Action days in e-commerce: The most important dates for online retailers

Christmas is still the time with the highest turnover for most retailers and spending on Christmas gifts continues to increase year on year. In 2022, projected sales in Germany amounted to around 21.2 million euros. This is not least due to campaign days that make shopping even more attractive. Whether it's Cyber Monday or Singles' Day, companies generate record sales on these days. Shopping junkies are hoping for endless bargains and are just waiting to pull out their credit cards. In the e-commerce sector in particular, there are many reasons for every retailer to jump on this bandwagon.

Whether it is worth it for online retailers to participate in such promotional days, which dates you can take advantage of and tips on how to be well prepared for such discount campaigns, you can find out in this article.

What are promotion days in E-Commerce?

Promotion days exist all over the world. These are specific dates on which retailers often offer big discounts on their products or services. The goal is to further stimulate people's buying mood - usually very successful. For retailers, these days often mean record sales.

In most cases, promotion days are based on widespread holidays, on which it is common to give each other presents. Black Friday, for example, follows Thanksgiving every year. The idea behind this was that Thanksgiving, which is celebrated in the USA and Canada, is the last holiday before Christmas and people can concentrate on Christmas shopping from the Friday after. The situation is similar with Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and the others. Retailers also take advantage of the gift culture on these occasions and offer corresponding discounts.

Is it worth participating in action days?

Big price cuts, huge discounts, special offers - paradise for bargain hunters. For example, 38.2% of Germans plan to spend up to 300 euros on Black Friday, and 10.3% said in the survey that they even want to buy for more than 1,000 euros. Consumers are therefore clearly prepared to spend a lot of money on promotion days.

Nevertheless, participation is quite controversial, because shoppers often specifically wait for the reduced prices and for this reason deliberately do not shop before or after the discount promotion, which can lead to lost sales. In addition, retailers are increasingly tempted to advertise artificial offers on promotion days in order to keep up with their competitors' mega-discounts. However, this is not difficult to see through and can result in immense damage to the company's image.

However, this mistake can be easily avoided and with reference to the possible loss of sales: In view of how many new customers are approached on such promotion days and therefore in the best case to win them over to long term, even a lower margin is worthwhile once in a while. In addition, the economic risk is mitigated by the fact that considerably more is sold on promotion days than on regular days. In the following, we have summarized the 15 most important promotion days and their backgrounds for you.

eCommerce calendar 2024: These are the 15 most important online shopping campaign days

January - New Year's Deals

The New Year's Deals promotion days take place on December 31 and January 1 and are an opportunity for e-commerce retailers to present special offers and discounts to start the new year with a sales boost. This promotional day offers the opportunity to reach out to customers after the holidays and win them over with attractive deals. Retailers can use a variety of marketing strategies, such as limited-time discounts, exclusive bundles or special offers for loyal customers.

February - Valentine's Day & Carnival

Valentine's Day takes place every year on February 14. For many people, Valentine's Day is about giving a gift to their loved one. But you don't have to offer flowers or chocolates to take part in Valentine's Day discount promotions. It's also worth thinking outside the box here. For example, men's gifts or gifts for the best single girlfriend are the latest trends for the celebration of love.

In some cases, store credit points will be added after payment on the associated app.

Carnival 2024 begins with Weiberfastnacht on February 8 and ends with Veilchendienstag on February 13. Through creative and customer-oriented approaches, online retailers can use the potential of carnival as a marketing occasion to increase brand awareness and promote customer loyalty. It is important to take cultural aspects into account and develop respectful marketing strategies. Retailers can offer themed products or exclusive discounts, launch social media campaigns or organize carnival competitions.

March - International Women's Day

Just under a month later, it's the women's turn again. On March 8, International Women's Day, women's equality and their contribution to the world is celebrated. They are usually given gifts by their male loved ones. You can take part in this day of action if you offer products or services that are suitable as gifts. However, Women's Day is also worthwhile as a campaign day if you represent the same message with your brand as the one this day is all about.

March/April - Easter & Ramadan

Easter is one of the most important holidays in Christianity. Easter Sunday and Easter Monday fall on March 31 and April 1 in 2024. However, non-religious people also give each other presents during this time. Of course, the focus is usually on children, but the festival is also worthwhile as a day of action for adults. Discounts on clothing, Easter decorations and household goods. Particularly worthwhile for Easter sales.

Ramadan also begins on March 11 and ends on April 10 with Eid. Online retailers can use Ramadan to increase social engagement and develop targeted marketing campaigns. It is important to be respectful and sensitive to the cultural aspects of Ramadan and ensure that marketing campaigns are designed appropriately. With targeted and sensitive approaches, online retailers can build strong customer loyalty during Ramadan. For confectionery retailers in particular, Eid can offer a crucial marketing approach.

May - Mother's Day & Father's Day

Mother's Day takes place every year on the 2nd Sunday in May - so in 2024 it will be on May 12. Almost all Germans spend money on Mother's Day. The recipients are mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. In most cases, they receive flowers, chocolate, perfume or cosmetics. Here too, however, it is worth going one step further as an online retailer and taking gift-giving to a more personal level, which works particularly well if you sell handmade or customizable items.

In some cases, store credit points will be added after payment on the associated app.

Father's Day falls on May 9 in 2024. For most people, it is much more difficult to find a gift for dad, grandpa or great-grandpa than for the women in the family. So here too, it pays off in e-commerce to inspire potential customers and stand out from the competition with discounts. If you have something in your range that men might enjoy, you should seize the opportunity and take part in this campaign day.

June - Pride Month & European Football Championship

Pride Month is now also celebrated in Germany in June. This month also includes Christopher Street Day, for example, when large parades are held. The focus is on the LGBTQ+ community and the aim is to confidently embrace one's own sexual identity. The rainbow flag symbolizes the community and therefore also Pride Month. Similar to International Women's Day, as an online retailer you don't have to have products in your range that match the occasion. You can also take part in these days of action if the values conveyed are reflected in your corporate philosophy.

In addition, June 14 marks the start of the European Football Championship, which is taking place in Germany this year. The European Football Championship (EC) offers various opportunities for online retailers to benefit from a marketing and sales perspective. The European Championship is a source of national pride and fans are looking for ways to show their support for their team. Online retailers can offer themed products such as merchandise, apparel and accessories to meet this demand. Retailers can also develop creative marketing campaigns that incorporate the soccer theme. This could include the integration of player statistics, virtual betting games or the use of hashtags and social media activity.

July/August/September - start of school & Oktoberfest

Depending on the federal state, the school year in Germany starts either at the end of July, August or September. This is a very special time, especially for children starting school. But the others are also looking forward to the new school year. So-called back-to-school campaigns are correspondingly popular during this time. In addition to traditional school supplies, clothing and technology, for example, are also in great demand.

In some cases, store credit points will be added after payment on the associated app.

The Oktoberfest season will kick off in 2024 on September 21 and end on October 6. Online retailers could benefit from Oktoberfest by planning targeted marketing strategies and promotions, such as themed products or seasonal offers and discounts. Retailers can also organize virtual or local Oktoberfest events or participate in existing events to strengthen the community. Marketing via social media is also ideal for this.

October - Halloween

The origins of this festival actually go back to the Celts, who dressed up to scare away the dead. As the custom developed over the years and spread to the United States, it gained more and more commercial importance over time. Today, October 31 is a great way to draw attention to your online store and brand before the shopping chaos begins in November. In addition to classic costumes, lingerie, make-up items and spooky baking tins are also popular at this time.

November - Singles Day, Grey Thursday, Black Friday, Cyber Monday

November has four days of action in store for e-commerce retailers.

Singles Day: Almost nine months after Valentine's Day, single people celebrate their Singles Day - on November 11, 2024. This idea originated in China, where singles met on this day to celebrate together. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba then capitalized on this event and generated a whopping 27.3 billion euros in sales. Singles Day is also being celebrated more and more in Germany and corresponding offers are being advertised.

Grey Thursday: In addition to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, more and more online retailers are now also taking part in "Grey Thursday". This means that the shopping madness begins on the Thursday before Black Friday with targeted marketing campaigns such as email campaigns, social media posts and flash sales. In 2024, this day will fall on November 28.

Black Friday: Black Friday takes place on November 29, 2024. Probably the most famous promotional day, Black Friday initially heralded the start of the Christmas shopping season in America. Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and many Americans even get this day off from their employers so that they can do their first Christmas shopping. This day of action was brought to Germany by none other than the software giant Apple. The cult brand does not normally lower its prices, but on Black Friday 2006, the iPhone manufacturer also offered huge discounts in Germany. Over the years, the promotional day has been adopted by other providers and established itself. Although Black Friday initially took place in retail stores, in Germany it has become particularly popular online.

To make sure you are well prepared for the three days of action this year - Grey Thursday, Black Friday and Cyber Monday - we have some more useful tips and tricks for you:

• The last-minute action plan for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

• Black Friday tips: How to get your Shopify store ready for Black Friday 2023 and boost your sales

Cyber Monday: Grey Thursday and Black Friday are always followed directly by Cyber Monday on December 2, 2024. The marketing term Cyber Monday has also become established in Germany. As the name suggests, Cyber Monday - unlike Black Friday - was originally designed more for online retail. This promotional day is particularly heavily promoted by Amazon in Germany. However, study results from 2016 show that less is spent on Cyber Monday than on Black Friday, despite larger discounts. To be well prepared for Grey Thursday, Black Friday and Cyber Monday (or "BFCM" for short) as an online retailer, you need a sophisticated "BFCM marketing strategy" that should be developed at an early stage.

In some cases, store credit points will be added after payment on the associated app.

December - St. Nicholas & Free Shipping Day

St. Nicholas Day: December 6 is the day on which St. Nicholas of Myra is commemorated and is celebrated as St. Nicholas Day in Christianity. By this time at the latest, the last of the Christmas stores start their Christmas business by advertising with targeted Christmas campaigns.

Free Shipping Day: Free Shipping Day takes place ten days before Christmas - on December 14. On this day, online retailers offer their customers free shipping and guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. For anyone who doesn't want to be empty-handed at Christmas, this is probably a convincing argument.

6 tips for online retailers: How to optimally prepare your webshop for the promotion days

Anyone who wants to participate in such promotion days must prepare their store well. After all, stock and shipping restrictions can be a challenge for retailers of any size. Nevertheless, the potential of these marketing campaigns should be exploited, since after all more than half of people react impulsively to such offers. We have collected for you the six aspects you should consider for successful participation in promotion days:

1. Plan enough preparation time

Good preparation is the key to properly exploiting the potential of promotional days. Let's take Black Friday as an example, which takes place every year at the end of November. In order to be prepared for this event, it is necessary to inform potential customers about the Black Friday offers two to three months in advance, i.e. around September.

2. Create campaigns

In order to sell your planned discount campaigns, it is worth creating targeted campaigns. For this it is necessary to create a landing page and to plan and implement channels, advertising material and budget. It is also very useful to include tracking at this point. This allows you to measure the success of your campaign in order to optimize future advertising measures accordingly.

3. Prepare your website for the rush

If your campaign is successful, you can expect a big rush on your online store on the promotion day. Numerous customers will put various products in the shopping cart, which can mean a high load for the web store. For this reason, it is very important to test in advance whether the page can withstand the high number of users and how fast the loading time is.

4. Organize logistics and parcel services providers

In order to cope with a high order volume, it is important to provide the warehouse with sufficient staff and to optimize order preparation. In any case, delivery times and quantities must be coordinated and organized with the parcel service at an early stage. In order for online stores to benefit from rising sales, parcel service providers have to cope with the same increase in shipping volume. For delivery staff, the weeks before Christmas are pure stress. To be able to manage the workload, thousands of employees are needed and hired. This is one reason why some parcel service providers charge so-called peak surcharges.

5. Keeping an eye on competitors

If you keep an eye on your competitors' activities, you can not only draw inspiration for your own discount campaigns. Market observation also helps to evaluate one's own activities: Does the offer match consumer expectations? Can the offer keep up with that of the competitors?

6. Include good selling products

To convince consumers to buy, at least one bestseller must be in the focus of attention and attract attention. This is the only way to generate sales through upsells and cross-sells. Both are sales techniques that work well in an online store. Upsells suggest more expensive, newer or better products in the same category to customers. Cross-selling aims to sell additional products that match the selected item. For example, when buying a camera, it is recommended to purchase a replacement battery or a matching holster during the ordering process.