Moon cakes compete to have big promotions for fear of unsaleable products

A mooncake shop on Nguyen Thai Son Street (Go Vap) hangs a sign "buy 1 get 1 free" but many times it is still empty of customers - Photo: N.TRI

Only half a month left until Mid-Autumn Festival, to quickly sell goods, many sellers are increasing promotions such as "buy 1 get 1 free", "buy moon cake get pia cake", increasing discounts for large orders...

Retail stores launch promotions to attract customers

At this time, walking along many streets in Ho Chi Minh City such as Pham Van Dong (Thu Duc City), Nguyen Thai Son (Go Vap), Ly Thuong Kiet (District 10)... it is easy to see moon cake shops offering promotions such as 20 - 30% discounts, even "buy 1 get 1 free".

Stopping by a shop on Nguyen Thai Son Street (Go Vap District) displaying a "buy 1 get 1 free" sign, the seller said that this promotion had just been launched and only applied to Dong Khanh cakes. Accordingly, customers who buy cakes priced at 70,000 - 80,000 VND/piece will receive 1 of the same type for free.

"Compared to previous years, this year the promotion is applied earlier, because there are still many cakes, so we have to increase the promotion to stimulate purchasing power and avoid inventory," the seller shared.

Similarly, a point of sale in Go Vap district applies the promotion "buy 4 moon cakes, get 4 pia cakes" on the occasion of September 2 - Photo: N.TRI

Similarly, not far away, a store displayed a sign "buy 1 box of 4 moon cakes for 188,000 VND, get 1 box of 4 pia cakes for free" but still did not attract many buyers.

Meanwhile, although "buy 1 get 1 free" is not applied, Mr. Dang Van Nhat (representative of a store in District 10) said that due to slow purchasing power, since the beginning of September, he has proactively increased the discount for customers buying Kinh Do and Nhu Lan mooncakes...

Specifically, customers with bills from 3 - 4 million will receive a discount of about 10 - 15%, from 5 million and up will receive a discount of 15 - 20% depending on the purchase quantity. The listed price of cakes at Kinh Do is commonly from 50,000 - 150,000 VND/piece depending on the filling (150 - 230g), Nhu Lan cakes are commonly from 90,000 - 230,000 VND/piece depending on the filling (200 - 400g).

"This type of cake is usually sold at the listed price, without any promotions, because the manufacturer has a policy of taking back cakes if they are still available at the end of the season. However, retailers can be flexible with the discount level, accepting a reduction in profit to attract buyers," Mr. Nhat explained.

Not only stores, many large-scale retailers are also applying moon cake promotions.

Many retail systems are increasing promotions to stimulate purchasing power at the end of the season - Photo: N.TRI

A representative of the Bach Hoa Xanh system said that to stimulate purchasing power, the unit has just applied many incentive programs for customers buying moon cakes at the system. Specifically, when buying 4 moon cakes, customers will receive 1 lantern and 2 fresh cakes; when buying any 2 moon cakes, customers will receive 1 fresh cake; buying a box of 4 cakes costs only from 199,000 VND...

Similarly, in addition to increasing the sales of affordable mooncakes, a representative of the WinMart system said that they will apply a discount of up to 15% for large orders. In parallel with the in-store sales channel, this unit has increased sales on the online channel.

Demand from corporate customers has dropped significantly.

In terms of production, many businesses confirmed that purchasing power is quite slow despite the peak. In a recent conversation with Tuoi Tre Online , Ms. Kao Huy Minh, representative of ABC Bakery Company (HCMC), said that the company has kept the price of cakes stable this year, even diversifying popular cake lines for people to easily access, but purchasing power up to this point is quite slow, despite entering the peak in the past few days.

"Demand from agents to corporate customers has decreased significantly this year, possibly by 30-40% compared to stable years. Anticipating this situation, the unit proactively reduced 30% of raw materials for cake production from the beginning of the season, prioritizing production as needed to avoid inventory," said Ms. Minh.

Similarly, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, representative of Dong Khanh mooncake brand Bong Lua Vang, said that corporate customers usually order early, 20-30 days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and buy in large quantities to give to employees. However, now there are only 15 days left until the full moon of August, but the number of these customers is quite weak.

With slow purchasing power, many businesses have proactively reduced moon cake production early - Photo: N.TRI

According to many moon cake manufacturers, corporate customers are very important because they often account for 20-30% of orders, even more for establishments that only produce according to orders.

"With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, it can be affirmed that this year's source of corporate customers has almost completely disappeared," a representative of a manufacturing facility affirmed.

Popular cakes, traditional flavors are easy to sell

Talking to Tuoi Tre Online , a representative of the WinMart system said that the unit is prioritizing the launch of affordable mooncakes such as a box of 4 traditional 100g cakes with 4 flavors priced at 220,000 VND, or a more premium box of 4 150g cakes priced at only 300,000 VND.

"Currently, the 100g mixed ham cake and the 100g green bean lotus seed cake with salted egg are popular with many customers thanks to their traditional taste and reasonable price."

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/banh-trung-thu-dua-nhau-khuyen-mai-lon-vi-so-e-20240902171344273.htm