Mooncake demand surges early on e-commerce platforms

Mooncake demand surges early on e-commerce platforms

Mid-Autumn Festival-related products generated nearly one million searches on Shopee in August, according to the platform's internal data. Mooncakes attracted the most interest, followed by lanterns, gift boxes and baking supplies.

A livestream by the Lam Thuy mooncake brand on Shopee. — Photo courtesy of Shopee

Demand for mooncakes has picked up early on e-commerce platforms, with searches and orders for the pastries and related goods rising sharply ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival in late September, data from Shopee shows.

Mid-Autumn Festival-related products generated nearly one million searches on Shopee in August, according to the platform's internal data. Mooncakes attracted the most interest, followed by lanterns, gift boxes and baking supplies.

Orders for festival-related products rose nearly 50 per cent from a year earlier, while mooncake orders on Shopee in the two months before the 2026 festival doubled from the same period in 2025, Shopee said.

The figures suggest consumers are starting their holiday preparations earlier and are looking for a broader range of products, from traditional gifts and mooncakes to decorations and baking supplies.

Brands including Lâm Thuỷ and Mondelez Kinh Do are responding by expanding their presence on e-commerce platforms and using livestreaming and short-form video to provide customers with more product information and engagement opportunities.

Lâm Thuỷ, a traditional mooncake brand that has recently expanded its e-commerce operations, is using Shopee's livestream and video functions to showcase product designs, explain product features and answer customer questions in real time.

"Every year, Lâm Thuỷ develops new cake designs that align with current trends and tastes, helping us reach younger customers," Lâm Thuỷ brand director Ngô Thị Thúy Linh told hanoimoi.vn. 

The brand has also launched early-bird promotions with Shopee from early August and plans to increase livestreaming activity during the September 9 shopping event, while promoting flagship products alongside platform-wide discounts.

Lâm Thuỷ has tripled its workforce in production, packaging and customer service from last year, as it prepares for higher demand. The company aims to increase its Mid-Autumn Festival orders on Shopee by 20 per cent from the previous year.

A livestream by the Lam Thuy mooncake brand on Shopee. — Photo courtesy of Shopee

For Mondelez Kinh Do, which operates at a larger scale, the focus is on standardising its e-commerce strategy across product portfolios, content, inventory planning and resource allocation.

Shopee's analytics tools have helped the company identify demand signals and make business decisions, the company said. 

"The mooncake industry is characterised by a short selling season, with rapidly shifting preferences regarding flavours, designs and gifting purposes. Consequently, the brand must prepare its product portfolio well in advance while continuously monitoring market signals," Dương Uy Trọng Phúc, e-commerce lead of Mondelez Kinh Do Vietnam, told hanoimoi.vn.

Trending products are also identified through Shopee's tools, while customer feedback and interactions on content channels provide further insight into the demand behind those trends, Phúc said.

He added that combining these factors allows the brand to adjust products, content and resources at each stage of the Mid-Autumn Festival season. 

Data from previous Mid-Autumn Festival seasons showed that Shopee users tend to search for and purchase festival-related products early in the season, prompting Mondelez Kinh Do to prepare production and inventory plans in advance and promote new product lines to meet early demand. 

Bizhub