Why hours matter most
In a 2023 survey of US consumers, 62% said they would avoid using a business if they found incorrect information about it online, and 40% said they search for opening hours several times a month.
What Google says about special hours
From Google’s guidance on special hours:
- Special hours are for brief changes, so that regular hours do not have to change.
- They apply when a business adjusts its hours or stays closed for up to 6 days in a row.
- A business closed for 7 days or more should be marked temporarily closed instead.
- It is a good idea to confirm hours for official holidays even when they are the same as regular hours, so customers can see they are accurate.
Which periods to plan for
For chains in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf: Ramadan, when hours often move to the evening, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and national days. Elsewhere: public holidays and local events. Renovations and temporary closures need the same attention.
Ramadan lasts about a month, which is longer than the brief changes special hours are described for. Decide in advance how each branch’s hours will be shown for the whole period.
What goes wrong in a chain
Branches rarely keep the same hours during a holiday. A mall branch follows the mall. A street branch may open late. One chain-wide update is usually wrong for some branches.
A simple routine
- Collect confirmed hours from every branch ahead of the period.
- Publish them for each branch, including holidays where hours stay the same.
- Check each branch once the hours are live.
- Review every branch again when the period ends.
Related: Listing accuracy for multi-location brands
By Bremark. Last updated: