What’s the biggest holiday your store should focus on for maximum sales?
If you had trouble thinking of just one, you’re sort of right: you need to take advantage of multiple holidays throughout the year in order to maximize revenue for your online business.
Maximizing your sales while minimizing your overall expenses is the trending theme for 2023. It’s important to know where to focus your efforts and operations on to make the most out of what you already have.
So to ensure you’re well-equipped for the storm ahead, you’ll need to optimize your eCommerce holiday calendar.
Holidays are the biggest drivers of sales, as customers rightly assume they get the most bang for their buck during these days.
You can’t be part of all of them, though! So it’s crucial that you know who your audiences are and when is the best time to speak to them.
We’ve put together a handy-dandy eCommerce marketing calendar to help you forecast all the sale dates you’ll need to watch out for to get a great start on Q1 next year! It’s chock-full of major and minor holidays, perfect for your eCommerce brand.
You can save it to your device and use it with a planner app, or print it out if you prefer to mark dates the old-school way.
In the meantime, there are some major eCommerce holidays that you definitely shouldn’t miss out on, no matter what niche you are in.
Engage with Your Audience and Maximize Your Profits by Leveraging These Key Holidays
JANUARY:
- New Year’s Day (January 1)
Target Audience: Customers who’ve bought from you in the past, especially during the last year’s holiday salesSuggested Approach:
Engage with your customers and call them back to check out items they were eyeing during the holidays but weren’t able to buy. You can offer special limited time offers on these products.Another way to frame these offers would be recommending relevant products that complement what they bought before. This can help them complete their experience with their products—and they’ll thank you for it.
- Get to Know Your Customers Day (January 20)
Target Audience: Your list of active contactsSuggested Approach:
Keep it casual and fun. Send out surveys or even engage with your customers on your brand’s social media profiles.For your email surveys, you could ask about the products your customers bought from you last holiday season. The quality, the purchase and checkout process, and suggestions on how you can improve your products or services.
As for your social media engagement, you can post a list of “Top Products Bought” by your customers. For added engagement, you can ask your customers to leave their top picks and why in the comment section.
- National Spouse’s Day (January 26)
Target Audience: Married couplesSuggested Approach:
Go for a “For Him/Her” Gift Guide or Bundles for your customers’ super special partner in life. - Other January holidays you can engage in:
– National Science Fiction Day (January 2)
– National Hat Day (January 15)
– National Compliment Day (January 24)
FEBRUARY:
- Valentine’s Day (February 14)
Target Audience: CouplesSuggested Approach:
Gift Guides work well for Valentine’s Day. Help your customers find the best romantic gifts for their special someone with special offers on Valentine’s themed products.
- Single Awareness Day (February 15)
Target Audience: SinglesSuggested Approach:
Go for the “Treat yourself” approach by offering special discounts on items or services singles would usually splurge on.
- Love Your Pet Day (February 20)
Target Audience: Pet OwnersSuggested Approach:
Highlight gifts and treats pet owners can buy for their furbabies. Again, you can never go wrong with gift guides.If you want to bump up the engagement factor, squeeze in some educational content speaking about how pet-friendly your products are—animal lovers will thank you for it.
For casual engagement, you can encourage your customers to post about their pets and what products they’ve bought from you that their furry friends are enjoying now. This can give you a great source of user-generated content.
- Family Day (February 21)
Target Audience: Family members, either parents or sons and daughters.Suggested Approach:
Send out gift guides and special offer bundles highlighting family-related products. You can do themed ones as well: “For Dad,” “For Mom,” “For the Son/Daughter,” “For the Bundle of Joy” just to name a few you can start with.If your brand offers travel or outdoor-related products or services, you can offer family discounts on these categories.
For social media engagement, you can highlight the top family activities your customers can do with their families and maybe plug in some related products to help enhance their experience.
- Other February holidays you can engage in:
– National Pizza Day [US] (February 9)
– Random Act of Kindness Day (February 17)
MARCH:
- International Women’s Day (March 8)
Target Audience: Female CustomersSuggested approach:
Shine the spotlight on the strong and independent women of the world. Show appreciation by sending our special offers to products women would love to splurge on.You can leverage the “Treat Yourself” theme in your emails and messaging—empower the ladies and remind them they deserve to treat themselves with the best things in life.
- St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)
Target Audience: American’s Canadians, and AustraliansSuggested Approach:
Bring out the shamrocks and start recoloring your marketing asset designs to fit the theme. From pop-ups to emails, it’s time to go GREEN.Feature product collections that go with the theme (usually the color green) or launch limited holiday themed products made just for the occasion.
Also, we’re serious about the literal green theme, as 79% of consumers do celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by simply wearing the color green.
- Mother’s Day [UK] (March 19)
Target Audience: Moms, Sons and DaughtersSuggested approach:
Gift guides and discount bundles are a sure-win strategy to help your customers find the perfect gift for their super special moms. Usually vacation, self-care, and relaxation-related products are some of the best choices.You can also promote content that encourages mothers to get a much-deserved treat for themselves.
- Other March holidays you can engage in:
– World Book Day (March 2)
– International Day of Happiness (March 20)
– World Poetry Day (March 21)
APRIL:
- World Health Day (April 7)
Target Audience: Health conscious customersSuggested approach:
Aside from giving special discounts on vitamins and supplements, start sharing educational content on top activities or diets that your customers can engage in.
- Easter Weekend (April 7-10)
Target Audience: AmericansSuggested Approach:
It’s actually the norm to have a heavily commercialized approach on the Easter holidays in the US. General Easter-themed special sales and discounts is a great go-to strategy, with a focus on easter egg imagery and easter messaging.
- National Siblings Day [US and CA] (April 10)
Target audience: Customers with siblingsSuggested Approach:
For Her/Him Gift Guides would work for this holiday. You can add a special fun twist by highlighting prank products for the more mischievous of siblings. Even older customers who just can’t help but be playful with their siblings will love this approach.
- National Pet Day (April 11)
Target Audience: Pet OwnersSuggested Approach:
Highlight and discount pet-related products in your catalogues. You can share educational content on how your customers can use your products to best care for their dear pets.For your social media engagement, you can encourage your customers to post about their pets and how your products benefitted them—another opportunity for user-generated content.
- Other April holidays you can engage in:
– April Fool’s Day (April 1)
– National Burrito Day [US] (April 6)
– National Superhero Day (April 28)
MAY:
- Mother’s Day [US, CA, AUS] (May 8)
Target audience: sons and daughtersSuggested approach: Gift bundles and gift guides to help your customers find the right gift for their mothers.
Tip: Leverage customer retention strategies to further build your relationship with your customers
- Memorial Day (May 30)
Target Audience: AmericansSuggested Approach:
Offer discounts to products that would suit the theme of honoring and respecting fallen soldiers.Also, share social media posts and use appropriate messaging to show respect for the holiday.
- Other May holidays you can engage in:
– Star Wars Day (May 4)
– International Day of Families (May 15)
– National Creativity Day (May 30)
JUNE:
Father’s Day (June 19)
Target Audience: sons and daughtersSuggested approach:
Use gift bundles and gift guides to help customers find the right gift for their doting dads. If you’re reaching out to a younger audience of dads with younger kids, this could also be framed as a self-care gift for themselves for a job well done.Use messaging that goes along the lines of helping customers’ fathers relax or even telling fathers to treat themselves.
- Other June holidays you can engage in:
– World Environment Day (June 5)
– National Flip Flop Day (June 17)
– International Yoga Day (June 21)
– National Selfie Day (June 21)
JULY:
Independence Day
Target Audience: Americans, especially those who may be older and are considered patriotic.Suggested Approach:
Exclusive discounts and creative Independence Day-themed emails. This holiday is a big deal in the US, because of what it represents: fireworks, parades, outings, barbecues, and more. Use nostalgia in your marketing campaigns to hit your customer in the feels, and be creative with your red, white, and blue emails.
- Other July holidays you can engage in:
– World Emoji Day (July 17)
– Get to Know Your Customers Day (July 21)
– International Day of Friendship (July 30)
AUGUST:
Back to School Season (all month)
Target Audience: Parents, older studentsSuggested Approach:
Use bundles, discounts, cross-selling, and upselling to maximize your average order value (AOV). Tailor your copy to appeal to the back-to-school crowd by focusing on benefits or discounts. If you’re reaching out to college-age students, aim to add value. This audience will often spend $1,000 more than other shoppers on various gear, including furnishings and gadgets.
- Other August holidays you can engage in:
– International Cat Day (August 8)
– Son and Daughter Day (August 11)
– World Photography Day (August 19)
– International Dog Day (August 26)
SEPTEMBER:
Labor Day (Sept. 5)
Target Audience: Employed audiences in the USSuggested Approach:
Labor Day may vary per region, so make sure you segment your audience properly. Go for copy that focuses on employee celebration or appreciation content, like Treat-Yourself deals. You can also choose to highlight the people working for your business. This offers a look into the hard work needed to keep serving your customers well.Labor Day weekend is another big US holiday, as it usually coincides with back-to-school. It’s one of the busier shopping days of the year in the US, so get creative and offer some of the best deals that you can.
- Other September holidays you can engage in:
– National Grandparent’s Day (September 11)
– National Video Game Day (September 12)
– International Day of Peace (September 21)
– First Day of Fall (US – September 23)
– World Heart Day (September 29)
OCTOBER:
Halloween (Oct. 31)
Target Audience: general consumers, young pop culture enthusiasts, partygoersSuggested approach:
Halloween is a great holiday to be a little spooky! You can even take your cue from beloved horror movies by building up suspense, and giving out a few tricks and treats to your customers.
- Other October holidays you can engage in:
– International Coffee Day (October 1)
– World Smile Day (October 2)
– World Animal Welfare Day (October 4)
– World Mental Health Day (October 10)
– Get to Know Your Customers Day (October 20)
NOVEMBER:
Click Frenzy [AUS] (Nov. 12)
Target Audience: Australian online shoppersSuggested Approach:
Click Frenzy is a 53-hour event that brings together great deals and offers in Australia. While they have themed sales every month, November is the BIGGEST Click Frenzy sale, coinciding with Black Friday. Apply discounts best practices and the 6-step holiday marketing sequence.Thanksgiving (Nov. 24)
Target Audience: AmericansSuggested Approach:
Thanksgiving is the calm before the Black Friday storm! Show gratitude (to your customers) through more personal messages from your brand along with special discounts and deals.This is a great time for traditions and warm, fuzzy feelings.
- Black Friday (Nov. 25) & Cyber Monday (Nov. 28)
Target Audience: Prioritize your loyal customers, then your general customers.
Suggested Approach:
This is the biggest sale of the year! Excite your audience before the big sale by using cues that convey urgency, like countdown timers and time-sensitive offers. See the momentum through by continuing to engage with them with follow-up emails, content emails, and post-purchase emails.
Tip: Most BFCM sales are happening earlier in the month to allow ample time to nurture customers and to get all those great deals out. Aim to have your first emails out by November 11th to get a good headstart.
- Other November holidays you can engage in:
– Veteran’s Day (US – November 11)
– World Kindness Day (November 13)
– International Men’s Day (November 19)
DECEMBER:
Green Monday (Dec. 12)
Target Audience: Focus on customers who’ve bought from you during BFCM.Suggested Approach:
Last day for Christmas delivery reminder emails, gift guides, hype up audiences for Christmas.Super Saturday / Panic Saturday (Dec. 17)
Target Audience: Last-minute shoppersSuggested Approach:
Remind your customers that it’s the last Saturday before Christmas; FOMO; Last-minute big discounts, gift guides.National Free Shipping Day (Dec. 18)
Target Audience: AmericansSuggested Approach:
Include a big and eye-catching message declaring your participation in National Free Shipping Day in your promotional content.You can send a special code your customers could use to avail of your free shipping promo, and use it as a way to gather more emails from would-be customers that you can nurture.
Christmas (Dec. 25)
Target Audience: General audiencesSuggested Approach:
Plan early to launch your Christmas campaigns earlier than the competition, also because most consumers might not be reading their emails during the Christmas holiday itself.Focus on celebratory content where your brand shares the Christmas cheer with minimal sale pushes; also can focus on abandoned cart recovery.
Boxing Day (Dec. 26)
Target Audience: Customers who’ve bought from you previously during the big Q4 salesSuggested Approach:
Big discounts so customers can buy what they really wanted, end-of-the-year sales.Go for “It’s Time to Treat Yourself” messaging.
New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31)
Target Audience: Previous ShoppersSuggested Approach:
Final sales push, discounted abandoned cart recovery promos, and FOMO such as final-sale-of-the-year reminders.
To take full advantage of these sales opportunities, make sure your lifecycle marketing strategies are tuned-up and good to go. 7 to 8-figure brands would still attribute their stores’ biggest numbers to hardworking strategies such as:
- Optimized core email flows
- Proper list segmentation
- On-brand creatives
- Consistent omnichannel marketing systems
It’s important to always plan ahead and even launch your holiday campaigns much earlier than the actual day to engage your target audiences and ultimately lead them to make purchases (and even repeat purchases)!
Don’t forget that you can grab a free copy of the full 2022 eCommerce holiday calendar! Feel free to print it out and even add in your own special sale days:
Key Takeaways
Lifecycle marketing is responsible for the long-running and sustainable eCommerce success of many 7 to 8-figure brands.
Customer-centricity is key to future-proofing your DTC store.
Customer retention is more cost-efficient and overall presents a more long-term and sustainable growth solution for eCommerce businesses.
Leverage direct marketing channels to establish direct communication with your customers as well as bring forward products and services that they would be interested in.
Omnichannel marketing is important to help tie all your existing marketing channels together for a seamless and consistent customer experience.
