You should always keep important dates in mind to plan promotions and sales accordingly.
Planning them in advance is key to campaign success and engagement and this is where a marketing calendar comes in handy. But what is a retail calendar and how can it actually benefit your business? A retail calendar is an overview of the most important dates, activities, and events for the upcoming year that businesses use to plan specific campaigns, product launches and optimise their sales strategy.
Good news! We’ve done the boring part for you and put together the most complete month-by-month marketing calendar to help you keep track of every event. No more missed opportunities but planned ideas to increase and target your sales!
Here’s our detailed holiday calendar and e-commerce calendar to jump into 2024 with a brand-new appeal.
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September· October · November · December
Here are some key dates to keep in mind to plan your summer 2024 marketing strategy in advance. Tap into new opportunities to engage with your customer base and spark interest in new ones!
We've highlighted the most important dates in the upcoming winter season - below you can find the sales calendar with essential dates for November, December, January and February. By continuing to read you will find the rest of the marketing calendar.
January is one of the best months for consumers and retailers, as it inaugurates the new year, offering everyone a fresh start. Remember, many people make a New Year’s resolution, and although most of them are likely not to commit to it, you can still inspire them and give them great ideas.
Also, consumers can’t wait to spend their Xmas money on post-holiday sales. They’ll be on the lookout for attractive opportunities, and you can find creative ways to make new customers discover your brand.
February is a month for free thinkers, dreamers, lovers, and food lovers. From LGBT History Month Day to World Nutella Day, National Pizza Day or Love Your Pet Day, February could really help you develop valuable ideas.
Source: chinesenewyear.net/
March brings along a happy, cheerful mood, with sunnier days, flowers blooming and making way for spring. You can inspire and engage your audience with themed email campaigns or become more colourful on social media. Even some green will do when Saint Patrick’s Day is around the corner!
April too is a month full of great opportunities on the ecommerce calendar! From April Fool’s Day to National Pet Day and Easter gifts, there are plenty of occasions to impress your audience. Don’t wait too long to sort your April out in the best way!
May is the return of summer… and of surprises! There are some surprisingly interesting celebrations that you can use to intrigue your customer base and draw attention to your brand. And if World Baking Day doesn’t resonate with you, you can always go for the plot twist and celebrate Star Wars Day in your own original way. Why not?
June is a busy month on the retail calendar. Apart from the single dates that could inspire your productivity, you can always create something big and meaningful on your social media or your email campaigns, engaging in a month-long event and supporting your community.
On June 1, 2021, LEGO launched the LGBTQ-themed set called Everyone is Awesome, with 11 monochromatic figures, each with an assigned colour, and 346 pieces creating a rainbow.
I wanted to create a model that symbolises inclusivity and celebrates everyone, no matter how they identify or who they love”Matthew Ashton, Lego’s vice president for design
Also, for Pride 2021, they partnered with The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQIA+ young people, donating $100,000 to help share valuable resources with whoever needs them.
In 2020, vegan-friendly cosmetics brand LUSH launched the “Shark Attack” campaign against shark slaughter on World Oceans Day, raising awareness on the importance of sharks for the marine ecosystem.
100% of sales were donated to The Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation and after purchasing the soap bar, every customer received a sticker with messages such as “Beware: Shark Killers” that they could use to mark a place where a shark attack occurred—for example restaurants selling shark fin soup and beauty products with squalene, an ingredient that derives from shark livers.
July may seem quiet, but business usually starts creating marketing strategies for the upcoming back-to-school excitement. Otherwise, there’s always World Chocolate Day to cheer everyone up and make sweet tooths happy.
Save this month on your ecommerce calendar 2024 and make it become an opportunity to transform your ecommerce in a more sustainable business.
Plastic Free July is a global movement that encourages millions of people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution for a cleaner planet. The objective is to re-evaluate items we use on a daily basis, as well as the sustainability of the companies we choose to buy from. The objective is to integrate small lifestyle changes in our daily routine until they become a way of living without damaging the environment.
More and more shoppers find that the brands they shop from should commit to eco-friendly practices – not just in July but all year round.
So, it might be the right time to check your eco-credentials and consider adopting sustainable practices for your business, inspiring your clients to do the same.
Here are some ideas:
Communicate your values to your customers, speak about what you are doing for the environment to raise awareness on the topic and include suggestions, instructions, and messages in your boxes to inspire people to adopt an eco-friendly behaviour as well. All this can be done in a highly creative, original way to strengthen your brand’s identity and social media engagement too!
North Face came up with a beautiful animation for its Back-to-School campaign. The tagline “You can carry it forever”, together with the animation’s setting, suggests the quality and durability of the brand’s products while conveying a sense of nostalgia, family and nature.
Marks and Spencer created a dedicated web page for Back-to-School, making it easy for customers to find useful tips and relevant products. The page was carefully and cleverly organized in sections like “New Term Kit” or “Stress-Busting-Uniform”. The key to this marketing campaign was not coming up with new releases but rather repurposing existing product pages in a new, smart format.
By now, holiday mode is already switched on for most people and getting consumers’ attention may seem like a stressful activity. However, there will always be online shoppers around, and concentrating marketing efforts on specific targets could do the trick.
But remember, International Beer Day, Book Lovers Day, World Photo Day, National Dog Day, or International Cat Day will undoubtedly find an audience!
In September, most people are back from their holidays and children get ready to go back to school. No better time for themed promotions and discounts.
October holds some interesting opportunities when it comes to marketing campaigns and events on the retail calendar. Apart from Halloween promotions and deals, there are important days that you can keep in mind if you want to support meaningful causes and raise awareness with your brand.
For World Mental Health Day 2021, Spotify encouraged listeners and employees to “take a beat”, and “tune in to yourself” to start a conversation on mental health awareness. They also created the Wellness Hub, where people can easily access mental health resources.
November is the most exciting and busy month for every online retailer. The week before Black Friday can be as nerve-racking as Black Friday itself. So, make sure you’re on track with your promotions and your logistics too. High demand is a blessing only if you can keep pace!
Demand is still extremely high in December, as everyone obviously looks for gifts and late Christmas gifts too. Promote your brand well and remember to make sure that your orders will reach your client’s home in time for the big day.
Now that we’ve explored the ecommerce calendar 2024 in detail, you can plan your promotions ahead and start focusing on new targets or ways to promote your products. Good luck!