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The quiet days after the high-turnover Christmas season can feel like a vacuum for online retailers: What comes after the seasonal business? That’s when it pays to look at the diary to prepare early for seasonal peaks and sales opportunities spread throughout the year.
Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become staples in the eCommerce calendar, but when and what are the other key eCommerce dates to consider? Firstly, when is Amazon Prime Day?
Whilst not yet confirmed, it is expected that Amazon Prime Day 2023 will return on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th July. 2022’s Amazon Prime Day was the most successful for its selling partners with Prime Members saving over $1.7bn and revenue jumping over 300% compared to the preceding daily average. What will this year bring? One thing is to be sure, make sure you have your inventory levels planned ahead of time for this event, which is where eCommerce fulfilment centres can help.
In 2022, Amazon surprised everyone with two Prime Day events: the first took place on 12th and 13th July and the second on 11th and 12th October. In 2021, the event took place 21st and 22nd June.
We expect Prime Day to follow the same pattern from previous years: a 48-hour (2 days) event.
In 2022, Amazon surprised us with a second Prime Day. Since 2023 is a challenging year for eCommerce, we can expect more surprises and strong offers.
Amazon will communicate the exact dates closer to the event. The event marketing campaign usually starts one month before the event. The reason for this mystery surrounding the exact date is simple. Imagine if customers decide to wait until Prime Day to buy something, sales would be low for a whole month.
Amazon Prime Day is Amazon’s biggest sale: during two days, thousands of products are offered with special discounts to Amazon Prime members. However, customers without a Prime subscription can also benefit from discounts.
Prime Day is one of the best opportunities outside Black Friday, Christmas and Boxing Day. It’s a no-brainer if you want to buy Amazon devices and subscription services. And it’s one of the biggest opportunities of the year to buy products from your wishlist at special prices.
It’s important to check if you could save money on Prime Day with a Prime subscription. To do it, check the discounts you could get with and without the subscription and compare them with the subscription fee. Don’t forget there are additional benefits from Amazon Prime.
The event is huge, with a massive marketing campaign. Merchants can increase their visibility and their sales by offering discounts. They can sell overstock without harming their reputation. And can also take advantage of the buzz and traffic generated by the event.
If you have a great offer or an outstanding product, you can have them featured on a website that covers the event and multiply your sales.
Amazon Prime Day is one of the best opportunities to purchase Amazon devices and subscription services at discounted prices. However, customers may be disappointed if the specific products they desire are not included in the sale. And this is exactly what happened in previous editions.
However, Prime Day is still a very important day on the sales calendar. If you sell on Amazon, think about the event as an opportunity to increase your sales (and our fulfilment can help you manage your eCommerce logistics during sales peaks).
Both events offer opportunities for bargain hunters to save money. Black Friday has one advantage: with more competition, it can offer more options. However, Black Friday happens only in November, so if you have to buy any product earlier, Prime Day is an excellent option.
Away from Amazon Prime there are plenty of other events that will have consumers reaching into their pockets, here are a few of the dates to remember:
On 13th February we see Galentines Day, an offshoot of Valentines Day where girl pals, or gals, treat each other to gifts instead of traditional Valentines Day gifts from their partners. The following day brings us the more traditional Valentines Day where gifts are exchanged between loved ones. Popular gifts include health & beauty products, flowers, chocolates, and alcohol.
There are now two Singles Days in the calendar; 15th February and 11th November (11.11), the latter being the more widely-known day as it is has been a mainstay in China over the past few years. Singles Day sees single people treat themselves and other single people to gifts as a way of cheering themselves up for not being in a relationship. There is after all always a reason to treat yourself!
Starting on 17th February London Fashion Week brings top designers to London to showcase their latest creations. Often at the premium end of fashion, the week influences and encourages people to update their wardrobes, however it’s not only the premium brands that see a spike in sales. Affordable fast fashion brands have proved to have ridden this wave too by releasing designs similar to those showcased at London Fashion Week, providing an accessible route to the latest style.
It’s not only humans sharing the love. On 20th February it’s the official day to show your best furry friend some love and appreciation. Normally this comes in the form of affection but with plenty of new pet toys, accessories and even healthy eating plans for pets hitting the market, people are turning to gifts to really spoil their pets on Love your Pet Day. There is also an International Pet Day on 11th April.
A UK tradition that falls on the day (21st February) before Lent begins, and its origins are related to the need to use flour, sugar and eggs that couldn’t be used the next 40 days. Today, there are easier ways to celebrate Pancake Day (eating delicious pancakes, of course). And there are many opportunities for online food sellers: pancake kits, pancake mix, pancake pans, sauces, jams and the classic Nutella.
Moving into March, 2nd March brings us World Book Day (UK) with a further World Book Day (US) on 23rd April. From New York Times bestsellers to children’s books, the literacy world shows it’s appreciation to authors on this day, which usually experiences an increase in book ordering and sharing on social media.
The world turns green on 17th March as we celebrate St. Patricks day. Plenty of Guinness and other alcoholic beverages are likely to be consumed so you don’t need the luck of the Irish to see increased sales if you’re an alcohol retailer.
A date that no son or daughter should forget! Mothers Day is celebrated on two separate dates; 19th March (UK) and 14th May (US & Asia). Popular gifts for Mothers Day can vary due to taste and hobbies, but the usual flowers, cosmetics, and fashion are consistent.
eCommerce sellers should always look at ways to get to know their customers. Personalisation is a great way to increase sales, return business, and increase order value. It’s also a great way to reduce abandon cart rates. There are some great tools that can help eCommerce sellers with this, such as Clarifai and Klevu. This day (20th April) brings it even more into focus.
The Amazon Spring Sale is back for 2023 ( 27th – 29th March) and promises savings of up to 40% throughout the event. It’s one event open to all customers and not only Prime members. Read more about the event here.
May is International Mental Health Awareness where we pay particular focus to mental wellbeing and the things that can help influence state of mind. Wellness products such as vitamins and supplements especially organic ones, along with exercise and sporting goods are naturally linked to improving mental health so an increase in sales for these product lines are expected.
Time to get that bunting up! Street parties galore across the UK as it is the King’s Coronation. The Union Jack will be in abundance around homes and gardens in the UK and we expect to see increases in food & beverage sales too.
An event that isn’t quite so linked to improving mental health is National Wine Day on 25th May. Whether you are a keen sommelier or just fancy a glass or two at the end of a day, National Wine Day celebrates one of the oldest drinks on Earth. From fruity reds to bubbly whites it’s surely an occasion to look forward to, just don’t overdo it!
Raising a toast to the old man on 18th June, traditional gifts for Fathers Day include DIY tools, beer, and BBQ equipment given the time of year. Marketplaces will be featuring these goods and more in the lead up to Fathers Day so make sure to optimise your relevant listings accordingly.
Starting on 20th July the FIFA Women’s World Cup returns and following the success of the Lionesses at the recent Euro’s we can expect a lot of interest and viewers this year. Sales in sporting goods and teamwear will likely spike around this time too.
Well if we’ve got a wine day then we need to have a beer day right? International Beer Day is on 4th August and is a chance to celebrate all types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers, lagers, stouts, and bitters.
The Rugby World Cup kicks off on 8th September so screens and stadiums around the world will be watching the elite rugby stars competing for the sport’s ultimate prize. Game-watching parties will be popular as will sportswear lines. Did you know that Huboo do the order fulfilment for Bristol Bears? We can offer order fulfilment for sports teams both here in the UK and internationally, you can get in touch here.
Originally started in Germany but increasingly being adopted by other countries, Oktoberfest is a traditional event that starts on 17th September and will run all the way through October. During this time expect to see an increase in alcohol and food sales!
Trick or treat? Consumers will be looking to get frighteningly good deals on spooky costumes, sweet treats, and decorations on 31st Oct. eCommerce sellers shouldn’t be scared however, this could be a great opportunity to optimise your product discovery to get your Halloween-inspired products to the very top of your listings.
A noble charitable cause that starts in November sees people grow moustaches to raise money. Whilst sales of razors, trimmers, and shavers might drop down during this period, grooming products for beards and moustaches might see an increase in search volume to keep those nose neighbours looking pristine!
The tradition of giving thanks to friends and loved ones is a key date in the American calendar. 23rd November is the date this year and officially ushers in the gift-giving season. The lead up to this will see a sustained increase in consumer spending and leads into some established key dates in the eCommerce diary.
The first of which is Black Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving. With giftcards and money exchanged on Thanksgiving, Black Friday spun out of this as people used this bonus money to spend on goods. That’s why Black Friday (24th November) is always the day after Thanksgiving, however retailers have recently been elongating Black Friday to cover the weeks leading up to it too, so there are plenty of opportunities for consumers to get relative bargains on marketplaces and online stores, plus in store as well.
A fast follower to Black Friday is Cyber Monday which falls on 27th November. Those that missed out on Black Friday deals can still find online offers on products, and online retailers should be keen to ensure their inventory levels can meet the increased demand from consumers over this busy buying period.
So there you have it, a busy year is in store for retailers both online and offline. Being prepared for these peaks in demand is vital to maximise sales, ensure return business and grow revenue. Outsourcing your order fulfilment is one way to stay ahead of the game and get set for success this year.
To find out more about our fulfilment solution and how it can help your business grow, get in touch!
