Mooncakes are one of the most typical seasonal products in Vietnam. Every year, within just 1-2 months, hundreds of large and small brands compete to “launch their products”, compete for each point of sale, and each mention on social networks. But after the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the market immediately cools down. Customers quietly disappear. Many businesses fall into a state of confusion, having to start over every Mid-Autumn Festival: running ads, finding collaborators, and recreating their identity. So, what is the strategy for mooncake brands to retain customers and make them proactively come back every season?
Don’t “Disappear” After the Full Moon Day
A common mistake of businesses that only sell moon cakes is… disappearing right after the season. Fanpages stop working, websites are not updated, sales channels fall into a “hibernation” state.
Solution: Create a year-round journey for customers.
- September–October: send thank you notes, season recaps, behind-the-scenes, photos of loyal customers.
- November–December: share simple homemade cake recipes, traditional ways to preserve fillings.
- January–February (Tet): send spring greeting cards, give away Tet wallpapers with brand logos.
- March–April: launch mini games “Guess the new flavor this year” or “Which cake filling suits your personality?”
- May–June: reveal new concepts, “early booking” offers, customer surveys.
- July–August: during peak season, boost communications, officially open for sale.
Strategy: “12 months – 1 brand” helps the brand to have a sustainable presence in the minds of users.
Maintain the fanpage, but change the role
Instead of letting the fanpage “gather dust”, you can turn it into:
- A channel for telling traditional cultural stories: briefly write about the Mid-Autumn Festival past and present, folk tales, traditional dishes.
- A space to share emotions: invite customers to tell stories about their childhood Mid-Autumn Festival, family photos, memorable stories about giving cakes.
- Creative corner: suggestions for decorating trays, suggestions for dishes to go with cakes, making recycled lanterns with children.
Objective: Customers do not come in to buy, but come in to… remember you.
Build a “loyalty club”
Customers who buy mooncakes have a very high repurchase rate if they are satisfied with:
- Flavor
- Beautiful packaging
- Brand story
So why not build a points system, a VIP club, or simply a loyalty list to:
- Send emails/SMS to remind about the upcoming new season.
- Give exclusive discount codes to old customers.
- Invite customers to try new flavors for free (or book early with a discount).
Suggested tools: Email marketing with Mailchimp, Zoho; free CRM like HubSpot; customer management with Google Sheets and Zalo OA.
Develop by-products to keep pace all year round
If you are a handmade cake brand or have a strong point in packaging, think about by-product lines that can be sold all year round:
- Herbal tea combined with cakes.
- Chocolate with mixed fillings – inspired by moon cake fillings.
- Small gift boxes for Tet, March 8, October 20 (using the same ingredients, packaging in a similar style).
Cultural gifts: postcards, notebooks, Mid-Autumn cards with brand-specific images.
From here, the brand no longer “just sells cakes”, but becomes the keeper of the festival spirit and traditional culture.
Invest in a concept so customers will come back next year
Customers come back partly because the cakes are delicious, but mostly because you have something new and special. Don’t repeat the same concept every year. Instead:
- Each year, a theme tells a story: “Mid-Autumn Festival, Mother’s Memories”, “Moonlight in the Highlands”, “Moon of Old Saigon Girls”, “Reunion Across Generations”… even a theme without a moon but showing gratitude.
- Design packaging like a collectible that makes customers want to buy and keep.
- Collaborate with artists, painters, or use traditional handicrafts to increase culture and uniqueness.
Next year, customers will wonder: “I wonder what model that brand will launch this year?”
Creating a Media “Boom” Isn’t Just About Selling (Continued)
Don’t Just Run Sales Ads. Create In-Depth Content:
- Videos recount the journey of making the cake – from ingredients to packaging. Show customers the hands of the craftsmen, the old wooden molds, each layer of filling cooked with a traditional recipe… This not only creates trust but also nurtures the feeling of a kind, soulful brand.
- Interview real customers – especially the elderly or three-generation families. They can tell stories about old Mid-Autumn Festivals, stories of “a box of cake – a whole season of memories”, making your brand a bridge connecting tradition and modernity.
- Partner with storytellers (bloggers, content creators, cultural KOLs): Don’t just choose celebrities, choose people with the right voice. KOLs who specialize in slow-living stories, folklore, or have a community that loves traditional beauty will help your content go further – and deeper.
Strategy: Make the brand soulful, so that customers not only want to buy but also want to tell about it.Mid-Autumn Festival is only one season, but the brand can live all year round
Mooncakes are a short-term product, but the experience, emotions and connection with customers should not be short-term.
A strong brand does not need to sell all year round, but it must be present all year round:
- Appear in memory.
- Appear on social networks with stories, inspirations, values.
- Appear in emails, groups, mini games – like a friend who is not in a hurry, not forgotten.
Because Mid-Autumn Festival only comes once a year. But brands that make people look forward to, just need to remember once to make customers come back.
