If you source products from China, then it’s important to understand the ins-and-out of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. The Chinese New Year brings business to a halt across much of China, marked by factory shutdowns and a massive uptick in travel. But don’t worry! Even if your dropshipping business relies on Chinese suppliers, there are some simple steps you can take to prevent and potential complications for yourself and your customers. This post will go over everything you need to know to make sure your business operates smoothly before, during, and after the Chinese New Year 2021.

When Is Chinese New Year 2021

Chinese New Year 2021 will take place on Friday, February 12 this year. On average, suppliers take a week off to spend time with their family and friends. This is comparable to people taking extra time off during the holiday season (Christmas and New Years) in North America. So, you’ll find that most manufacturers shut down between February 12th and February 25th this Chinese New Year 2021, give or take a few days.

Just as you might have a couple of weeks off work during the holidays, some suppliers might choose to extend their holiday a week earlier or later. They’ll likely start slowing down production before their weeklong holiday. Thus, it’s important to contact each supplier you work with to get exact dates on when they’ll be shutting down and starting up again. Also, it’s good to know dates so that you can slow down your ads during the period.

When is Chinese New Year 2021 – Friday, February 12

When is Chinese New Year 2022 – Tuesday, February 1

When is Chinese New Year 2023 – Sunday, January 22

When is Chinese New Year 2024 – Saturday, February 10

When is Chinese New Year 2025 – Wednesday, January 29

When is Chinese New Year 2026 – Tuesday, February 17

When is Chinese New Year 2027 – Saturday, February 6

When is Chinese New Year 2028 – Wednesday, January 26

When is Chinese New Year 2029 – Tuesday, February 13

When is Chinese New Year 2030 – Sunday, February 3

How Was Chinese New Year 2020?

Last year, during Chinese New Year dropshipping was only slightly impacted for most store owners. On average, we found that most suppliers only shut down for a week. However, most online retailers took the initiative to reach out to manufacturers to get exact dates for some of their most popular items. Chinese New Year 2020 affected stores that rely on the Valentine’s Day niche the most such as lingerie, couple’s gifts, flowers, and stuffed animals.

AliExpress Chinese New Year

During Chinese New Year 2020, factories shut down a few weeks before the holiday. Don’t worry though, many manufacturers had enough inventory in stock so that they could continue selling until the actual week of. We expect the same sort of situation for Chinese New Year 2021.

However, the biggest thing to remember is that you need to contact each individual supplier. Some manufacturers won’t have a shut down while others may take a week and another may take two. To limit customer frustrations, you need to reach out to your biggest suppliers as soon as possible. And you can even put copy on your website to mention order delays due to Chinese New Year 2021 and include the dates of when your delays take place.

How Long Does It Take for Products to Ship during Chinese New Year?

Prior to Chinese New Year, some suppliers might slow down production a week or two in advance. Thus, orders received a week or two before the actual date might be delayed. In addition, orders received during the week of Chinese New Year will experience delays too.

There are a few factors that influence the ship time for the products. You’ll need to contact the suppliers you work with the most to get specific information. Ask each supplier when they’ll stop processing orders and when they’ll start again. Also, if you’re using ePacket ship times will be faster than if you use standard shipping.

Importantly, some suppliers might not even be based in China. As non-Chinese suppliers wouldn’t celebrate the holiday, there might not be any delay at all with certain products on your store.

Chinese New Year

Should I Close My Store for Chinese New Year?

No. There’s no need to close your online store during Chinese New Year. Some blogs and Facebook groups will dramatize delays during Chinese New Year. Some go as far as saying suppliers shut down for an entire month – this isn’t true.

Its true that during Chinese New Year business does get affected.

On average, suppliers take a week or two off. Will Chinese New Year affect your store? Yes, but only for a couple of weeks at most.

What are the best selling products on your store? Contact the suppliers that make your best selling products to find out exactly how long they’ll be off for. Once you have this information, you can decide how to proceed with your store.

Remember, during Chinese New Year business modifications are necessary but simple changes can go a long way.

For example, if a supplier for a popular necklace is going to take a month off, you might want to hide that product on your store temporarily. If a supplier for a popular shirt is taking a week off, you might choose to spend less on ads temporarily.

In general, if a supplier plans on taking more than a couple of weeks off, hide the items from your store a week or two before the dates they’ll be closed to prevent delays.

Another important reason why you shouldn’t shut down your business during Chinese New Year is you’re going to scare your customers. Imagine ordering from a store and a week later the store closes. Customers who haven’t received their order yet will freak out.

It’s important to stay active on social media, answer emails and keep your store up.

Chinese New Year 2018

Which Niches Will be Most Affected by Chinese New Year?

When it comes down to which niches Chinese New Year affects the most it’s typically those in late January or early February. For example, if you sell lingerie, orders might not arrive in time for Valentine’s Day. If you sell masks, you might miss out on Mardi Gras sales depending on the year. If you have time-sensitive niches, Chinese New Year may affect your delivery times.

How to Handle Customer Inquiries About Late Packages from Chinese New Year

Some customers may be concerned when their package is delayed. However, there are a few extra steps that your business can take to maintain the customer’s peace of mind.

First, ensure that you post on your website that delays may occur during Chinese New Year. If you don’t want your customers to know that your products are from China you can list dates instead. For example, ‘There may be shipping delays between date-date.’ You might want to have a sticky bar banner on your website that states this. You might also want to place it on product pages that you send your ad traffic to.

Second, remind your customers via email of delays as soon as they place their orders. Having automated emails sent out informing them of delays ensures that they get the message in case they missed it on your website. Also, it’s great for reassurance when they realize the order hasn’t arrived yet a couple weeks later.

Third, respond to all customer inquiries. You might have a few upset customers if their package is delayed. However, be kind and patient when responding to them. Aim to respond to all messages within 24 hours so customers can be reassured that their package will be arriving.

Next, make sure you keep an eye on every package that’s being shipped during that period. If you notice a couple items haven’t been shipped around that time, be aware that certain customers may contact you. You can even take the initiative to let them know of any delays. Sometimes it’s better to be proactive than reactive.

Lastly, place your orders on time. By placing AliExpress orders within the same day and having cut off deadlines for certain products for Chinese New Year you help prevent any upcoming issues. Follow your suppliers’ timeframes to ensure your customers receive their products on time.

When is Chinese New Year

How to Keep Your Store Afloat During Chinese New Year

As a store owner, you’ll experience a slight hiccup for a couple of weeks during Chinese New Year. To keep your business profitable during that period, you’ll need to make some slight adjustments.

First, spend less on Facebook advertising. Now is not the time to scale. As soon as your suppliers come back from their holiday, you can scale your ads. In the meantime, spend less on advertising. Sure, you’ll have fewer orders but at least you’ll have fewer refunds to worry about. Also, focus your ads on products from suppliers who will only be off for a week. If a supplier will be off for a month, avoid promoting their products temporarily. You can also focus on sending traffic to non-Chinese suppliers who don’t celebrate the holiday.

Second, if your store also sells print on demand products, you should focus on those products temporarily. This will allow you to keep making money on your store during the Chinese New Year holiday.

Third, continue your marketing efforts. While you might spend less money on advertising, you should still continue posting on social media multiple times a day, blogging regularly and other activities to keep your brand at the top of mind. This helps reassure customers who’ve already ordered while also building relationships with potential customers.

Lastly, keep money in your store’s bank account. You should always have money in your bank account. If you have less money coming in for a week or two, you should still be able to pay all of your monthly expenses with savings in your account. Don’t spend every dollar you make.

When does business go back to normal after Chinese New Year?

Business will go back to normal about a week or two after Chinese New Year for most suppliers. Some suppliers might be off a bit longer but it depends on each one. You’ll need to contact your suppliers directly to find out more information.

Keep in mind, since Chinese suppliers were off for at least a week, they’ll have a backlog of orders they need to get to first which delays things a bit for them. You’ll want to keep an eye on orders and keep customers informed throughout the process.

Want to learn more?

Is there anything else you’d like to know more about and wish was included in this article? Let us know in the comments below!