Merchants hope for spending boost as community consumption campaign set to kick off

[Photo; Ricaela Diputado]

Macau kicks off a new round of its community consumption campaign tomorrow, April 10, aiming to stimulate local spending and support businesses facing unstable customer traffic and rising operating costs.

This comes after several calls from local civic groups and business owners amid the uneven economic recovery.

The 10-week program, running through June 18, introduces an extended “weekend draw, weekday redemption” model, allowing residents more time to use vouchers and plan purchases.

With over 20,000 participating merchants and total benefits estimated at MOP400 million, authorities hope the initiative will revitalize community commerce and encourage Macau residents to keep daily spending in the city.

Several merchants across the city say unstable customer flow and rising operating costs have put pressure on businesses, and they are hoping that the new round of the consumption campaign can boost local spending.

Some business owners expressed concerns over geopolitical uncertainty, fluctuating prices, and stock market volatility affecting consumer willingness to spend.

A restaurant operator in Areia Preta noted that improved cross-border transport has created a “one-hour living circle” across the Greater Bay Area, reducing domestic spending in Macau. Weekends and holidays see the most significant outflow.

According to the business owner, during the recent Ching Ming and Easter holidays, foot traffic was weak, even with some customer redistribution from neighboring stores, as cited in a Macao Daily News report.

Also, many residents travel outside Macau during long weekends, contributing to the decline.

In addition to declining customers, operating costs have risen, including labor, food supplies, and fuel.

“Revenue growth has slowed, and profits have declined,” the restaurant operator said, adding that limited marketing budgets make it harder to attract local consumers, adding pressure on daily operations.

Meanwhile, for some residents, the campaign is only a “meager help” in everyday lives.

“Of course, it’s nice to get a small pataca discount, but prices have risen a lot. From bread to everyday essentials, we really feel the impact. So this feels more like a compensating adjustment than a true win-win,” a resident told the Times.

Another commented, “It’s still better than nothing. Some regions don’t offer this kind of incentive, so we should be grateful. But Macau has the capacity to run such campaigns, so I hope more incentives can be introduced to benefit local residents.”

Campaign to

‘invigorate economy’

Speaking at the TDM Forum yesterday, Lau Kit Lon, director of the Economic Activities Development Department at the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT), stressed that the “four-day redemption window gives residents more flexibility to plan their spending,”

As the program has been adjusted to draw coupons from Friday to Sunday, with redemption extended through the following Monday to Thursday, Lau added that “the value of the vouchers and other conditions remain largely unchanged, with more than 20,000 offline merchants able to accept electronic vouchers.”

Choi Tat Ming, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce (ACM), said the chamber will continue to sponsor three weekly cash prizes of MOP8,000, alongside a grand prize, bringing total sponsorship to MOP380,000.

“Residents tend to spend at participating merchants, and we encourage businesses to seize this opportunity to offer additional promotions, attract new customers, and invigorate the local economy,” Choi added.

The program’s adjustments aim to provide a timely boost for local merchants amid fluctuating consumer confidence and encourage more frequent engagement with Macau-based stores.

Further, Chan Chi Fong, secretary-general of the Macau Development Strategy Research Centre, said the new “weekend draw, weekday redemption” model is more targeted than previous editions.

“Previously, the redemption period was only two weekend days, causing many residents to miss out. Extending redemption days enriches consumption scenarios and can boost actual spending, helping expand the benefits for SMEs,” he noted. Chan also suggested comparing data from this round with past programs to evaluate the effectiveness of the new approach.