Macao’s Northern District will be running the 17th edition of its consumption scheme between 12 January and 20 February, with over 470 businesses already signed up for the initiative.
At a press conference reported by local media yesterday, the organiser said that during the program’s six-week run, residents would be able enter into three draws for e-vouchers whenever they spend at least 100 patacas at participating merchants on weekdays.
Consumers will need to pay using the Bank of China’s mobile app, BoC Macau, to take part in the draws. Prizes include e-vouchers worth 10 patacas, 20 patacas, 30 patacas and 50 patacas.
The digital coupons can be redeemed within 14 days after they have been won. Residents, however, will only be eligible to use them when they spend an amount that is at least twice the value of the voucher. In other words, a user who spends at least 20 patacas will be permitted to redeem a 10 pataca e-voucher.
“If this campaign succeeds, we’ll see results within a month and a half,” the organiser’s representative, Wong Kin Chong, said. “We haven’t calculated the potential business volume, but we believe registered merchants hope to increase their turnover by 20 to 30 percent.”
Wong noted that he expected the number of participating merchants to round up to roughly 500, a figure that is equivalent to approximately half the stores operating in the Northern District.
[See more: Macao’s retail sales grow in the third quarter, ending six straight quarters of decline]
According to the organiser, the Industry and Commerce Association of Macau Northern District, a million patacas has been allocated for the consumption drive’s initial phase, with the government’s Industrial and Commercial Development Fund supporting the initiative. The final budget will be contingent on the participation of residents and the amount of spending.
Overall, the scheme has a preliminary budget of 1.3 million patacas, and includes other prizes such as a truck, an electric motorcycle, smartphones, digital products and home appliances. A final draw for these products is scheduled to take place during the campaign’s closing ceremony in March.
The previous Northern District Consumer Carnival took place last year, running from 15 December 2023 to 3 February 2024, with approximately 11,000 businesses participating. By the end of its run, the event stimulated over 260 million patacas in spending and boosted the sales of registered merchants by nearly 20 percent.
Aside from the Northern District’s consumer campaign, Macao has also previously launched several city-wide spending drives. The latest one took place over 13 weeks between 1 September and 30 November, culminating in 1.1 billion patacas in consumption.
Consumption campaigns aimed at boosting local spending have become a regular feature in Macao’s retail and dining landscape. These sectors have been stagnating due to the increasing number of SAR residents choosing to spend in mainland China, where prices are more competitive and options are greater.
