Knowing your key dates throughout the year puts you on the front foot of potential ecommerce opportunities. To save you time, here's a detailed 2020 eCommerce holiday marketing calendar so that you can start planning your campaigns well in advance.

Add these holidays to your promotional calendar next year (for best results, stick to the ones that align with your buyer personas) for a seriously profitable 2020/2021.

Jump to these sections:

Q4 Apr-Jun 2020 Holidays

Q1 Jul-Sept 2020 Holidays

Q2 Oct-Dec2020 Holidays

Q3 Jan-Mar 2021 Holidays

Q4 2020 Holidays

Apart from the seasonal shift and Easter, Q4 tends to be a quieter period with no "major" holidays. During this period competition is less tight, so it could actually be a perfect time for you to run a campaign.  

Major holidays in Q4 include:

April 1 - April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day is a chance for you to showcase your brand's personality and playful side - all in good taste, of course. For example, American Eagle ran a prank campaign on this day announcing a new "clothing line for dogs" aptly titled American Beagle. The joke was so well received online that they actually released a limited edition of American Beagle accessories, which were sold to raise funds for an animal welfare group. All from a little April Fool's prank! 

April 12 - Easter

While Easter may be a religious holiday, it's also a time people associate with spending quality time with family - and shopping! In fact, experts are predicting that Good Friday is becoming the new Black Friday in terms of retailer promotions. You could offer a special discount for Easter weekend, or run something more creative like an Easter Egg Hunt for a promo code hidden somewhere on your website. 

May 10 - Mother's Day

Aside from the gift giving, Mother's Day is a chance to showcase our sentimental side. Take this chance for your brand to wish wives and mothers everywhere a great day. 

June 8 - Queens Birthday [National except QLD & WA]

Our first public holiday in-light of the Covid 19 restrictions easing. Many retailers, restaurants and more will be up and running again in some capacity. It worth considering the effect of what an elevated public mood will have on consumer behaving, especially considering travel may not be on many peoples agenda.

Here's a more complete list of all the holidays and fun days of celebration in Q4, 2020:

Q1 2020/21 Holidays

By Q1, you should be starting to gear up for Q2 and brainstorming new ideas for how your brand can be discovered in time for the Christmas/end-of-year rush. 

Major holidays in Q1, 2020/21 include:

July - Christmas in July 

Also known as Yulefest or Yuletide, Christmas in July is celebrated in colder regions like Australia. People mainly use it as an excuse to see friends, family or attend public events, but there is also a commercial aspect to it as gift-giving becomes a more common part of the occasion. 

Sep 6 - Father's Day

Father's Day is another major shopping holiday, with an average of $12bn being spent on this day as people celebrate the husbands and fathers in their lives. Even if your products might not suit the niche, this is still a good chance to wish your customers and their fathers well. 

Sep 13 - RUOK? Day

Australia's RUOK? Day is a chance for people to check in with each other about mental health. This is also an opportunity for you, as a brand, to check in with your customers and to spread awareness about this day. This will be a big one this year with the fall out of COVID19, and an important one to get right. 

Here's a more complete list of all the holidays and fun days of celebration in Q1, 2020/21:

Q2 2020/21 Holidays

Q2 contains a number of major shopping periods, It's also the time where retailers need to choose between participating in major discounting days such as BFCM or CF or protecting brand equity and pricing by avoiding these days. It isn't an easy choice to make when your direct competition will be participating.

Major holidays in Q2 2020/21 include:

October 31 - Halloween 

Halloween is a key time for costumes, decorations and all things social. Think about how your brand could run a 'spooky' themed sale on this date, but be wise with your messaging (i.e. avoid slogans like 'scarily low prices') as this could blur the line into tackiness.

November 29 - Black Friday

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year and very much about crazy sales/discounts. No matter what you sell, you can always run a promotion on this day because everyone is going to be in a shopping mood.

December 2 - Cyber Monday

An extension of the Black Friday craze, Cyber Monday is mostly focused on tech product sales but can be easily adopted by other eCommerce businesses to capitalise on the existing excitement of shoppers. 

December 25 - Christmas Day

Christmas is traditionally the biggest shopping holiday of the year, with Australians spending around $20bn on Christmas gifts for each other. Above all, use this day to promote the importance of showing friends and family how much they're appreciated. Since most customers need to buy multiple gifts, think about how you can make the experience easier by recommending gift ideas and upselling/cross-selling opportunities. 

December 26 - Boxing Day

Apart from the lead up to Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a huge shopping event. While the holiday itself is one calendar day, it's common for retailers to extend their Boxing Day sales by up to a week after the 26th as leftover stock is promoted through heavy discounts and sales. 

Here's a more complete list of all the holidays and fun days of celebration in Q2, 2020/21:

Q3 2021 Holidays:

In Q3, some of your focus should be on post-Christmas sale retention. You want to re-engage with first-time purchasers from the previous year, and nurture them to become loyal customers.

Major holidays in Q3 include:

January 1 - New Year's Day

January is all about starting afresh. With New Year's resolutions in full swing, now might be a good time to think about how you can help your audience to solve a problem or better reach their goals for the new year. 

February 12 - Chinese New Year

Also known as Spring Festival, Chinese New Year (2020 - Year of the Rat) is the most important holiday in China and in Chinese communities throughout the world. This is a a key time for travel and purchases of clothing, electronics, home appliances and healthcare products as people look to start afresh in the Lunar New Year. 

February 14 - Valentine's Day

For the past 4 years, Valentine's Day spending has hovered around $20bn in the U.S. alone. While all the traditional spending on jewellery, flowers and candy are still widespread, millennials are also spending time and buying gifts for themselves, pets or close friends. This is a great time for retailers to run campaigns encouraging customers to show appreciation for their loved ones.

March 8 - International Woman's Day

IWD is gaining more and more recognition globally, and although many retailers may want to get involved, it doesn't always necessitate a campaign around products and promotions. Instead, this could be a chance for retailers to partner up with NFP's or other important groups and causes to spread awareness of the day. 

March 17 -  Click Frenzy

The first instalment of the wildly popular online mega sale Click Frenzy kicked off last year on March 17, 2020. We don't yet have a date for 2021, but have no doubt it will be on again, and when it does, with a record amount of revenue being generated year on year, this is a key time to build brand awareness and attract new customers to your business. Watch this space.

March 17 -  St. Patrick's Day

Millions of people celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and for most this is a fun occasion that sees a spike in demand for green clothing and accessories, party-themed products and of course, Guinness. 

Here's a more complete list of all the holidays and fun days of celebration in Q3, 2021:

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