Get Ahead and Plan Your 2021 Holiday Sales With This Calendar

The end-of-the-year holiday sales rush has just ended and while it may be tempting to take a little break, now is the perfect time to analyze what worked and plan your sales calendar for the new year.

To help, we’ve put together this extensive 2021 holiday sales calendar packed with email marketing strategies and insights.

Find out exactly how your competitors promoted their holiday sales last year.

Sign up

2021 Holiday Sales Calendar

New Year – January 1

The start of the year always goes hand in hand with resolutions, new beginnings, and possibly a small hangover. While you can certainly target those who want to better themselves and need products and memberships to do so, don’t forget about the people who just want to ease into things and are still recovering from a crazy 2020.

If you don’t want to hand out discounts right after the big holiday sales period, something like a 30-day email challenge or a “Week of Goal Setting” themed to your brand is a great way to keep customers engaged.

Lastly, a lot of people receive gift cards over the Christmas holidays. A smart way to get them to your store fast is by offering an incentive when they spend their present before the end of January.

Ma Petite Shoe plays with the resolutions theme. Surely, nobody decided that they’d get more socks at the start of the year but after seeing this email, their subscribers might just think “Actually, I do need some socks.”

Both the discount and the sense of urgency created by the sales deadline increase the likeliness of customers making an impulse-buy.

For more inspiration, check our guide on New Year Marketing.

Martin Luther King Day – January 18

While MLK Day honors the late reverent, his message is still very much alive and being fought for today. Keep this in mind when you decide to include King Day in your emails. If you can tie your company’s ethics and practices back to his teachings, that’s a good thing to highlight.

If you can’t, Martin Luther King Day 2021 is the perfect day to start and communicate your new values to your audience, or it can be an opportunity to show respect by sharing, for example, one of his quotes.

Lastly, you can add a reference to his most famous speech by showing your customers how your products can help them achieve their dreams.

LookHUMAN does a good job showcasing their T-shirts with slogans in line with MLK Day and Black History Month.

Want more? We’ve gathered extra Martin Luther King Day marketing tips here.

Super Bowl Sunday – February 7 (US-only)

Super Bowl Sunday is a television, snacks, and drinks-heavy holiday but you can easily join the craze by giving your offer a football twist.

If that’s not in line with your brand, you can also wait until the Super Bowl has passed and then tie your product back to something that happened during the game or the half-time show.

Haircare brand CHI knew J-Lo would be performing at the half-time show and crafted an email geared toward subscribers who would want to look exactly like Jennifer after having seen her at the Super Bowl.

The links in the email go to general pages on the CHI website and so all the brand had left to do was add in a clip of Jen singing.

Valentine’s Day – February 14

While Valentine’s is still dominated by people buying presents or experiences for their partners, a lot of singles now also use the holiday as an excuse to treat themselves, so don’t forget about them.

In fact, opening up your offers to target all kinds of loving relationships increases your sales potential while having the added benefit that they won’t depress those who struggle with being single.

Hugo Boss started its 2020 Valentine’s campaign on January 30, giving its subscribers enough time to score a classy outfit before their Valentine’s date. The brand even helps customers to choose their outfit by giving styling tips for different dating activities.

A second email was sent on February 12, specifically targeting last-minute gift shoppers with free overnight shipping.

President’s Day – February 15 (US-only)

While President’s Day used to be about honoring the country’s leaders, it has turned into more of a general sales holiday supported by lots of red, white, and blue. You can give it a twist by focusing on the many leadership roles people take on in everyday lives and how they deserve a little treat for doing so.

From moms to CEOs and master chefs, everyone’s a leader in their own way.

As President’s Day isn’t celebrated outside of the US, make sure to segment your audience so you can exclude international subscribers. You may also want to take into account the tips in this Presidents Day Email Guide.

St. Patrick’s Day – March 17

Even if you’re not selling anything Irish, St. Patrick’s Day holds some fun promotional opportunities. You could discount everything that’s green in your Ecommerce store or offer a free item to every customer who can prove their Irish descent.

Something many brands do is use the “Get lucky” angle to offer “lucky discounts”. While this won’t make you stand out from your competition, it’s a tactic that people have grown used to and might even expect.

McDonald’s took an even different approach with their Saint Patrick’s day marketing in 2020 and designed a green drink especially for the holiday. Making it available only until St. Patrick’s Day had passed, urged subscribers to get to their nearest McDo so they wouldn’t miss out.

April Fool’s Day – April 1

April Fool’s Day can be a great occasion to show your brand’s funny side and connect with your subscribers in a light-hearted way. For that to work, though, you have to know them well enough to be absolutely sure they’ll get and appreciate your joke.

The last thing you want is a bunch of unsubscribes or, maybe worse, to be exposed on social media as having bad taste.

A safer way to communicate an April Fool’s sales is by ensuring your customers that it isn’t a joke, like cleaning and handyman brand Handy does here:

Easter Sunday and Monday – April 4 and 5

Easter isn’t typically a gift-giving holiday and while promotions may seem reserved to stores selling religious goods or chocolate, there’s quite a lot you can do with a bit of creativity. Create Easter Packages with items wrapped in a big carton Easter egg or have online store visitors select an egg to open to get a discount. It’s all about how you theme things.

Menswear brand boohooMAN targets men who like to look a little rougher and its Easter sales messaging is in line with that.

Eggs? They have something better and their customers are even allowed to be greedy, an act that stands in contrast to Christian values.

It’s a gutsy approach, but it works perfectly for their audience.

Earth Day – April 22

While the inception of Earth Day dates back to 1970, the holiday has become increasingly popular in recent years as consumers look more to brands that operate in a sustainable way. It’s the perfect day to promote environmentally-friendly products or highlight in which ways your company contributes to a cleaner planet.

Cinco de Mayo – May 5

Cinco de Mayo originally commemorated the victory of the Mexican army over the invading French on May 5, 1862. Nowadays, it’s a celebration of Mexican culture and if you decide to run a Cinco de Mayo sale, it’s essential to do so with respect for that culture.

Be careful of stereotyping and don’t use the holiday merely as an excuse to run another promotion.

Mother’s Day – May 9 (US date)

From little gifts to big gifts and short experiences to weekends away, moms deserve to be celebrated and that can happen in a variety of ways.

Just make sure to start your Mother’s Day communication on time as (cliché but true) kids and dads are often not as well-organized as the moms they buy presents for and may need a few reminders.

Flower delivery service From You Flowers started its 2020 email marketing for Mother’s Day more than two weeks beforehand, sending a total of 17 emails from then until the day of the holiday.

For what concerns timing, it’s also important to know Mother’s Day isn’t celebrated on the same day everywhere around the world. If you have an international audience, you may want to segment your list accordingly.

Lastly, Mother’s Day can be triggering to some. Offering your list the chance to pause communication is a better and more considerate option than upsetting someone who may subsequently unsubscribe.

Memorial Day – May 24 (US-only)

Traditionally remembering those who have died serving abroad, Memorial Day has its own meaning for many people. For some, it’s a day to be extra patriotic, for others, it’s the start of summer and more time spent outside and for yet others, it means a long weekend to spend with family or friends.

All of these themes you can use in your Memorial Day emails and what works best will largely depend on what’s important to your audience. It’s always a good idea to A/B test both your angle and the type of discount you offer.

Father’s Day – June 20 (US date)

Promotions for Father’s Day are often related to outdoor activities and technology but every dad is different so it’s up to you to show exactly how you can make dads happy. You don’t need to go the “manly products” route but can instead focus on the emotional connection fathers have with their kids.

Combine that with themed gift guides or a well-thought-out selection of products, and you’ve got a winning Father’s Day campaign.

Sleep brand Casper put together a guide with gifts “he’ll actually use” and offers a discount on purchases of $100 and more.

Remember that just like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day takes place on different dates depending on the celebrating country and can act as a trigger. You’ll want to segment your list if it’s international and offer people the chance to pause communication during this period.

Independence Day – July 4 (US-only)

The Fourth of July is a great holiday for everything that’s party-related so make your emails fun. It’s also when you want to emphasize if you’re selling products that are made in the USA or if your brand is doing anything to help national initiatives and organizations.

When stuck for ideas, color your Independence Day communication red, white, and blue, and add a celebratory animation. Just make sure to exclude non-US subscribers from your campaign.

Back to School – mid-August (US date)

In 2019, American families spent a total of $80.7 billion on back to school and back to college purchases. But how do you get a slice of that if you don’t sell school equipment?

Make a list of anything (college) kids may need and look for the intersection with your brand. Especially college kids are interesting as they’re likely to move out and will need a bunch of home supplies aside from the typical electronics and school supplies.

Another option is to center your back to school campaign around the emotions and business that go paired with this time of the year.

Plated plays to the concerns of busy parents that the arrival of the school year might mean spending less time together as a family, and offers a discount to get started with their food subscription service.

Labor Day – September 6 (US date)

Taking place at the end of summer and the start of the school year, Labor Day lends itself to the promotion of a wide variety of products. From items for that potentially last barbecue of the year to school supplies and fall-inspired home decor – it works.

If your company has an amazing work culture of special programs in place to ensure the happiness of its employees, this is also a good day to highlight that and generate goodwill among your customers.

Read our article on Labor Day marketing for even more tips.

Halloween – October 31

Halloween is all about candy, costumes, and decorations. Make sure to promote them heavily if you sell any of these items. If you don’t, you could create a scary fun shopping experience at your store to lure in customers or get creative and put a scary twist on your messaging.

We compiled a list of effective Halloween email strategies if you want to know more.

Thanksgiving – November 25 (US only)

Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to thank your customers. That can be with a discount but also with a little treat added to every purchase.

Many brands launch Thanksgiving offers well before the holiday. This is often the case for companies selling products that can be used to prepare for and celebrate Thanksgiving.

In 2020, Home Chef started its Thanksgiving campaign more than three weeks beforehand to give people the time to order their meals. They sent a total of five Thanksgiving-themed emails before the holiday, ending their campaign with a $60 discount voucher on Thanksgiving day.

Black Friday – November 26

Ah, Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days in the US and one that goes paired with an avalanche of promotional messages that start earlier every year.

How do you stand out in your customer’s inbox when you’re competing with just about every other company they’re subscribed to?

We’ve gathered some of the best Black Friday email marketing strategies based on the thousands of brands we track here at Mailcharts.

Track competitors within your industry to find out how they promote Black Friday

Sign up

Cyber Monday – November 29

In 2019, Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day ever in the US with more than $9.4 billion spent.

Following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and even Small Business Saturday, it may seem hard to create a proper campaign leading up to Cyber Monday. Yet when you know that only 17% of Cyber Monday emails are sent the week leading up to this sales day, you may want to try getting in front of your customers before everyone else does.

Alternatively, consider extending your campaign by 24 hours to include Giving Tuesday and offer procrastinators the chance to benefit from your deals as well.

Hanukkah – November 28 until December 6

Hanukkah isn’t as big of a gifting holiday as Christmas is but it being the “festival of lights” does offer eCommerce businesses some opportunities. If you’re not selling literal lights such as candles and lamps, you can put the spotlight on products that make the winter months a bit brighter and easier to get through, such as warm clothing or joyful wall decorations.

Teami Blends offers customers a blue tumbler when they spend a minimum of $39.99 and use the code “HANUKKAH”. Their entire email is also predominantly blue and white, the colors associated with Hanukkah.

Free Shipping Day – December 14 (US only)

While the name of this sales holiday focuses on the free shipping customers get regardless of the value of their order, what’s at least equally important is that items bought on Free Shipping Day arrive before Christmas.

After all, this holiday offers the opportunity to capture shoppers that were still indecisive during Black Friday and Cyber Monday as well as people who wait for this day to buy their Christmas gifts.

Make sure you communicate your participation in Free Shipping Day upfront and leave no doubt that you’ll get purchases delivered well on time. We’ve put together a list of fun ways to do this and promote Free Shipping Day.

Christmas – December 25

In 2019, American households spent an average of $511 on Christmas gifts and gift cards, but they didn’t necessarily spend it all in one day.

The Christmas shopping season usually already starts around Black Friday and lasts all the way up to December 25. As people are looking for presents all throughout December, it’s a good idea to offer them an incentive to buy from you.

If you don’t want to give real discounts after Cyber Monday or simply want to switch things up for your Christmas campaign, offering free shipping is a great alternative. Another option is to launch a Holiday Rewards Card that grants people a gift after a certain number of purchases or spent value.

Lastly, you could try a bit of a less promotional approach after the sales rush you put your subscribers through these last weeks of the year. Tie your offer to a thank you message like Ofra Cosmetics does in the email below:

Wrapping up

Marketing holidays well requires upfront planning and a good idea of what works for your audience. It’s important to segment out international subscribers when promoting US holidays and to take into account if a holiday can be culturally, politically, or personally triggering when crafting your emails.

Want even more concrete inspiration tailored to your brand? Explore your competitor’s holiday email marketing strategies from past years by signing up for a free trial.