Note: This article covers "White Day," a gift-giving custom observed mainly in Japan and parts of East Asia on March 14. This holiday does not exist in most other markets.
Established as "the day to return the favor for Valentine's Day," White Day has in recent years come to be seen not only as an occasion for gifts between romantic partners, but also as a chance to show appreciation to coworkers and acquaintances, or even to treat oneself.
In EC operations, if you launch a campaign without first sorting out "who the product is aimed at and how to appeal to them" amid these shifts, users can easily become confused, making it harder to drive results. On top of that, the short campaign window and the tendency for demand to concentrate right before the day are challenges unique to White Day.
This article organizes the key ideas to keep in mind when running a White Day campaign on your EC site, and explains how to move forward with preparation and how to design your tactics.
What Is a White Day Campaign?
A White Day campaign is a general term for promotional efforts that run around March 14 (White Day), built around anticipated gift demand.
In Japan, it is an established custom for the person who received a gift on Valentine's Day to "return the favor," making it a seasonal event with reliably steady demand for many years — and for many EC businesses, an easy, recurring campaign period to work with each year.
White Day tends to involve a wide variety of recipients and occasions, and when customers make a purchase, premises such as "who am I giving this to" and "what is the purpose" strongly influence product selection.
Since EC sites, unlike physical stores, don't have staff available to assist customers in person, they need to design information so that users can naturally picture things like "who am I giving this to," "in what setting will it be used," and "what feeling do I want to convey."
The Position of White Day Campaigns in Japan
White Day originated in Japan, spreading mainly through the confectionery industry from the late 1970s, and today is widely recognized as a seasonal event paired with Valentine's Day. For companies and brands alike, it is one of the standard events when gift demand tends to rise in the early part of the year.
At the same time, the meaning of White Day itself has been gradually shifting in recent years. There's no longer a strict expectation of an expensive return gift, and
- Wanting to express a small token of thanks
- Wanting to keep relationships with coworkers and acquaintances smooth
- Wanting to treat oneself
Cases of purchasing products for relatively light motivations like these have also come to be seen.
In a survey on White Day conducted by Datacom Co., Ltd., many respondents described White Day as "a day for enjoying yourself," a trend that differs from the traditional image of the event as centered on "returning a favor."
Image source: "Over 60% Say White Day Is Unnecessary! Is Spending on Yourself a New Trend?" (Japanese)
Against this backdrop, gift-choosing for White Day is likely to create psychological hurdles such as "I don't know what to pick" or "I don't want to seem like I'm trying too hard."
Image source: "Over 60% Say White Day Is Unnecessary! Is Spending on Yourself a New Trend?" (Japanese)
For that reason, in an EC campaign, rather than a one-dimensional appeal such as "the day to prepare a luxury gift,"
- Products at a price range that's easy to choose without feeling pressured
- A product lineup organized by relationship or purpose
- Presenting go-to, standard items for shoppers who can't decide
These kinds of efforts to reduce user anxiety and effort are important.
Timing and Preparation for a White Day Campaign on EC
When getting ready for White Day, when should an EC site start preparing, and what points deserve attention?
Timing of a White Day Campaign
EC campaigns for White Day are typically run over roughly two to three weeks, from late February through March 14.
Many EC sites adopt this window because related demand tends to pick up right after Valentine's Day ends, and it's a period when inventory and shipping systems can be readily switched over.
Given the time needed for product registration, inventory adjustments, creating feature pages, and setting up banners, it's reassuring to begin preparation around mid-February.
Specifically, having the following in place by that point will help operations run smoothly during the campaign period:
- Selecting White Day products and confirming stock levels
- Creating collections split by recipient or price range
- Preparing feature pages, banners, and other promotional pages
- Organizing and clearly stating shipping schedules and the earliest shipping date
- Confirming gift wrapping and gift-order availability
White Day in particular tends to see a mix of shoppers who plan ahead and compare options, and shoppers who decide at the last minute, so how thoroughly you prepare in advance tends to directly affect results.
Characteristics of Last-Minute Demand Right Before White Day
White Day is also an event where many people decide to buy at the last minute, for reasons like "I realized the day was coming up" or "I completely forgot."
This last-minute demand is also a factor behind the surge in traffic and purchases that concentrates in the latter half of the campaign. Clearly presenting the following points to users on your EC site helps put them at ease:
- Clearly communicate the earliest shipping date and estimated arrival time
- Clearly indicate which products will arrive by March 14
- Show recommended products and price ranges matched to the recipient
By making shoppers feel that "the item will arrive in time" and "this choice won't go wrong," you can resolve their hesitation before they complete a purchase.
White Day Campaign Tactics That Are Easy to Run on EC
For White Day, it's important to design a user journey that focuses not just on the products themselves, but on making them "easy to choose" and "easy to decide on."
Since it's an event with a short window and many users deciding at the last minute, on EC sites, a design that helps users make decisions tends to drive results more than simply increasing the number of products.
Points for a White Day Feature Page and Navigation Design
During the White Day period, it's important to provide a smooth path from your top page or global menu to a feature page. Adding a clearly labeled link such as "White Day Feature" makes it easy for users who arrive with a specific purpose to act without hesitation.
On the feature page, the following approaches are effective. Each aims to let users judge "what to choose" in a short amount of time.
- List White Day products together in one place
- Use simple copy to help users picture the occasion for use
- Present recommendations along the lines of "if you can't decide, choose this"
Using a Shopify app can shorten the time needed to build a feature page.
For example, the Shopify app "PageFly Page Builder" lets you create a feature landing page using templates.
Source: Shopify App Store, "PageFly Page Builder"
Shopify app "PageFly Page Builder": page creation screen
For more on how to create a landing page, also check out the article below.
Using Coupons and Pop-ups to Promote White Day
For a White Day campaign, rather than offering steep discounts, using conditional coupons such as "limited time only" or "during the White Day period only" makes it easier to encourage purchases of target products.
This is especially effective right before the deadline, functioning as a reason for shoppers to feel that "deciding now won't be a loss."
If you're considering issuing coupons on Shopify, see the article below.
Pop-up campaigns can also be used effectively without harming the user experience, as long as you finely configure which users see them and when. The key is delivering the right information at the right time to users who are still considering a purchase.
For recommended pop-up apps on Shopify, see the article below.
White Day Product Pages Segmented by Recipient and Price Range
For White Day, preparing product pages organized by recipient — "for a partner," "for a friend," "for a coworker," "for yourself," and so on — makes it easier for users to smoothly find products suited to their purpose.
Because the appropriate price range and product category for White Day varies greatly depending on who the gift is for, this kind of categorization itself becomes a tactic that encourages purchases.
At the same time, splitting products by price range also addresses needs like "I don't want to go wrong within my budget." On EC sites, this kind of design that reduces hesitation is itself a promotional tactic that encourages purchases.
Creating a collection that gathers the relevant products for a limited-time campaign makes it easier to feature them in blog posts or on a limited-time LP.
Shopify product management: White Day collection
Shopify theme: featured collection block
Approaching Valentine's Day Campaign Participants
Users who purchased Valentine's Day products tend to have relatively high interest in and affinity for your brand, making them a good match for White Day promotions as well.
If you already have a certain amount of customer data accumulated, reaching out again to these existing customers can be an effective tactic.
For example, if you tagged products from your Valentine's Day campaign with a specific product tag (e.g., "Valentine's Day"), you can use customer segments to narrow down to "users who purchased a product with a specific product tag."
Key Points for Designing a White Day Campaign
Because EC sites can't offer the direct, in-person assistance of a physical store,
- Who the gift is being given to
- What occasion it will be used for
- What budget range is appropriate
it's important to clearly organize this information and create an environment where users can choose products without hesitation.
White Day in particular is an event where shoppers tend to hesitate before purchasing, so organizing your options tends to drive better results than simply increasing the number of products.
Also, since White Day runs for a limited period, balancing advance preparation with last-minute response is essential. By using feature pages and collections to set up your navigation early, while strengthening messaging that reassures shoppers that "it will arrive in time" and "this is a safe choice" as the deadline approaches, you can help prevent missed sales opportunities.
