The time when spending events solely around the major holidays is long gone. Instead, you need to focus on occasions and events all year long to successfully expand your online business given the intense competition these days.
According to the latest holiday spending statistics by the National Retail Federation (NRF), the overall amount of holiday retail sales in 2021 reached $886.70 billion, representing a rise of 14.1% from the previous year. That beats the previous record recorded in 2020!
It’s not an exaggeration to assume that this year is predicted to break the holiday sales record of all time.
Obviously, on special occasions like holidays, people tend to buy more than usual. Hence, this is the ideal opportunity for you to promote your products and explode sales.
Every day is a holiday in the retail and eCommerce world. With so many events to celebrate, it is important to know which of these thrilling days and occasions deserve more attention.
Understanding that, we have created a 2023 eCommerce calendar with concise summaries of dates and holidays as well as some marketing tips to ensure you have the most profitable & memorable year.
Are you ready for an astonishing 2023?
Quarter 1 of 2023: E-commerce Holidays
January
New Year’s Day – January 1st
You undoubtedly want to be successful with the largest holiday of the year – New Year’s Day! The first day of the year is when everyone makes resolutions and anticipates the months to come.
Therefore, this occasion sparks a golden chance for businesses to connect with consumers and followers about conveying their goals for the year, rather than simply posting a “Happy New Year!” statement.
Moreover, customers tend to buy new things on this occasion as they believe that the new year represents beginnings and therefore should come with new things. Some people usually save up money the entire year just to splurge on Christmas and New Year. Thus, you can expect a shopping spree from your customers.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip
Build your marketing initiatives for the first week of the new year around resolutions, wish lists, and 30-day challenges.
This would be the ideal time to upload interactive content, like a New Year’s Resolution template or graphic on social media to bring the joyful spirit. You might, for instance, post some of the comments that your fans leave outlining their resolutions on your feed. That’s how you can engage with your customers on this special holiday.
Additionally, you should concentrate on giving your clients and followers something to anticipate in the upcoming year. This could take the form of limited-time offers or discounts, the introduction of new products or sneak peeks at your upcoming collections.
| If you want to liven up your Shopify store with various high-converting sales campaigns, OneUpSell won’t let you down. With this robust app, you can run post-purchase upsell, bundle discount, volume discount, and many more smart sales tools to boost both your conversions & your customer experience. |
Science Fiction Day – January 2nd
On January 2, which is the official birthday of renowned science fiction author Isaac Asimov, many science fiction lovers in the United States observe National Science Fiction Day.
This festival focuses on literature that explores how imagination affects technological advancements and scientific discoveries.
Target Audience: Fans of science fiction literature, film, video games, and comics.
Holiday marketing tip
It’s time to honor science fiction classics like Dr. Who, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars. Asking people to describe their favorite moments from the sci-fi books or films they love will help you engage with your audience, and you can reward the most imaginative answers with free gifts, vouchers, or exclusive discounts.
The US National Bird Day – January 5th
On January 5, National Bird Day, the United States citizen celebrate birds and their varieties. National Bird Day was established by the Avian Welfare Coalition to spread awareness of the struggles and plight of these significant birds and how we can start the change required to establish a healthier, more sustainable relationship with them.
Target audience: Bird lovers and wildlife supporters
Holiday marketing tip
You can create a quiz about birds and prepare prizes for any participation such as discounts or coupons.
National Cheese Lover’s Day – January 20th
National Cheese Lovers Day is a day set aside to celebrate the diverse varieties of cheese that exist around the world. Every day, people can celebrate their favorite cheeses on this day while also discovering new ones.
Target audience: Cheese and food lovers
Holiday marketing tip
Use the hashtag #CheeseLoversDay when posting on social media and ask them to share their favorite cheesy dishes or puns.
Businesses that sell cheese or any type of cheesy food should take advantage of this opportunity to increase sales by offering free cheese or cheese-related items, enticing people to place their orders on this special day.
Discover the handy ECom toolkit for 2023
February
World Cancer Day – February 4th
It happens every year on February 4th. By educating the public about the disease, and encouraging governments, and individuals around the world to take action against it, World Cancer Day seeks to prevent millions of deaths each year.
Target audience: People who care about or are suffering from cancer along with their lovers.
Holiday marketing tip
Share tips about cancer prevention, how to take care of cancer patients, and inspiring stories about the people who have managed to overcome their diseases. You can go extra by organizing a fundraising campaign on your website/social networks to help people suffering from cancer.
This is how you highlight the social responsibility of your business. It’s such a great way to contribute to the public while polishing your brand image because you’re raising awareness of one of the most dreaded diseases.
Super Bowl Sunday – February 12
The National Football League’s (NFL) impending Super Bowl LVII will mark the end of the 2022 NFL regular season. The contest is stated to take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on February 12, 2023. The Phoenix metro area will host the Super Bowl for the fourth time.
Target audience: American football lovers
Holiday marketing tips
Play around with the theme by posting pictures on social media or letting your audience know which team you support.
Before this occasion, you can create a mini-game for customers to predict the winner of the match. People with the right guess will receive a small gift which can be discounts or coupons to use when shopping at your store.
Valentine’s Day – February 14
Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate romance and love. And while today is a day when romantic presents are traditionally exchanged, you can also inspire your audience to celebrate great friendships and other relationships.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip
According to the National Retail Federation, Valentine’s Day spending was $23.9 billion this year, which is the second-highest year on record and up from $21.8 billion in 2021. As you can see, this is truly an occasion that you can leverage to boost your sales.
Valentine’s Day
Besides giving out Valentine’s Day coupons and deals, you can even launch a brand new Valentine’s Day collection which is full of items for the holiday. I bet your customers will LOVE it.
For example, with shirts or bags containing romantic statements or graphics, your collection can promote and highlight many types of love like self-love, love for family and friends, romantic love, and many more.
In addition, you can generously discount some couple’s items such as couple T-shirts, couple rings,… just give those happily-in-love people an incentive to choose your shop over the others.
On this day, all store owners will decorate their brick-and-mortar stores to go with the holiday vibe and it would be a strong plus if the online store can bring that holiday vibe too. Therefore, it is important to make your storefront tone-matching with the holiday to trigger a sense of excitement and increase your customer shopping experience.
| If you’re searching for a tool that helps turn your Shopify store into high-converting artwork, OneSection is a good choice. You can add out-of-the-box sections (featured collection, testimonials, Instagram feed, etc.) to your existing pages. Or if you want, the tool even allows you to drag and drop a whole new page with its top-industry templates. |
Random Acts of Kindness Day
The annual Random Acts of Kindness Week is observed from February 14 to February 20. It is a celebration of all the ways in which we may enrich one another’s lives. Someone may be extremely grateful for even a single modest act of kindness.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip
On this day, you can use social media and ask your followers to practice a random act of kindness to spread the spirit of this day. Then, encourage them to share their stories on their personal accounts and tag you in them.
What’s more? You can create a fundraising campaign where a portion of each order will be donated to a charity. This is a good way to allow customers to practice their kindness with just a small action.
World Pizza Day
One of the greatest culinary creations ever is pizza. National Pizza Day is the ideal time for everyone to enjoy a piece of pizza! An entire day, 24 merry and delectable hours, would be devoted to honoring that delightful carb that practically no one can live without.
Target audience: Pizza and food lovers
Holiday marketing tip
Just go on Twitter to tell your audience that you’re enjoying a slice (or several slices) of Pizza and ask them to share their favorite one in the comments! Moreover, you can also encourage them to try making pizza at home, take a photo, and share it with you.
March
World Wildlife Day – March 3rd
On March 3, the day the UN signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the organization will commemorate World Wildlife Day to raise awareness of endangered species and what we can do to protect them.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip
Sharing fascinating information about an endangered animal with your audience might catch their attention and help you spread the word about wildlife conservation, especially in the case of endangered animals. You might use popups on your website or post on your social accounts using videos, reels, or stories.
Dentist’s Day – March 6th
Dentist’s Day is observed on March 6 and is a great time to honor the dentists who help to keep our teeth healthy, white, and chewing.
Target audience: The dentists
Holiday marketing tip
In your Instagram posts or stories, give them a shoutout as a way of saying “thank you.” Furthermore, you can give all the dentists special discounts or coupons to use at your store on that day.
International Women’s Day – March 8th
International Women’s Day (IWD), which is observed every year on March 8, is one of the most significant days of the year.
The first Women’s Day was celebrated in the early 1900s. Women who were fed up with being overworked, underpaid, and subject to a variety of other injustices started to unite as a coordinated campaign to seek equal rights. Thus, the inaugural Women’s Day was observed in New York in 1913, and it has since become a global holiday.
You should prepare for International Women’s Day in the 2023 eCommerce calendar
This holiday honors the social, economic, cultural, and political accomplishments of women. The day serves as a reminder to speed up gender parity. Worldwide, there is a lot of activity as people gather to honor women’s accomplishments or march for gender equality.
Every year, IWD has a distinct theme that draws attention to a noteworthy and urgent issue. Cracking the Code: Innovation for a Gender-Equal Future is the theme for International Women’s Day in 2023.
This theme highlights the value of innovative, game-changing concepts, inclusive technologies, and open access to education in the fight against discrimination and the marginalization of women around the world.
Target Audience: Women and men who are boyfriends, husbands, and supporters of the movement
Holiday marketing tip
You should focus on the selected theme of the occasion to conduct a suitable marketing campaign. You can utilize your social media networks to share about and praise female leaders and women who have achieved success in all spheres of life, especially in education and technology fields.
Besides, you should offer discounts or gift vouchers for any female customers that purchase at your store as a support for women.
Apart from targeting female customers, you can encourage male customers to buy your items as a gift to their female counterparts or a son to buy presents for his mother or sisters.
On this occasion, people definitely find something for their female loved ones. Thus, to maximize your sales potential, you can expand your store to multiple sales channels to run ads, for example, Google Shopping, Facebook, or TikTok shop.
| That’s when you may use FeedHub (ex-Socialshop) – a tool that helps you sync, list, and optimize your product feeds from Shopify to Facebook, Google Shopping, or TikTok shop, managing them all in one place. With FeedHub, you can not only schedule the time you want to sync your product feed, but it also makes recommendations on how you can improve your product feed for the highest conversion rates. |
List Shopify product feeds to multi-channel
| 📢 Starting from 6th June 2023, Socialshop is rebranded into FeedHub. We do this to better reflect our app’s capabilities, vision, mission, and value proposition. |
St. Patrick’s Day – March 17th
The focus of St. Patrick’s Day is honoring Irish culture, which includes drinking green beer and it frequently entails parades and celebrations. Every year, people attempt to wear anything green or with a shamrock pattern on this occasion.
But most importantly, it’s a wonderful chance for companies to interact with the community they serve while having fun.
Target audience: People of Irish descent, especially in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand
Holiday marketing tip
You can introduce unique St. Patrick’s Day-themed products, such as shot glasses or green beer mugs. On social media, you can express yourself creatively with green-themed filters and lenses, or you can even make a fun St. Patrick’s Day-themed video.
And of course, don’t forget to participate in the conversation by using relevant hashtags like #StPatricksDay and #IrishPride.
Earth Hour Day – March 26th
The World Wide Fund for Nature (W.W.F.) founded Earth Hour, which is celebrated every year. Earth Hour day, held on the last Saturday in March, allows us to save energy for at least one hour.
As a symbol of commitment to the environment, participants are encouraged to switch off all non-essential electric-using devices for one hour between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Target Audience: Everyone but focus more on people who care about environmental protection/ energy saving.
Holiday marketing tip
Use your social voice to inform people about Earth Hour, invite them to participate, and spread the word. This effort is good to raise your brand awareness and polish your brand image. And don’t forget to use essential hashtags!
If you wanna go a little extra, you can leverage other marketing channels like a website or email marketing to spread the word and encourage more people to join you at the special event.
World Backup Day – March 31st
World Backup Day later replaced World Backup Month as the name of the observance. This annual event was started by the hard drive manufacturer Maxtor.
World Backup Day, which occurs on March 31 each year, serves as a reminder to make multiple copies of our digital treasures. Otherwise, we might risk losing them all forever.
Target audience: Everyone who has digital assets.
Holiday marketing tip
Again, there’s no better marketing channel than social media. Use whatever social channels you have to inform your customers about the event and kindly remind them to make a backup of their files. But if you ask us, we highly recommend Twitter and Instagram stories.
It’s time for software companies that offer free trial cloud storage solutions to market their brands. Another idea is to run social media ads to convince them that using your service to back up files is a good idea and to persuade them to give it a shot.
Quarter 2: Holidays
April
April Fools Day – April 1st
Every year on April 1st, people celebrate April Fool’s Day, sometimes referred to as All Fool’s Day. The name of this day, which originated in the West but has since spread throughout, varies. But they all share one thing in common: they all make jokes about other people on that day.
Since more and more people are following this trend, there is a chance for store owners to leverage creative marketing techniques. By coming up with simple yet entertaining ideas for carrying out a marketing campaign, you can get super creative or even deliver shocking content and capture the interest of customers on this day.
Target audience: Everyone, especially Western people
Holiday marketing tip
This is the only day in a year when companies can play practical jokes on their customers to amuse and engage with them in a funny way.
April Fool’s Day can be a great opportunity in the 2023 eCommerce calendar
You can showcase your sense of humor as a store owner on this day. A social media joke, a GIF, or a small prank video might work well to increase engagement and brand awareness.
Besides, on April Fool’s Day, many people wish to tell the truth in addition to those who enjoy making pranks. I think that’s a super cool approach. You can consider surprising your clients by telling the truth.
For example, in 2015, BMW made the announcement that the first individual to visit their showroom with the advertisement in hand will receive a brand-new BMW automobile. Then, a woman by the name of Tianna did as the advertisement instructed and received the prize. And it was surprisingly true!
World Health Day – April 7th
Every year on April 7, the World Health Organization selects a unique theme that is prominent in the wellness and medical fields. This day sets the tone for future events on the international stage, including everything from mental health to insurance and everything in between.
The focus of this year’s World Health Day will be on nurses and midwives, the restless, always-on workforce that transformed healthcare as we know it today.
Target audience: Nurses and midwives
Holiday marketing tip
If you’re selling medical products, this is a perfect opportunity to share your gratitude to nurses and midwives. You can ask your audience to do the same! If you’re not, it’s still okay to do so because you’re building the image of a socially responsible business.
Besides, you can give exclusive discounts or coupons for any buyers who are nurses and midwives as a way to say thank you.
International Day of Human Space Flight – April 12th
April 12 is observed as International Day for Human Space Flight throughout the world. The legendary Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, was the first human in space on this day, marking the first space journey.
Target audience: Space lovers
Holiday marketing tip
You can engage with your target audience by asking them to share their teenage dreams of exploring space. Furthermore, creating a small quiz about Yuri Gagarin on his Instagram story is a great way to celebrate this day.
World Book Day – April 23
On World Book Day, we celebrate the joy of reading. It’s a day to honor books, so visit the library or simply curl up on the couch and be a reader! World Book Day was created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization to honor the pleasure of leisure reading.
Target audience: Booklovers
Holiday marketing tip
For booksellers, this is your time to encourage your customers to buy more. You can give them special discounts or coupons, or curate a bundle with exclusive prices for a limited time.
For other businesses, you can create polls, quotes, and lists, and ask them to share their favorites and current reads. You can go extra by gifting a book or access to an e-book if they reach a certain buying threshold.
Discover the handy ECom toolkit for 2023
May
International Workers’ Day – May 1st
Every year on May 1st, the international labor movement promotes International Workers’ Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and frequently referred to as May Day. It is a celebration of workers and the working classes.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip
Everyone deserves a special reward on this occasion. You can send your customers an email, showing them that you care about them and wish them all the best on the holiday. In some circumstances, some offers like discounts may work.
International Day of Families – May 15
Every year on May 15, the International Day of Families is honored. The UN General Assembly established the Day in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237, demonstrating the value that the world places on families.
The International Day offers a chance to deepen understanding of the social, economic, and demographic dynamics that affect families as well as to raise awareness of issues about families.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip
On this occasion, you should create a gift guide and curate a product bundle to facilitate gift-giving. Encourage your customers to buy something for their families and tell them how meaningful it is to do that.
A popup on your website or header bar might help you with that.
Mother’s Day – May 14th
Mother’s Day is a holiday commemorating the mothers, whether they are biological or adopted, as well as maternity, maternal bonds, and the influence women have on society. It is observed on various dates around the world, most frequently in March or May.
Target audience: People in the US, Canada, South Africa, most European countries, and most Asian countries.
Holiday marketing tip
Mother’s Day is the ideal time to assist your customers in selecting the perfect present for their mothers or, even better, to treat themselves! And these are things you can do to make Mother’s Day memorable for your customers.
Show your sincerity to your mom on this day
Creating social media postings with a Mother’s Day theme to honor every mother across the world can be your first step. Next, you can create special discounts for moms only. Additionally, launching a specific line of gift-worthy T-shirts, mugs, or totes with the Mother’s Day theme can be a great idea.
You can even include a handwritten letter with every order or offer free gift-wrapping services if you want to give your clients something extra special and unique.
Importantly, keep in mind that Mother’s Day isn’t observed on the same day everywhere, so conduct your research before launching any campaigns.
June
Best Friends Day – June 8th
On National Best Friends Day, we embrace and honor our friends. Best friends support us throughout our lives whether they are nearby or far away, old or new. It’s time to express gratitude for our companion.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip: This is another good occasion to encourage gift-giving from your customers. Having an attractive gift guide and valuable product bundle can help you with this!
World Music Day – June 21st
The annual Fête de la Musique, often known as World Day of Music, was first observed on June 21 in France but now emphasizes how popular music is around the world. The World Day of Music offers performers the chance to increase their visibility and engage with their audience.
Target audience: Music lovers and artists
Holiday marketing tip
For businesses selling musical instruments or music services, you can run some special promos for music artists and fans. Besides, you can collaborate with artists to spread awareness of this occasion. This way will be beneficial for both of you as more audiences get to know about your business and their music.
Social Media Day – June 30th
Mashable introduced World Social Media Day on June 30, 2010. It was created as a way to acknowledge the influence of social media on international communication and to unite the world in celebration of it.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip
This occasion is centered around social media, so you should focus on boosting sales through these channels. Give some special discounts or vouchers to any customers who make purchases through social media.
Moreover, you can create a giveaway with an appealing prize where you encourage your followers to share your posts and those who have the most engagement will receive the prize.
Father’s Day – June 18th
Father’s Day has its roots in medieval Europe when Catholics set aside a day to honor dads, fatherhood, and all paternal connections. After a couple of hundred years, it became a worldwide holiday, demonstrating the value of dads and other father figures in all societies.
Father’s Day is observed on the third Sunday in June every year and falls on June 18 this year. Father’s Day is still a holiday to remember and enjoy, despite not being as popular as Mother’s Day.
Check the dates that your target audience celebrates fatherhood because, like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is observed on different days in different nations.
Target audience: People in the US, Canada, most European countries, and some Asian countries like India, China, Japan, etc.
Holiday marketing tip
Similar to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity for customers to select the perfect present for their fathers or simply reward themselves.
You can start by creating Father’s Day-themed social media posts in honor of all fathers worldwide. Next, you can designate exclusive discounts for dads. Launching a specific line of Father’s Day-themed items that are suitable as gifts can also be a wonderful idea since many customers will be looking for something for their dads.
Additionally, if your target market is primarily female, this might be a fantastic chance to test out new products.
Discover the handy ECom toolkit for 2023
Quarter 3 Holidays
July
American Independence Day – July 4th
Like no other holiday, Independence Day unites Americans. This day honors the liberation of America from British domination on July 4, 1776. Across the country, family gatherings and patriotic displays take place.
Independence Day places a strong focus on the American tradition of political independence. The day is celebrated by watermelon or hotdog eating contests as well as sporting events like baseball games, three-legged races, swimming competitions, and tug-of-war contests.
The American flag is frequently flown outside of homes and other buildings. Many places organize fireworks displays with some of them being broadcasted on TV and featuring patriotic music.
Target audience: Americans
Holiday marketing tip:
If you are an American-based business, you should take advantage of the Fourth of July to express to your clients how proud you are to be an American. To spread the spirit with your customers, you can make a background video with red, white, and blue and put your logo on the virtual background to advertise your brand.
You can also designate special discounts for products with images of the American flag, run social media contests with patriotic prizes, or start campaigns that emphasize liberty and democracy.
Furthermore, the 4th of July giveaways can help your business get more attention and increase engagement. Therefore, you should consider entering contests with a USA theme, independent furry buddy images, or #CaptionThis rewards.
Finally, this is the ideal time to express gratitude by providing exclusive discounts for the military. If your business already offers year-round military discounts, you can advertise a new discount during the week of July 4th.
World Chocolate Day – July 7th
Everyone likes chocolate and there is always a good type of chocolate for your appetite. World Chocolate Day, which occurs every year on July 7th, allows chocolate lovers around to indulge guilt-free in their favorite sweets.
The day also honors various kinds of chocolate-based treats, including chocolate milk, hot chocolate, candy bars, cake, brownies, and anything else that is covered in chocolate.
Target Audience: Chocolate lovers
Holiday marketing tip:
This is the ideal moment to offer significant discounts to your customers if you sell chocolate. It is also a fantastic chance to advertise brand-new chocolate and chocolate-related products.
Remember to use the hashtag #WorldChocolateDay when spreading words about the occasion and encourage participants to take pictures of the event and share them on social media.
World Emoji Day – July 17th
On July 17, the world celebrates World Emoji Day and several of the digital calendars’ symbolic icons. These tiny icons are very common in our daily activities and you can find them in our text messages, social media posts, and even professional emails.
Emoji usage is promoted on this day as a way to convey creative messages. We currently have 3,363 emojis to pick from, but that number is anticipated to increase with the addition of 31 more in 2023.
Target audience: Emoji enthusiasts
Holiday marketing tip:
Try using emojis in your marketing campaigns to engage users on social media and mobile. You can write a caption with only emojis and then, ask your audience to guess what it means. The caption can be a message to celebrate this holiday or you can promote your products with this exceptional idea.
And the person who has the right guess of your riddles can get a prize from you, like a coupon or a discount on the products that you are promoting through this game.
Next, you can share on social media using the hashtag #WorldEmojiDay and ask your followers to respond with their most recent emoji. Those with the fastest responses and most unique emojis can win a prize from you.
International Friendship Day – July 30th
Since the United Nations launched the International Day of Friendship in 2011, people all around the world have been commemorating it. This day serves as a reminder of the worldwide need for safety, harmony, and peace in a world filled with unending difficulties and hardships.
On this day, people express their gratitude to their friends by sending them presents and spending more time with them.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
On this day, all kinds of brands can increase their brand awareness by inviting customers and their friends to shop at their stores. You can ask them to check in with the products and post on social media with the hashtag #InternationalFriendshipDay. Make sure to give them some small gifts with your thank-you note.
If you sell products that would be ideal as gifts for friends, you should create a gift guide video. Short videos for gift guides encourage viewers to explore your products more quickly and make purchase decisions.
Moreover, you can create a small quiz about the friendship topic and ask your audience to join by leaving their answers and tagging their friends to play with. The fastest response with all the right answers will win the game with a voucher for the winner and their friends when shopping at your store.
Discover the handy ECom toolkit for 2023
August
International Cat Day – August 8th
The International Fund for Animal Welfare established this day to promote cat adoption. Regardless of how tough we may believe we are, we all melt in the paws of our purring canine companions.
On this day, people honor their feline friends, spreading the word about cat cuteness and their memorable moments. For businesses, this is the day for promoting cat supplies and participating in some animal activism events to illustrate your responsibility to the community.
Target audience: cat moms and dads, animal rights supporters
Holiday marketing tip:
For suppliers of pet products, it’s time to honor anything feline, so urge your customers to take pictures of their cats using your items.
You can get zero-party data about the pets that your customers prefer. Zero-party data is information that a customer voluntarily and consciously gives to a business. In this instance, it would entail inquiring about the customers’ favorite animal or the kind of pet they possess.
There are many inventive ways to gather zero-party data and even more ways to use it when it comes to enhancing your personalization efforts. A common and interesting approach to gathering data is through quizzes and other gamification-based activities. After successfully collecting these data, you may analyze them and develop better products and services to satisfy customers.
For other types of businesses, you can create a list of cat-themed products to promote and sell to your customers as your participation in this holiday.
Book Lovers Day – August 9th
National Book Lovers Day, like World Book Day, gives you the chance to interact with reading lovers as they honor their favorite works of literature. Book enthusiasts commemorate reading and literature on this day.
It is also a good opportunity for people to put their smart devices aside and pick up a book instead.
Target audience: Booklovers
Holiday marketing tip:
For booksellers, it is definitely a good time to boost your sales by encouraging your customers to buy more on this occasion. You can offer big discounts or implement the “Buy 1, Get 1 Free’’ strategy to urge customers to make purchases before the day ends.
Furthermore, this day is an excellent opportunity to introduce your membership program to your customers, especially the new ones. Convince them to subscribe to a member card with exclusive benefits in the long run.
Even if your store doesn’t sell any book-related merchandise, you can still utilize this occasion to engage with your customers by discussing what they are currently reading or polling the crowd regarding their favorite books. Then, you can inspire them with your favorite book or learn about the most recent book they picked up.
World Photography Day – August 19th
World Photography Day, often referred to as World Photo Day, is observed annually on August 19 and honors the history, art, and science of photography.
This day is dedicated to recognizing the world’s greatest photographers and inspiring them to post a single image that perfectly captures their reality.
Target audience: Photographers and art lovers
Holiday marketing tip:
Asking your customers to showcase their photography talents by sharing their favorite photos with you is the best way to celebrate this day. Digital or genuine printed images might be included in this.
Make sure to remind your customers to use the hashtag #WorldPhotographyDay when posting their favorite photo or two on your social media. You can reward people with discounts or coupons for the most interesting pictures.
International Dog Day – August 26th
The National Dog Day Foundation promotes the adoption of dogs from rescue organizations and legitimate breeders rather than buying dogs from unscrupulous backyard breeders and puppy mills.
Dogs are man’s best friend, and they ought to have a day all to themselves. They provide us with unwavering love, and amicable companionship, leaving us with all the good times in our life.
Target audience: Dog lovers
Holiday marketing tip:
The dogs are in the spotlight today! You can ask your customers to take their cameras out and record their dogs at their finest. You can raise awareness of dog protection and encourage customers to adopt a dog from a rescue organization.
Additionally, you can honor National Dog Day by contributing to the animal charity of your choosing. You can engage your customers in this action by donating part of your sales to the charity. This is a good way to convince them to pay more.
Besides, you can create items with dog themes or market t-shirts that people can wear with their canines.
September
Back to School – September 1st
Back to School Day prepares parents, educators, educational institutions, and students for a season of learning. It is time to load the bags, give them a good cleaning, and get ready for a new school year.
Different people associate different things with the start of the school year. Young adults are leaving home for college while parents are getting ready to send their kids off to school. Also, the day is not the same for all educational institutions and areas across the country.
Despite all the anticipation, returning to school may be hindered by the costs involved. Events like “Fill the Bus,” “Backpack Programs,” and “Teacher Supply Initiatives” aid in bridging the gaps. Every year, organizations from all over the nation work together to make the first day of school enjoyable.
According to a National Retail Federation survey, 38% of shoppers are reducing their spending in other categories to concentrate on back-to-school shopping.
Hence, you may prepare your business to take advantage of the more than $37 billion in anticipated back-to-school spending by setting up your store with offline and online back-to-school promotions.
Target audience: Parents and their children
Holiday marketing tip:
For school suppliers, you can launch back-to-school supply-focused campaigns to get your customers excited about the new school year. Discounts should be available for any product including notebooks, pencils, and backpacks.
Posting about special offers or bundles they may purchase in advance far before the school year begins might be a good idea. With the right social media strategies, you can expect to take a big step in your competition and increase sales.
Buyers, who are hoping to save money, will find back-to-school kits convenient and alluring. Thus, you should group several items together and provide exclusive discounts on various back-to-school kits.
Consider combining two of your most well-liked BTS products and bundling packages in inventive ways to help you expand basket sizes, and boost profits.
Finally, you can collaborate with a nearby school and sponsor an event there to celebrate this occasion and promote your products at the same time.
Labor Day – September 4th
The social and economic accomplishments of American and Canadian workers are honored on Labor Day. It is a federal holiday, and there will be open festivities including fireworks shows, barbecues, and picnics.
Workers in North America are excused from work on this day in remembrance of laborers, but it can also be a day to celebrate the end of summer.
The weekend after Labor Day signifies the end of summer. It is time for many customers to begin making plans for the upcoming season’s wardrobe. Numerous promos may persuade customers to shop during their free time in honor of this particular day.
Target audience: Americans and Canadians
Holiday marketing tip:
The unsung heroes of our economy are the workers, so it is time to acknowledge them right now, perhaps with a promotion. Commemorate your customers’ dedication to their jobs by launching campaigns in support of the labor movement.
You can offer free shipping on orders over a particular amount, offer freebies for goods that support fair working conditions, or provide assistance to those beginning their first job.
While the majority of major shopping holidays like Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Easter are linked to a particular kind of gift or theme, Labor Day isn’t one of them.
Spending precious time with loved ones is generally a priority on this special occasion, such as hosting or attending barbecues or parties. That means many buyers will be in a full-on bargain-hunting mode to find the finest prices on food, beverage, or other items like indoor and outdoor apparel, bedding and mattresses, clothing, and accessories.
Therefore, if you work in the food and beverage industry or other related fields, this is a crucial holiday that you should spend more time and effort in marketing and attracting your customers.
Once again, we want to emphasize how crucial it is to tease your deals or promotions ahead of time you will be running so that customers are aware of them and prepared to buy.
Discover the handy ECom toolkit for 2023
International Charity Day – September 5th
International Day of Charity serves to increase and enhance social responsibility across the entire world, increasing our support for charitable causes and bringing everyone together in solidarity.
To honor the important work that these many charities do, in 2012 the United Nations decided to nominate an annual International Day of Charity as an official day of recognition and celebration. Another reason for choosing this date is that it is the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
Target Audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
You can donate one dollar of every sale to a charity, which helps to engage both your business and customers on this occasion. Encourage them to make greater contributions to society with greater purchases.
Furthermore, sponsoring a fundraising event with a charity organization in your local community is an excellent opportunity to build a positive brand image. The more time you spend within the community, the better chances you get to reach your target audience. Eventually, that will lead to gaining sales.
World Tourism Day – September 27th
The United Nations created this holiday more than 40 years ago. This is a day to inspire international tourism and celebrate the adoption of the Statutes of the UNWTO in 1980, which encouraged a surge in tourism all over the world.
E-commerce companies can connect with international audiences in a variety of ways at this time to celebrate the joys of traveling.
Target audience: Traveling lovers
Holiday marketing tip:
World Tourism Day is best celebrated by digging into your book of dreams and finding that place in the world your customers most wish to go. Engage with your customers by asking them to share their favorite travel destinations and stories. You can also make a list of the hidden gems around the world to help them decide the next places to visit.
Highlight the importance of travel and tourism to your customers with discounts, freebies, and giveaways related to getaways. You can also create campaigns that focus on different destinations around the world and offer advice on top attractions in each city.
Mid-Autumn Festival – September 29th
Asian Mid-Autumn Festival, a lunar festival celebrating the autumn harvest, is synonymous with mooncakes. Usually marked with characters meaning “harmony” or “longevity”, these soft cakes are given as gifts and are increasingly a mark of status in China.
Mooncakes are a subtle way to network and cement relationships and in the weeks leading up to the festival, are given away enthusiastically to friends, family, clients, and colleagues.
As indicators of prosperity and affluence and a way to mark the importance of a relationship, the mooncakes on offer have increasingly become more sophisticated and complex.
Target Audience: Chinese and several Asian countries
Holiday marketing tip:
The main gifts that are exchanged on this occasion are mooncakes. If you’re planning to offer mooncakes to clients or staff or to pitch your own line of branded mooncakes, be sure to tap into the sophisticated, status-driven tastes of China’s urbanites.
Meanwhile, young people especially like to go shopping, and lots of brands promote themselves with specialty mooncakes or limited edition holiday-themed products.
You can also offer limited edition lanterns, stickers, and coupons as prizes in its giveaway promotion. Anyone who interacts with your brand’s accounts on social media channels may get a chance to win them.
Quarter 4 Holidays
October
World Animal Day – October 4th
World Animal Day on October 4th each year focuses on improving the welfare of animals around the world. This day is all about celebrating animals’ rights and welfare.
The day of October 4th commemorates the death of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, including animals. Some believed that Assisi could communicate with animals. Paintings depict him preaching to animals and even taming a wolf.
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia celebrated the first World Animal Day. In 1931, the International Animal Protection Congress in Italy adopted the resolution to officially make October 4th World Animal Day, to be celebrated around the world.
Target audience: Animal lovers and supporters
Holiday marketing tip:
Encourage everyone around you to be kind to animals. Donate to one of the many animal welfare organizations or animal rights groups throughout the world.
Spread awareness about animal welfare by posting a video online or writing a blog post. You should also share the day on social media with #WorldAnimalDay.
World Post Day – October 9th
World Post Day on October 9th each year honors the contribution of those who work in the postal industry. Another goal of the day includes raising awareness about the vital role the postal sector plays in the daily lives of businesses and individuals around the world.
As a whole, the postal industry dramatically influences the social and economic development of countries globally. In the United States alone, the postal industry employs nearly 500,000 career employees. Additionally, the industry has an operating revenue of $70.6 billion.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
You can distribute special souvenirs, including t-shirts and badges. You can also reward their postal employees for providing good service with special discounts.
While taking part in World Post Day, turn to your social media to thank the mailman for the service they provide with the hashtag #WorldPostalDay.
Ask your customers to share a positive experience they have had at the post office. Send your loyal customers a beautiful card through the mail.
World Mental Health Day – October 10th
Annually, World Mental Health Day is organized by the World Federation for Mental Health on October 10th to raise awareness and mobilize efforts to support mental health.
Each year, organizations host a variety of events all around the world to increase awareness about mental health issues. Events include educational seminars, free mental health screenings, walk-a-thons, marathons, conferences, mass media promotions, and public service announcements.
This day is important for raising awareness and fighting the social stigma around mental health issues. In some countries like Australia, the whole week is spent promoting the importance of mental well-being.
Target audience: people around the world
Holiday marketing tip:
Show your support and social responsibility by spreading awareness to your followers, sharing your thoughts or stories with your audience, and asking them to join in on the conversation.
You can also engage with your customers and boost sales at the same time by donating a portion of their sales to an organization that advocates for mental health.
Halloween – October 31st
When the annual harvest season came to a close and winter arrived, there was a Celtic holiday celebrated in Ireland that gave rise to Halloween. Today, Halloween is anything but solemn with its entertaining costumes and cheery décor.
Halloween is celebrated by participating in the custom of trick-or-treating, dressing up, and having parties.
An average American spent $103 on candy, costumes, and decorations in 2021, according to the National Retail Foundation, which estimated that the nation spent $10.6 billion on Halloween-related expenses.
Target audience: People in the West
Holiday marketing tip:
Halloween, arguably one of the most anticipated holidays of the year, is a perfect chance to develop entertaining and spooky marketing campaigns for your customers. To let your current customers know about holiday-related deals, use Halloween email templates to send them notifications.
Additionally, if you run a physical store, you can draw in Halloween-loving patrons with a themed window display that showcases your products. If you own an online store, you may apply this concept to your website by giving your landing page a Halloween motif.
Since it is predicted that 28% of shoppers would begin purchasing decorations, costumes, gifts, and other items in September, businesses that sell Halloween-themed stuff should start their promotions early to capture every Halloween shopper from the early birds to the last-minute joiners.
For other types of businesses, you can offer costumes, decorations, or candies as a gift for any customer who reaches a certain threshold of spending.
November
Single’s Day – November 11th
Singles’ Day, also known as Double 11, or Bachelors’ Day in the past, is a Chinese unofficial holiday and shopping season that honors single individuals. In China, it began as a student custom in the middle of the 1990s. Single friends would get together for meals, movie dates, and shopping on this day.
Nevertheless, when one of the major eCommerce companies, Alibaba, decided to hold its inaugural Singles’ Day sale in 2009, November 11 took an unexpected and commercial turn. Today, Single’s Day is one of the biggest yearly spending occasions in China.
Singles’ Day sales on Alibaba reached a record $139 billion in 2021, outpacing every other US shopping day, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Target audience: Chinese people around the world
Holiday marketing tip:
Discounts, as at every shopping event, are the main draw, so think about holding a sale or providing your customers with a special offer.
Moreover, you can launch items that promote self-love. For example, t-shirts with straightforward, uplifting graphics are great ideas. Customers will value styles that celebrate themselves because it is the whole point of Singles’ Day.
Thanksgiving – November 23rd
Thanksgiving was first observed as a harvest celebration when the first pilgrims fed Native Americans but it is now a national holiday. This day is a terrific opportunity to take a minute to reflect on your blessings.
Families and friends gather today for dinner to express their appreciation for all they have. Besides, this is the occasion to show their thankfulness toward the end of the year.
Target audience: Americans
Holiday marketing tip:
You can utilize this day to express gratitude to your customers for their support by providing them with special offers that will make their Thanksgiving celebration more enjoyable.
People like advertisements, images, and messaging with Thanksgiving-related themes that make them feel festive. To greet your customers with a happy holiday and to remind them of the bargains you have coming up, you should utilize an email template with a Thanksgiving theme.
Thanksgiving is a holiday centered around giving, making it the ideal opportunity to hold a charitable event. Join forces with a neighborhood charity and motivate your customers to give. Moreover, organizing a fundraising activity, such as a canned food drive or a charity fun run is another interesting idea.
Black Friday – November 24th
Black Friday is the biggest commercial holiday in America when customers shop for the best discounts during the holiday season. It traditionally signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season in the US.
The phrase “Black Friday” was first used by Philadelphia police officers in the early 1960s to characterize the turmoil that occurred when a large number of suburban tourists arrived in the city to start their holiday shopping and, in certain years, to attend the annual Army-Navy football game on Saturday.
If you run an online store, you must attend Black Friday. It is best to begin planning your Black Friday marketing activities as soon as possible. Black Friday is a fantastic chance to attract new customers because many customers may visit your website for the first time in search of deals and discounts.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
Black Friday is everyone’s favorite shopping day, so prepare your business with discounts, unique offers, giveaways, and special deals. To reach more people and boost engagement, don’t forget to include the hashtag #BlackFriday in all of your content.
You should create an email list of potential buyers in advance to tell them about the approaching Black Friday sales. To expand your email list, you can use a program for acquiring new subscribers. Consider targeting popovers based on consumer behavior to nail your data collection approach.
In fact, you may want to go a step further and think about creating a specific landing page for your Black Friday discounts, promotions, or specials. Fast-paced calls to action are a great method to increase Black Friday sales. There are more strategies for persuading customers to take rapid action you can apply to your campaign.
To learn more about building a Black Friday sales campaign, you can have a look at our BFCM checklists where you can find step-by-step guides on how to run your Black Friday campaign more effectively.
Shopping Reminder Day – November 25th
Black Friday’s origins are likely the same as those of Shopping Reminder Day, which may or may not fall on that day depending on the year (it could even fall on Thanksgiving).
Approximately one month before Christmas, Shopping Reminder Day serves as the ideal prompt to begin all of your holiday shopping.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
Businesses can create a sense of urgency in advance of the holidays to encourage customers to buy gifts for friends and family or complete their purchases of any product they left in their carts.
You can help your customers to find a fantastic gift for their loved ones by creating a gift guide and bundling your products, which is good for cross-selling and upselling.
Cyber Monday – November 27th
Another big online shopping day of the year is Cyber Monday, which falls on the Monday following Black Friday. International customers have an even greater chance to get excellent offers on Cyber Monday, particularly from online businesses.
As it only pertains to eCommerce and interacts with overseas customers, people have been purchasing more on Cyber Monday in recent years, and businesses offer even greater discounts than on Black Friday.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
Offering sales and discounts to online shoppers on Cyber Monday is a great idea. It will be incredibly simple for your customers to make in-app purchases if you make your discounts and products available on Facebook Shops, Instagram Shops, or even Pinterest Shopping Ads. This will increase conversion and increase sales.
Furthermore, you need to start segmenting your social media ads for each target audience and adding customized subject lines to your email correspondence.
The use of their preferred content and channels will help you reach different groups of your target audience through several touch points. You can also pay to disseminate your personalized marketing across different channels.
Last but not least, you can include instructional content about cyber security awareness, such as using strong passwords and other security advice, or highlighting strategies that keep customers safe while they shop online. All of these actions will help improve your customers’ overall shopping experiences.
December
Green Monday – December 11th
One of the busiest days for retail sales in the US is Green Monday, which falls on the second Monday in December.
On this day, customers become aware that there are just about 10 delivery days remaining before Christmas. As Christmas nears, many last-minute shoppers buy gifts for their friends and family on this day.
This is a fantastic chance for eCommerce businesses to create a sense of urgency and FOMO. They may be rushing to finish their holiday buying lists, which results in increased online sales.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
This occasion is the right time to tease your Christmas deals as people will plan to buy Christmas presents for their friends now. You can design gift guidelines to advertise how your products can be a perfect gift!
To facilitate gift-giving, you should utilize your Green Monday emails to highlight products for certain hobbies or demographic groupings. These emails should include gifts for three separate categories as well as details from the curators of the gifts. Lists of possible gifts can also be divided according to price range, brand, or item kind.
In sticking to the idea of last-minute gift-giving, you can offer your customers a gift-wrapping service.
Discover the handy ECom toolkit for 2023
Free Shipping Day – December 14th
In 2008, Luke Knowles established National Free Shipping Day. He understood that offering free shipping and a promise of Christmas Eve delivery would promote online shopping. The event was a success, ranking in the top 10 e-commerce earning days of the holiday season that year.
Free-Shipping Day’s customary date is in the middle of December (about a week before Christmas) and it will be observed on December 14 this year.
Participating in the holiday, more than 1000 online merchants have enjoyed great success, making Free-Shipping Day one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
All kinds of brands can increase sales and revenue by hopping on the free shipping train. Additionally, you will maintain an advantage over rivals if you engage in this holiday.
Offering free shipping on all orders will help you capitalize on this holiday, encouraging customers to buy your products. Moreover, you can offer customers who purchase from you on Free-Shipping Day a small discount or an additional day of free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve.
Remember to include content that explains the advantages of free shipping and how it can help customers save money during the holidays.
Christmas Day – December 25th
Billions of people around the world observe this religious and cultural holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Even though Christmas is getting more commercialized every year, it is still a family celebration, so focus your marketing efforts on warm and fuzzy concepts.
Since 2008, American shoppers have continuously increased their annual Christmas gift spending. According to Deloitte, they spent an average of $1,387 during the 2020 Christmas holiday season.
People will be seeking Christmas-themed goods and presents for their family and friends in the days leading up to Christmas Eve on December 24 and Christmas Day on December 25. Promoting religious goods, ethnic decorations, and other holiday-related products at this time of year is ideal.
Target audience: Christians and countries that observe Christmas as a public holiday
Holiday marketing tip:
Start by using social media to launch your Christmas marketing campaign. All you have to do is add a filter or hashtag just for Christmas and ask your followers to post photos of themselves or their friends using the hashtags.
This is your chance to create a gift guide featuring your products or services since everyone is shopping for Christmas presents at this time of the year.
In addition, a Santa wish list is a fantastic way to highlight numerous items or services at once. You can simply gather all the product images and feedback you’ve gathered over the past few months and upload them to your feed as a carousel.
Packaging should be at the top of your list of Christmas marketing ideas because it is one of the most crucial aspects of branding. Yet, changing your full package every year is undoubtedly difficult, so you just need to create limited-edition holiday packaging.
Being grateful to your customers for supporting you throughout the year is another great Christmas marketing strategy. To send to your email list, ask your designers to create a lovely digital card with a little personalized greeting.
New Year’s Eve – December 31st
The final day of the year is typically marked by social gatherings and fireworks displays. Also, now is the time to flaunt your most expensive party attire. Similar to New Year’s Day, many people make resolutions and goals for the upcoming year on New Year’s Eve.
Target audience: Everyone
Holiday marketing tip:
On this final day of the year, you can send New Year’s greetings to your customers and reflect on the past year by reviewing the highlights of your business.
Additionally, you can launch a 2023 lookback campaign where your customers can see how much they spend with your brand. Then, sending them a coupon as a way to express your gratitude for their steady support over the past year will help you keep your ties with them strong.
If you sell things used for New Year’s celebrations, such as decorations and party materials, you can promote special deals. Or, you can market your goods as they will aid customers in achieving their objectives in the new year, persuading them that your goods are necessary for the new version of themselves.
It is even better if you launch a new product at the beginning of the year. After the holidays, this concept will encourage people to resume their shopping.
Conclusion
And that is a rundown of the eCommerce calendar of some holidays in 2023 as well as several marketing ideas on how your business can make the most of them! Take advantage of every holiday or significant occasion as a chance to increase your brand recognition and boost sales.
You must begin planning your holiday marketing campaigns well in advance if you want to see good results. Once your eCommerce calendar is full, start mapping out your marketing strategy for the occasions that matter to your brand.
We are confident that you will make the upcoming year your best one yet with sincere planning and a little imagination!