Ecommerce University > Ecommerce Marketing > 10 Winter Dates That Can Boost Your eCommerce Sales
10 Winter Dates That Can Boost Your eCommerce Sales

If you’re pushing for a profitable fourth quarter, then November should see your business well underway in its preparation for the massive holiday spike. For most online businesses, this hectic, crazy time of year is a stressful one, especially as more and more shoppers opt to shop online rather than deal with the hassle of crowded malls and jam-packed parking lots.

But with a little bit of preparation, the holidays don’t have to be the hair-puller they’re known to be. As an online store owner, you’re probably well aware of the impact Black Friday and Cyber Monday will have on your store – after all, these days are nearly synonymous with “online shopping.” But they’re far from the only dates that can drive significant holiday sales to your door.

Numerous dates mark the last ~35 days of the year as the most important and profitable time of year for merchants everywhere. Many of these dates are unofficial pseudo- holidays you’re probably well aware of, while some are a tad more obscure and less advertised. But if you’re looking to maximize your end of year profits, you won’t want to miss out on the following calendar days that can prove to be a real bread winner for your online store.

Gray Thursday
(AKA Black Thursday or Black Friday Eve) Black Friday has impacted commerce so significantly that Friday’s extravaganza has seeped into Thursday (US Thanksgiving Day). Over the years, countless retailers have opted to start their holiday deals earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving Day, hoping to maximize their profits over the fiercely competitive weekend. Gray Thursday is a great day for merchants to offer exclusive early deals for shoppers looking to beat the chaotic holiday crowds.

Black Friday
The official day that marks the start of the holiday shopping season and occurs on the day after US Thanksgiving Day. Black Friday is a shopping extravaganza notorious for awesome, coveted limited-time and sometimes limited-quantity deals, and since 2005, held the crown as the busiest shopping day of the year.

Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is held on the Saturday after US Thanksgiving Day. Originating in 2010, this shopping holiday encourages shoppers to patronize small businesses rather than big, commercial brands. Small business marketing specials and well-implemented advertisements can help lesser known merchants capitalize on the boost in traffic that occurs over the weekend.

Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving and is the biggest online shopping day of the year. Awesome online discounts and promotions secure this day as one of the year’s most important and customer-favored shopping days, ringing in an astronomical (and growing!) number of sales with each passing year.

Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is an international day of giving that falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Started by the United Nations Foundation as a response to consumerism witnessed during Black Friday weekend, the holiday offers merchants an opportunity to spread goodwill through a giving campaign, such as donating a percentage of proceeds to a selected charity.

Green Monday
Green Monday falls on the second Monday of December and is infamous for deep discounts and competitive deals. Hailed as the third busiest online shopping day of the year, the holiday typically marks the day most retailers launch their competitive sales campaigns.

Free Shipping Day
Free Shipping Day is held annually on December 18th and offers shoppers free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. Merchants can choose to participate in the one day event by signing up here. With high shipping costs the leading cause for cart abandonment, this is a great pseudo-holiday for increasing traffic and sales.

Super Saturday
(AKA Panic Saturday) Super Saturday is the last Saturday before Christmas and marks the end of the shopping season. This is an incredibly lucrative day for online merchants and accounts for a large percentage of total holiday sales. The day is typically marked by limited, one-day-only deals targeted at last-minute shoppers.

Gift Card Day
Occurring on December 23, the day before Christmas Eve, Gift Card Day offers shoppers an easy and convenient way to acquire gifts for family and friends they may have otherwise forgotten. For many shoppers, a gift card is a last resort option, but that doesn’t make it any less of a favored and preferred gift. Many retailers opt to offer a promotional discount on their gift cards during Gift Card Day.

Boxing Day
(OR Coupon Day) Boxing Day is celebrated the day after Christmas and is a major shopping holiday, much like Black Friday, which is celebrated in the UK, Canada and Australia. Many online stores select this day to offer deep discounts on limited-quantity items. December 26 is also an excellent day for US merchants to offer discounts on seasonal items they’re looking to unload before the New Year.

by Gonzalo Gil Google