After a very eventful and uncertain 2020, I’ve put together the definitive list of the most important retail dates for the New Year to help merchants make the most of 2021.
New Year’s Day – 1st January
New Year, new you? For a lot of people, the New Year means a fresh start, new habits or a new focus to better themselves.
Be sure to focus your marketing efforts around the New Year and resolutions. If you offer subscriptions, January is a great time to promote these as visitors are looking to form good habits for the New Year
Blue Monday – 18th January
Blue Monday is the name given to the third Monday in January and is said to be the most depressing day of the year.
Whilst peoples spirits are low and wallets are empty from the festive period. A lot of brands take this opportunity to offer discounts and giveaways.
Superbowl Sunday – 7th February
Superbowl Sunday is one of the most-watched events in the U.S. Over recent years, the airtime has been a chance for big brands to create long-form adverts, but there are easier ways to get to your audience, especially if you don’t have the funds to make it to the big screen.
For sports, drinks and food brands, Superbowl Sunday is a great way for you to offer promotions to coincide with the event.
Make sure you’re active on social media too to catch people as they check their phones throughout ad breaks. If your brand fits, then you can get involved in the conversation on Twitter.
Galentine’s Day – 13th February
As the name would suggest, Galentine’s Day is a celebration of female friendship. As 2020 has been very different, it’s quite likely that your customers may be still under some form of local restrictions, so get creative with your marketing with gift guides, pre-sell landing pages or social media campaigns.
Valentine’s Day – 14th February
Well, who could forget Valentine’s day? Not you… Right?
Be sure to switch up your promotional images on your homepage with any offers or banners promoting your sale. Warm-up your existing customers on any marketing channels such as social or on email and create pre-sell landing pages or gift guides. Here are some Valentine's ideas to increase conversions on Shopify.
Mother’s Day – 14th March (UK) / 9th May (U.S.)
Most brands see a good increase in sales in the run-up to Mother’s Day as people shop for gifts. In 2021, Mother’s day will fall on the 14th March in the UK and on the 9th of May in the US.
Make use of any banners across your store to promote any sales and gift guides and don’t forget to kick off your email marketing and social media campaigns.
Easter weekend – 4th April
Easter is a great time for brands selling gifts or chocolate. It’s time to get creative with your marketing and imagery.
If you want to get really creative and increase conversions you can create an Easter Egg hunt on your Shopify store to keep people looking around until they find it. If you do plan to do something like this, be sure to make your visitors aware on your site and through other marketing channels that you use.
Best Friend Day – 8th June
For customised services like photo albums and jewellery, this is the perfect holiday for you.
Most brands take to social media to promote Best Friend Day by running competitions or giveaways. This is a great way to engage with your audience and increase conversions with those who celebrate Best Friend Day.
Father’s Day – 20th June
Similar to Mother’s Day, a lot of brands benefit from an increase in traffic around this time of year. This year Father’s Day falls on the 20th of June.
Make sure you warm up your audience and change up all of your promotional content on your site. If you have the facility, offer gift wrapping, and make any discount codes prominent across all of your marketing.
Back to School – Early September
Since COVID-19 has taken over every part of our lives, back-to-school may be a bit different this year depending on where you are in the world and on your local restrictions.
Also, think about what products you have on offer for children going back to school in the new norm, hand sanitizer or masks are great to offer.
TIP: Offer a free sanitizer gift with purchase on certain back-to-school carts.
Halloween – 31st October
It’s time for some spooktacular deals. Halloween-themed offers are great for October, especially when you update your creatives to get involved with the holiday spirit.
Singles’ Day – 11th November
Valentine’s day was a long time ago, now it’s time for some appreciation for the singles among us. Whilst only a relatively new celebration, Singles’ Day is rapidly growing in popularity.
Have customer wishlists? A great strategy for increasing conversions is by promoting a bit of self-indulgence for those wish lists.
Thanksgiving – 25th November
Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays in the US, falling on the fourth Thursday of November every year.
Many Americans use Thanksgiving to get together with friends and family over food whilst sharing gifts.
This is when you should be setting the pace for the Holiday Season and start to warm up your customers and up your ad spend and lift spirits.
Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) – 26th-29th November
It’s time. THE biggest weekend in the e-commerce calendar and kickstarting the Christmas shopping spree.
Plan in advance and make sure you have all of your creatives in place ready to set live well in advance. You should also start to warm up your audience, offer pre-sale events and early-bird access.
A few weeks before the big weekend you should start to push out content such as blogs, topical emails and an early-bird BFCM homepage.
When the big weekend lands you should go all in, change your homepage for your BFCM version and consider using a countdown on your homepage and within your marketing to create even more buzz around your sale.
Free Shipping Day – 14th December
Free shipping day is a great day for merchants to be able to sell any last-minute inventory and for customers to get gifts just in time for Christmas.
If you’re getting involved with Free Shipping Day, be sure to let your visitors know throughout your marketing and on your site to pick up any last-minute shoppers.
Christmas Day – 25th December
Christmas, the wine is flowing, the turkey is cooking and festivities are high. Throughout December and even in November, you should be raising spirits and promoting any sales that you have well in advance.
Boxing Day Sales – 26th December
Boxing day sales have always been very popular for retail but are becoming increasingly popular online. Consider updating graphics to promote any new products, lines or sales that you have.
