Marketing • Business
The 2019 Retail Calendar: The Key Retail Holiday and Sales Dates You Need to Know
20 Dec 2018 • 4 min read
2019 is already shaping up to be a big year for online retail. With data from our recent State of Ecommerce Report showing 30% average growth across all categories in 2018 (with this trend set to continue for 2019), it’s clear Australians are buying more online than ever before.
We’re seeing the rise of the online shopping event, with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Singles Day and Click Frenzy, shoppers are choosing to spend their dollars when sales are on in hope of bagging a bargain.
Whether you are planning on taking part in these new shopping events, or sticking to the more traditional dates like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, you’ll find them all in our 2019 Retail Calendar.
Identifying key retail dates ahead of time and working your marketing around them is crucial to reaching your goals and while you may still be catching your breath from the festive season, it’s time to start planning now.
Here’s a few examples to get you started:
Create campaigns around key dates that align with your brand. Sell chocolate? Run a cupid-inspired campaign leading up to Valentine’s Day (check out our Retail Marketing Pack for free Valentine’s Day Assets) or a Mom-themed campaign leading up to Mother’s Day.
Plan an EDM or series of EDMs in the lead up to a specific shopping date. Sell Pool Toys? Plan some summer-themed emails in the lead up to the hot weather or plan some festive emails in the lead up to the holiday shopping season. Who wouldn’t love to get a giant flamingo pool toy for Christmas?
Plan your social media calendar ahead of time with fun, interactive and engaging content. Star Wars day is a perfect example, where many retailers engage with their customers in fun, Star-Wars themed ways.
And while it’s easy to get caught up in the fun, it’s important not to forget about your back of house operations.
Imagine planning your Black Friday marketing campaign down to the very last step, only to run out of stock before the big day.
Will you have enough product to cope with increased volumes? Are you managing your inventory efficiently? Does your inventory management system allow you to keep track of stock across multiple channels? If something sells out in your Bricks and Mortar store, will this also update the stock available on your website?
Will you need to hire more staff for busier periods? Or do they need additional training? With November and December the busiest months for many ecommerce businesses, it’s important to make sure your team is prepared.
Will your platform be able to handle the busy times? Does it allow you to sell easily, process orders and manage stock across multiple sales channels? If it doesn’t, it might be time for a change.
For a list of the must-haves to get you through the busy (and quiet times) check out our free Ecommerce Software Evaluation Guide.
So, without further adieu, you'll find a copy of your new retail calendar below, print it off, pass it around and make 2019 your best year yet!
Neto is the only Australian retail management platform that provides a complete solution for ecommerce, point of sale, inventory, and fulfilment. Our integrated back-end technology enables exceptional and consistent customer experiences via any channel, be it in-store, online or through a marketplace. We automate repetitive tasks and integrate with multiple sales channels to manage orders and shipments.
