Reading promotional calendars the way beverage buyers do
A field guide to how buyers weigh Tet, summer heat peaks, and school-calendar timing when allocating promo space.
Beverage buyers do not treat every month as equal promotional ground. Tet planning locks early, summer heat peaks push chilled soft drinks and water, and school-calendar weeks change impulse demand near residential routes.
When we ask buyers how they allocate endcaps, they often describe a sequence: secure core SKUs first, then decide which secondary flavours earn temporary height. Brands that arrive with a promo idea but no view of that sequence sound unprepared.
Custom reports and quarterly briefings both benefit from tying findings to the calendar the buyer already uses. Naming the weeks that matter in Vietnam’s packaged beverage trade makes recommendations easier to act on.