With Filipino tradiitons contributing to a surge in sales.
According to the latest study of local tech startup Packworks, through its business intelligence tool Sari IQ, it found that Filipinos turn to cultural traditions and the belief in “luck” for the items that they ought to buy during the Lunar New Year.
Having analyzed over a million monthly transactions across its network of 300,000 stores over a three-year period from 2023 to 2025, yhe study compared sales trends for holiday-related items two weeks before and after the occasion during these years.
The data revealed that items linked to abundance and luck, such as hopia, Chinese wine, and Asian noodles, posted sales increases—which, it told, reflects how Filipino beliefs influence consumption during the occasion.
While a year-long item, hopia being a round pastry of that symbolizes togetherness and good fortune saw a steady growth in sales from 2023 to 2025.
Its median gross merchandise value (GMV), for one, rose 20% in 2025, up from 14% increase in 2023, with the Visayas regions leading the sales growth.
Central Visayas (Region VII) saw a massive 240% spike in sales and a 200% increase in transactions in 2025.
“This popularity reflects the region’s enduring Chinese cultural influence, particularly in Western and Central Visayas, hubs home to significant Chinese-Filipino communities such as Iloilo, which is home to approximately 14,000 Chinese-Filipinos,” noted Packworks.
Meanwhile, Chinese wine, which is often linked with holiday toasts and wishes for prosperity, saw its median GMV jump 36% in 2025, from 3% in 2023, as growth was seen across most regions.
Central Luzon (Region III) maintained a consistent 100% sales increase each year, along with Eastern Visayas, showing steadily rising growth from 72% in 2023, and highest surge of 107% in 2024 and 115% in 2025.
“This trend highlights the intersection of Chinese influence and the local tradition of ‘tagay’ (communal drinking),” the study further suggested.
Last, but not least, is the Asian noodles, which has been a staple symbolizing long life. It saw a 10% sales increase in 2025, rebounding from a 3% decline the previous year.
SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII) recorded the highest sales in 2025 with 25% increase, which is said to be likely driven by a 36% rise in stores selling the product, the highest among all regions.
In Western Visayas, the largest jump in transactions was recorded at 25%, which the company said reflects the region’s Chinese culinary influences and its growing community of Chinese-Filipinos.
Meanwhile, Central Luzon and Eastern Visayas continued to sustain sales growth over the three-year period, with the former recording 27% in 2023, 15% in 2024, and 17% in 2025, and the latter showing steady although gradually decreasing growth at 28%, 18%, and 9%.
The trend, as per the startup, “reflects steady top-up purchases of affordable and culturally symbolic items in sari-sari stores in these regions.”
For his part, Packworks Chief Data Officer Andoy Montiel noted these patterns reflect how Filipinos weave tradition into purchasing decisions. “Our historical data underscores how deeply traditional beliefs and cultural influences are embedded in the Filipino psyche, proving that commerce is inseparable from culture,” he said.
He continued, “The sales trends show that for the average Filipino, Chinese New Year isn’t just a holiday, but a window for ‘investing’ in prosperity. These cultural nuances are mirrored in the sari-sari store ecosystem, proving that in our local market, heritage often leads the hand that shops.”
As for the kitchen essentials used for holiday feasts, soy sauce, a staple introduced in Chinese cuisine, saw sales rise 9% in 2025, while seasoning granules and MSG grew by 7%.
Cooking oil also saw around a 13% increase in both sales and transactions, while sweet products like chocolates and sugar, experienced notable growth—chocolates saw a 36% boost in sales in 2025, while sugar maintained a strong presence following a massive 47% spike in 2024.
“Our latest insights prove that to stay relevant, brands and FMCGs must move beyond passive stocking and traditional distribution toward a hyper-localized, insight-led strategy,” told Packworks Co-founder and Chief Platform Officer Hubert Yap
He added, “By aligning product availability with these deeply ingrained cultural cues, brands can capture the latent demand that often goes unseen in modern trade, effectively turning cultural nuances into a competitive advantage at the grassroots level,”
In 2026, Packworks said it expects a 10% GMV growth and a 4% increase in transactions for this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations, as more Filipinos are buying the same product per transaction, particularly during the festive occasion.
Packworks was launched in 2018 as a solution for multinational companies and has since rapidly expanded as a B2B platform with stakeholders in the supply chain ecosystem, ranging from small sari-sari store owners to wholesalers, distributors, and FMCG companies and brands.
Nearly 75% of sari-sari stores in its network are owned by women, making it a startup looking to empower female entrepreneurs.