decorated with the Shen Wu Gate, the north entrance of the Forbidden City, auspicious clouds, and a crane, which stands for longevity and luck in Chinese culture. This calendar also introduces 24 seasonal division points in lunar calendar. According to JD’s Big Data Research Institute, these traditional almanac and other calendars that introduce Chinese traditional culture are the highest-selling ones on JD.

Calendars designed by the Chinese National Museum and the British Museum also received great popularity. The Chinese National Museum calendar introduces 365 different relics from Chinese history, while the British Museum calendar designed 12 themes, one for each month based on historical relics, providing knowledge and fun for customers. JD data shows that female customers like to gift calendars related to art and culture to their friends, and sales of these two kinds of calendars both increased over 270% YOY.

According to JD’s Big Data Research Institute, these traditional almanac and other calendars that introduce Chinese traditional culture are the highest-selling ones on JD.

Some calendars aim to capture the hearts of niche customer groups. For example, there is a special “cloud calendar” for sale on JD designed for customers who love the sky. Each page of the calendar contains a photo of clouds collected from netizens living all over the world since 2016. Sales of book calendars, which introduce one book on each page, increased 3.4 times YOY. Customers can scan the QR codes on each page for audio introductions on each book.

“Calendars are not only a tool for checking dates for Chinese customers, but have become a way to express their tastes and personalities. We noticed that more and more customers like to buy themed calendars or specially designed calendars to add some colors to their desks or send to their friends as gifts,” said a sales representative from JD Fashion and Lifestyle.

 

(liuchang61@jd.com)

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