Ecommerce holiday calendar 2023: prepare ahead for a blockbuster year

It’s time to start your game plan for 2023! With the year packed with important dates, you can get started early and prepare your business for the demand. Having the first-mover advantage ensures consistent sales year-round, rather than heavily relying on the holly jolly season.

Before you start scratching your head and scrambling to make a list, we've got you covered! The following will give you a comprehensive list of all the bankable dates in 2023, their significance, ideas on how to boost your product portfolio, and more.

January

1st - New Year’s Day

6th - Three Kings Day, Spain

22nd - Lunar New Year

January is a month where the chants of “New Year, New Me” reverberate throughout the globe! As a business, it is your time to launch new marketing campaigns and put out products that support your customers in achieving their new resolutions and bucket lists. Sportswear and drinkware are trendy.

Three Kings Day is primarily celebrated in Spain. Every year children write to these three kings, Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar, detailing how good they have been, and in the morning, they wake to see gifts left for them under the tree.

Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, is one of the biggest events in East Asian countries. Like Christmas, people start getting in the spirit days before the actual date by decorating their homes and giving gifts, which are decked out in red, the traditional Lunar New Year color.

This one is not to be missed! We recommend considering this holiday as part of your long-term business strategy. Promotions and marketing should start at least a week before the event. If you wait too long, you will compete in an overcrowded digital space with competitors gunning to capitalize on this event. It's going to be increasingly difficult to stand out - who wants that?

Spend time understanding your customers' behavior and interests, get creative, and develop social media content that authentically incorporates Chinese culture. As the year 2023 is the rabbit, one of the 12 Chinese zodiacs, you can work it into your designs and campaigns.

Introduce Lunar New Year greeting cards with a customizable message. If you excel at art, then developing and offering prints that masterfully depict Chinese culture and symbolism can be a big hit. You can then use the same print on t-shirts, tote bags, mugs, phone cases, posters, and wall art. It's all about working smartly across a suite of products and reaping the benefits!

12th - Mother’s Day, Norway

13th - Galentine’s Day (un)officially

14th – Valentine's Day

February is for friends, mothers, and lovers. Depending on the region, Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days, so do your research before launching campaigns and products to ensure that you are on time.

Parks and Recreation fans pay homage to their hero, Leslie Knope. “Gals” + “Valentines” come together to give us Galentine’s, where girls’ friendships are celebrated.

By the time February 14th rolls around, love is in the air! Single or taken, everyone gets excited at the prospect of a loving gift or gesture.

Valentine's Day is one of the first major retail days at the start of the year, and people are ready to spend money. Serenading your special someone with flowers, gifts, and chocolates have become the norm. According to the National Retail Federation, spending reached $23.9 billion in 2022 – that's a big share to capitalize on.

Customizable gifts are a big hit as they show thought and effort and are one-of-a-kind. As an entrepreneur, widen your net by targeting more than just romantic relationships and growing your audience pool. Work on appealing to people to celebrate friendships and family, too.

Don't rely solely on discount codes to attract customers. You can work on offering special bundles and gift packages. If you want to go big, then you can countdown to the big day and drop deals or new launches on rose day, chocolate day, and so on. A framed photograph or piece of art with premium natural wood or black wood is always a classic gift and captures your bond perfectly.

8th - International Women's Day

8th - Holi Festival

17th - St. Patrick's Day

19th - Mother’s Day, United Kingdom; Father’s Day, Italy, Spain

March comes in like a lion! International women's day begins this magical month - and on this day, we celebrate women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements, which have gained healthy traction in the past few years. Take advantage of social media to acknowledge this day, and make sure your store does too.

You can run special promotions to boost sales on women's collections and bestsellers. You can also work with local charities and donate a % of the earnings to women's organizations.

Holi is a jolly and colorful Hindu festival that celebrates fertility, love, and the advent of spring. Colored powder and water are smeared and thrown among friends and strangers to create a playful, joyful environment. The day is mainly celebrated in India and other South Asian countries.

Offer promotions to boost your sales – think colorful tote bags, mugs, and phone cases. Since Holi is a festival where people gather with friends and family and play with water and colors all day long, it would be great to offer designs that reflect this theme. Bura na mano, Holi hai! (Don’t get offended, it’s Holi!), rang barse! (colors are raining) - these types of taglines are extremely popular and can be used on any POD product with bursts of colors in the background. If you offer anything that aligns with the festival, make sure to give it center stage on your store and social media channels.

It’s your lucky day! Anything green goes on St. Patrick's Day! Festivals and parades celebrate Ireland's culture and heritage. Deck your social posts and website with green and pay homage to Irish culture and literature on this special day.

Over-the-top designs and corny one-liners are always a crowd favorite for St. Patrick's Day. This gives you various options to introduce new products - hoodies, t-shirts, tote bags, mugs, and phone cases. Just slap on witty one-liners, and you have a hit-selling product on your hands.

8th - Easter

22nd - Earth Day

April showers bring more than flowers! Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday are great holidays to promote pastel-colored products aplenty! Celebrations tend to differ, but it’s mainly a time to gather together, spend time with friends and family, exchange sweet treats and gifts, and not to be missed - a hunt for Easter eggs!

It is a perfect time to host spring sales and introduce seasonal decor and home goods items like mugs, phone cases, and t-shirts. You can also offer special promotions and promote the occasion on your social media.

Now celebrated annually, Earth Day was first commemorated in 1970 to support environmental protection. On this day, many activities take place, such as shutting off electricity for an hour and dedicating resources for a more sustainable future.

As a brand, you can highlight your efforts contributing to a greener tomorrow. You can also share what this day means to your business and how it aligns with your message. Partnering up with charities or conducting a planting drive would be a great way to grab attention and still make an impact. You can also choose to highlight and market eco-friendly products like organic cotton, FSC-certified wood, and biodegradable phone cases in your catalog.

7th - Mother’s Day Australia, Spain

14th - Mother's Day, USA, Canada, New Zeland, Germany, Italy

18th - Father’s Day, Germany

28th - Mother's Day, Sweden

May the force be with you! Since this day is all about celebrating our life givers – mothers, it is an emotional holiday, and from a commercial perspective, it's the third biggest spending day in the US – you do not want to pass this day up.

You can add beautifully-designed Mother's Day greeting cards and "Best Mom Ever" mugs, customize thoughtful quotes or graphics and launch on posters and canvases as an ever-lasting gift that will also light up the space it's hung in. While curating ad campaigns, be sure to craft posts keeping your audiences and their sentiments in mind.

1st - Mother’s Day, France

1st to 31st - Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈

18th - Father's Day, USA, Canada, France

June is made of love! Rainbow celebrations continue all month long when June comes along. Pride Month is a time to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community and is marked with parades, festivals, and other events worldwide.

Pride month is a great way to show your audience how inclusive your business is. Brands have especially become more active this month and have started planning launches of new products with pride themes.

Everyone has a part to play in spreading kindness and acceptance all year long. You can release framed graphic posters, beautiful hoodies, and t-shirts, spotting rainbow colors. Give back and show you care by partnering up with a local charity supporting this cause and donating a % of the proceeds derived from your pride products.

Right on the heels of Mother's Day, we have Father's Day to celebrate and show appreciation for the dads, the supporting figure in our lives. Depending on the country, the exact date of this day can differ, so plan your campaigns accordingly.

Some of the most popular items to stock up your print on demand ecommerce store on this day are - greeting cards, mugs, phone cases, t-shirts, hoodies, and memorable photo books. Grab the right customer traffic with appropriate and interesting prints and quotes related to Father's Day.

4th - Independence Day / 4th of July

July, you sparkle so brightly! A holiday where US customers purchase anything red, white, and blue - get your store in the patriotic spirit this 4th of July! Prepare ahead of time, so your customers go decked out in festive t-shirts, tote bags, and phone cases to their elaborate feasts, spectacular fireworks, and colorful parades - this day is one-of-a-kind. With so many Americans looking to celebrate and have a day off, you can capture people's attention easily.

As a print on demand store, offer anything red, white, and blue or stars and stripes on products like apparel, mugs, and much more. Be sure to use email marketing, social media, and promotions to leverage this opportunity in the best way possible.

1st – August 31st - Back to school season

August heats up the school-time spirit! If your ecommerce store sells anything intended for children and school/ university use, you could see a potential jump in sales. It's not just the students clamoring to fill their backpacks; parents, caregivers, and teachers are also starting their school season and making their purchases. Everyone loves new stuff - be the seller to give it to 'em!

From apparel to phone cases and tote bags, personalization is in high demand, and planning for back-to-school promotions and bundles can yield increased turnover. To make it rain, study your target market and see what floats their boat. Launch limited-time designs catered to the back-to-school fever gripping the nation!

31st – Halloween

October is the spooky season! The weather is beautiful, ripe with autumn colors, and the smell of pumpkin spice wafting through the air. All of this, coupled with the idea of the onslaught of holidays coming their way, people are in high spirits, ready to make their pockets considerably lighter!

Halloween is celebrated on October 31st. It is characterized by costume-making, trick-or-treating, over-the-top house decorations, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, playing pranks, apple bobbing, and visiting haunted attractions. The activities were previously only limited to America, but thanks to the popularisation of western culture and Hollywood movies, it is fast becoming a worldwide phenomenon, so much so that the day has become UK's third-largest retail season after Christmas and Easter.

Businesses should prepare for Halloween in advance as the demand tends to outstrip the supply. As estimated by National Retail Federation, the Halloween market was worth $10.6 billion as of 2022.

You can still cash in even if you may not be a costume or pumpkin retailer. It all depends on how well you can connect with the broader cultural phenomenon and the related consumers with a willingness to spend.

Get into the spirit of Halloween by dressing up your store and social media. If you have planned special-themed launches, ensure they are on time and early. Offer trick-or-treat to customers by way of deals and discounts, bundles, giveaways, and promotions. Maximize your reach with special email marketing and capture the attention of past shoppers. You can also show behind-the-scenes and show your team getting into the spooky spirit. The holiday is all about getting creative, being silly, and having fun.

12th - Father’s Day, Norway, Sweden

24th - Black Friday

25th - Small Business Saturday

27th - Cyber Monday

November rolls around with the holiday spirit in tow! Starting off strong, we have Black Friday, followed by Small Business Saturday. First observed in 2010, it encourages holiday shoppers to support brick-and-mortar businesses that are small and local. It serves as a counterpart to Black Friday (which usually features big-scale retail companies).

This day was created to promote new entrepreneurs. Ensure that your customers know this about you while visiting the store. Consider offering promotions to increase sales. You can also collaborate with other small businesses on social media or develop unique products.

Black Friday comes right after Thanksgiving day and has been synonymous with a shopping frenzy that gets crazier every year. Considered the unofficial beginning of the Christmas shopping season, Black Friday has routinely turned out to be one of the busiest days in the USA since 2005.

It is true that for ecommerce operators, Small Business Saturday is more relevant, but small or big, the playing field for Black Friday and Cyber Monday is open for all. Research shows that mobile email open rates exceed 60% around this time. This only shows how much you can leverage email and social media marketing. Promote deals, offer special discounts to returning customers, and keep loyal customers informed of what you have in store.

It's crucial to prepare ahead for Black Friday to ensure that preparation is airtight and that the offers you plan to launch are communicated in advance to customers. You can also start the deals a day early. This is also a lucrative opportunity to extend your product portfolio and add new designs. Take a look at our product catalog; you never know when the inspiration may strike!

If you are planning for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday, then ensure that you change the in-store branding and online look quickly, as these days come in quick succession.

25th – Christmas Day

26th - Boxing Day

31st – New Year's Eve

December is the holiest-jolliest season of all! It’s time to loosen the purse strings and spoil yourself and your loved ones with gifts! Right after Cyber Monday wraps up, it's time to get into the Christmas spirit. Customers start shopping for gifts and the holiday mood is in the air. If you plan on launching new releases or special-themed collections, ensure that the marketing for it is done before the actual Christmas day. Factoring in the last order dates and taking in the buffer time needed to manage emergencies, you need all hands on deck.

To make your register ring constantly, invest in a marketing strategy that covers your bases – ads, social media, email marketing, and analyzing your customers' behaviors to understand what you need to improve on and what to highlight. Choose to make the bestsellers front and center, and plan for gift cards and themed bundles. You can also create helpful gift guides and other content that considers your product portfolio to motivate your customers to buy from you. Revisit your store and existing products and see if these need sprucing up in terms of design and keywords.

In our experience, mugs, calendars, and greeting cards are a must to sell over the holiday season. Browse our collection here

Boxing Day is another day when the bargain hunters come out to play. Whether online or in-store, offering deals and discounts is common. In fact, for many business owners, it is one of the highest-grossing days of the year.

Since the day is about promotions, ensure that you highlight the deals and how much discount the customer is getting. Use marketing tactics to bring as many people as you can to your store.

Happy New Year! Last day of 2023, and people are glamming up to party all night, watch fireworks, or have a lavish dinner. Others just like to stay at home with a movie or show in their comfy PJs.

As a business owner, you need to anticipate the next year's trends and customer habits. As New Year's Day arrives, your audience will be looking to adopt new habits, owing to their resolutions, and will want a reset to focus more on their goals. You can prepare to fulfill this need by offering products to help them on this journey. Evaluate if your products scream - new year, new me. If they do, then market them by selling the story.

For example, posters and canvases that can change a place's vibe, reusable water bottles to use in the gym, new sportswear for people committed to a healthier lifestyle, new stationery to journal more - all these products are evergreen and support good habits and are great to have in your store.

Pick and choose which holidays are relevant to your business and audience. However, if you want a cheat sheet, then by simply targeting Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Black Friday, and Christmas, you will get by just fine.

By planning ahead, you remain relatively stress-free, and you get great odds at beating the competition and making 2023 truly your year! Find more resources and inspiration in our blog and check out the product catalog to add new products to your store.

Happy creating!