Every month has an ecommerce holiday, which can become a reason to launch a sale, run a promo, stand out from the competition, or reach out to your customers.
But we’ve noticed that our ecommerce users often miss out on holiday sale opportunities as they juggle endless tasks.
Want to take advantage of the peak shopping season for ecommerce this year? Keep reading to find out which days to target for holiday purchases and how to prepare.
Ecommerce Holidays 2024
Do you know holiday ecommerce sales will grow between 7% and 9% despite slow retail holiday spending this year?
We know ecommerce sales will grow as consumers will take advantage of online shopping deals.
– Michael Jeschke, retail & consumer products lead at Delloite
Isn’t it exciting?
Here are the major holidays to leverage the holiday shopping trends:
January
- New Year’s Day (Jan 1)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan 15)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in January:
- National Pharmacist Day (Jan 12)
- Elementary School Teacher Day (Jan 15)
February
- Black History Month (all month)
- Groundhog Day (Feb 2)
- Super Bowl Sunday (Feb 4)
- Lincoln’s Birthday (Feb 12)
- Valentine’s Day (Feb 14)
- President’s Day (Feb 19)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in February:
- Mardi Gras (Feb 13)
- Pancake Day (Feb 13)
- National Love Your Pet Day (Feb 20)
March
- International Women’s Day (March 8)
- Mother’s Day UK (March 10)
- St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)
- Good Friday (March 29)
- Easter Sunday (March 31)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in March:
- Women’s History Month (all month)
- National Son’s Day (March 4)
- National Jewel Day (March 13)
- Pi Day (March 14)
- Global Recycling Day (March 18)
April
- April Fool’s Day (April 1)
- Easter Monday (April 1)
- Earth Day (April 22)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in April:
- National Tweed Day (April 3)
- National Pet Day (April 11)
- World Stationery Day (April 24)
- Administrative Professionals’ Day (April 24)
- Arbor Day (April 26)
May
- Labor Day (May 1 in Europe)
- Cinco de Mayo (May 5)
- Mother’s Day (May 12)
- Memorial Day (May 27)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in May:
- National Brothers and Sisters Day (May 2)
- May the 4th Be With You/Star Wars Day (May 4)
- International Nurses Day (May 12)
- International Day of Families (May 15)
- National Creativity Day (May 30)
June
- Pride (All month)
- Flag Day (June 14)
- Father’s Day (June 16)
- Juneteenth (June 19)
- Armed Forces Day (June 29)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in June:
- Parents’ Day (June 1)
- World Environment Day (June 5)
- National Doughnut Day (June 7)
- National Best Friends Day (June 8)
July
- Independence Day (US) (July 4)
- Amazon Prime Big Day Deals (July Second Week)
- World Emoji Day (July 17)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in July:
- National Postal Workers Day (July 1)
- World Chocolate Day (July 7)
- Grandparents’ Day (July 28)
- International Day of Friendship (July 30)
August
- Back to School Season
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in August:
- National Girlfriend’s Day (Aug 1)
- Sister’s Day (Aug 4)
- National Book Lovers Day (Aug 9)
- National Nonprofit Day (Aug 17)
- National Couples Day (Aug 18)
- Fashion Day (Aug 21)
- Women’s Equality Day (Aug 26)
September
- Labor Day (Sep 2 in the US)
- Patriot Day (Sep 11)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in September:
- Stepfamily Day (Sep 16)
- Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sep 19)
- International Peace Day (Sep 21)
- National Comic Book Day (Sep 25)
October
- Target’s Fall Circle Week (Oct 6 — 12)
- Walmart Deals Holiday Kickoff (Oct 8)
- Indigenous People’s Day (Oct 14)
- Thanksgiving (Canada) (Oct 14)
- Halloween(Oct 31)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in October:
- International Coffee Day (Oct 1)
- National Boyfriend Day (Oct 3)
- World Teachers’ Day (Oct 5)
- World Mental Health Day (Oct 10)
- National Boss Day (Oct 16)
November
- Veterans Day (Nov 11)
- Singles’ Day (Nov 11)
- Thanksgiving (Nov 28)
- Black Friday Sales (Nov 29)
- Small-Business Saturday (Nov 30)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in November:
- Movember (all of November)
- World Kindness Day (Nov 3)
- International Men’s Day (Nov 19)
December
- Cyber Monday Sales (Dec 2)
- Giving Tuesday (Dec 3)
- Christmas Eve (Dec 24)
- Christmas Day (Dec 25)
- Boxing Day (Dec 26)
- New Year’s Eve (Dec 31)
Topical Ecommerce Holidays in December:
- National Sock Day (Dec 4)
- Green Monday (Dec 9)
- National Free Shipping Day (One day in Mid-Dec)
- National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day (Dec 20)
- Super Saturday (Last Saturday Before Christmas, Dec 21)
Maximize your holiday sales with targeted email campaigns. Use Sender to create engaging, personalized ecommerce promotions in no time.
Prepare Your Online Store for an Upcoming Holiday
Preparing your store for the holiday season is more than some tasks on your ecommerce holiday checklist — it saves you from last-minute chaos.
Here’s what you must do to capitalize on the holiday spending opportunity.
Review Last Year’s Data
Before diving into holiday prep, step back and open your analytics. Sales trends, top products, and traffic insights hold valuable clues as to what can work.
When you know what worked, you can double down on it this year. So, avoid guesswork and make more targeted moves for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
- Identify best-selling products and any surprise hits;
- Check which seasonal ecommerce promotions or discounts worked best;
- Analyze your traffic sources—what drove the most customers?
Our ecommerce users, like Icon8, reviewed past analytics to outperform others in holiday readiness.
Inventory and Stock Planning
Running out of stock during peak sales season is a nightmare. Analyze demand, secure your best-selling items, and communicate with suppliers.
The goal? Avoid selling out too fast—or worse, having unsold stock cluttering your warehouse after the holidays.
- Forecast demand based on previous year sales;
- Identify your high-demand items early and stock up;
- Talk to your suppliers to prevent last-minute delays.
In our experience, ecommerce sellers who plan inventory in advance have smoother holiday seasons and less stress.
Don’t wait for a crisis—get ahead of it!
Make Sure Your Website Can Handle the Traffic
Nothing drives customers away faster than a slow or crashing site. Think of it this way: would you want to enter a store with jam-packed aisles?
With increased holiday traffic, it’s crucial to ensure your website can handle the load.
- Test your site’s loading speed and make improvements if needed;
- Ensure your hosting plan can handle higher traffic;
- Back up your site regularly, especially during the holiday rush.
We’ve noticed that ecommerce stores have lost revenue when their site slows down or goes offline due to holiday promotions for online stores.
Review Your Shipping and Delivery Options
Customers expect fast, reliable shipping—especially during the holidays. Delays can kill the excitement and lead to bad reviews.
Review your shipping options early to prevent headaches:
- Double-check your shipping partners’ holiday cut-off dates;
- Offer express or priority shipping as an option;
- Be upfront with customers about shipping timelines.
Getting this right means fewer headaches for you and a better experience for them. Keep customers informed with automated shipping updates.
Create an Ecommerce Holiday Strategy
The holiday season isn’t just about sales; it’s about strategy. Don’t just wing it—plan your promotions, ads, and campaigns in advance.
A well-executed ecommerce marketing strategy helps you stay organized, capture more customers, and maximize online sales.
- Set specific goals for your ecommerce holiday marketing plan;
- Plan your email marketing, social posts, and ads before deadlines for holidays;
- Offer free shipping and create holiday-themed content;
- Create urgency with limited-time offers or exclusive discounts.
We’ve seen brands that strategize early capture more attention and conversions like Target & Walmart. Have a look at their pre-Holiday campaigns:
Target Circle Week
Target runs a whole week of deals every year in October, and they go big on announcements right before the actual event.
We found their announcement video this year to be engaging and fun. They collaborated with an influencer and made it into an entertaining commercial. Have a look:
Walmart Deals Holiday Kickoff
Walmart has a tight social game where they post relatable memes on social media, way before their actual holiday deals are announced.
Here’s how they use humor to steal the show and boost engagement:
Though they engage their audience around the year, their humor game peaks right before the holidays when most buyers are ready to spend.
Post-Holiday Sales and Clearance
The holiday season doesn’t end on December 25th — the real opportunities lie in post-holiday sales.
Customers are still eager to shop, looking for deals and gift card redemptions. Capitalize on the eagerness by promoting clearance items and offering exclusive discounts to loyal customers.
- Plan a clearance sale to move unsold inventory;
- Offer loyal customers exclusive post-holiday deals;
- Personalize your marketing efforts by sending personalized emails or creating targeted social media ads;
- Promote gift card redemptions to keep the momentum going.
These are just a few things you can do to prepare and market your ecommerce store for the holiday season. By following these tips, you’ll be able to drive more sales and keep your customers happy.
Keep that energy rolling—don’t let it fizzle out! Grab one of these hot articles:
- 18 Email Marketing Campaigns Your Ecommerce Store Needs
- 16 Festive Holiday Marketing Ideas That Boost Revenue
