Top 2022 Shopify eCommerce Holidays & Sales Dates

If your eCommerce shop is like many small businesses, chances are the holiday season usually sees your highest sales of the year. However, there are several other important dates throughout the year to be aware of when it comes to planning your annual calendar to properly address the most important dates of all four quarters. Here is an overview of the most important eCommerce dates to expect in 2022 and when you should plan on starting these sales!

Valentine’s Day (February 14)

While not every eCommerce shop is a good fit for Valentine’s Day gifts, this romantic holiday is often the first major sales day of the new year for businesses that sell gourmet candy, jewelry, or a variety of customizable gifts. From your wife’s favorite chocolates (or your own favorite sweets that are only available in cherry or raspberry flavors around Valentine’s Day) to heart-themed teddy bears and simple heart jewelry for your children or grandchildren, Valentine’s Day gifting opportunities create the next major marketing campaign after Christmas for many eCommerce shops.

Mother’s Day (May 8)

Similarly, jewelry and floral-themed gifts are excellent choices when shopping for your mom, wife, grandmother, or another special mother in your life. Mother’s Day will be one of the biggest dates for eCommerce shops in 2022. Especially if your customers were not able to see family members in person for Mother’s Day in 2020 and even 2021, finally getting back together now that life is a bit closer to normal is reason enough for finding a special gift she will treasure for years. Mother’s Day sales often begin shortly after Easter, but they can run concurrently, especially if Easter falls unusually late in the spring.

Back to School (August – September)

eCommerce shops that sell products that are intended for children or teachers often see an increase in sales in the weeks leading up to the new school year. From stationery and books to kids’ or professional clothing, products from a wide range of categories of businesses can be a good fit for planning back-to-school promotions that inspire learning while increasing sales.

Considering when the districts in your target audience go back to school is an important part of making it possible for all your potential customers that are parents or teachers to take advantage of your sales. If your eCommerce shop is available nationwide, running several weeks of sales that range from early August to mid-September can help you make sure your sales work well for your entire target audience, while local businesses can have shorter and more focused sales over the course of a week or two that make the most sense for your target audience.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday (November 24 & 25)

Any eCommerce shop that sells gift-worthy products likely sees some of its highest sales of the year on or near Black Friday. Although Black Friday has traditionally kicked off the holiday shopping season, more and more stores have begun to open late Thanksgiving night or even earlier in the day on Thanksgiving in recent years. For this reason, starting Black Friday deals a day early or even offering special promotions that are only live on Thanksgiving can help you avoid losing sales to competitors that are more diligent about adapting to their customers’ shopping habits. As an added bonus, having more options for scoring holiday deals on their schedule without having to leave family Thanksgiving festivities will delight your early bird shoppers.

Black Friday is many shopping enthusiasts’ favorite day of the year, and being proactive about letting your customers know about specific deals you plan to offer well in advance is a must when it comes to making sure they will be intentional about adding your eCommerce shop to their lists. Even the most dedicated Black Friday shoppers will not have time to hit every store that might interest them since there are only so many hours in the sales and people to shop for, and being among the first to pique their interest can only help your business. Although this is always true, your online-only shop will have a lot to live up to for your business to meet or exceed last year’s sales now that many shoppers are more comfortable returning to the stores than they were last year.

Cyber Monday (November 28)

Much like Black Friday, Cyber Monday has become a major part of the beginning of the holiday shopping season and will be one of the busiest eCommerce dates in 2022. This shopping day was created specifically for online sales, which means you will not be directly competing with brick and mortar stores as you are on Black Friday, but carefully-crafted marketing emails can persuade even devoted in-store Black Friday shoppers to add a few online deals to their holiday shopping lists. 2020 saw record-breaking Cyber Monday sales of approximately $10.8 billion, and 2021 and 2022 are expected to continue with high sales now that online shopping has become an even more important part of everyday life for many of your potential customers.

Panic Saturday (December 17)

Your customers know that they need to order gifts well in advance to have a high likelihood of getting them by Christmas, but that does not mean they always do it. Christmas parties, seasonal work commitments, and even evenings watching Hallmark movie marathons can make the holiday season feel longer than it is, and it can be easy to let gifting needs slide until the last minute.

Since Christmas 2022 falls on a Sunday, customers that truly wait until the last Saturday before Christmas are likely out of luck for any type of online shopping and will have to head to the store, but your shop can still capitalize on being the company that is there for your customers during the week leading up to Christmas. Emailing your customers a special offer during the last week before Christmas, such as free or significantly discounted two-day shipping, can increase their interest in choosing your eCommerce shop for their last-minute shopping needs.

At Future Holidays, we are here to help you craft meaningful marketing materials that grab your recipients’ attention and build their interest in shopping from your eCommerce store throughout all these important dates in  2022. Although holiday sales will likely make up your business’s largest percentage of sales, having a thorough understanding of other dates that will increase your customers’ shopping habits can help you plan your year to gifting and other shopping seasons throughout the year. Contact us today to learn more about incorporating seasonal sales into your web design and marketing materials or to get started!