With 2022 now upon us, it’s time to get cracking with your retail marketing calendar. To help guide your planning – and so you can make the most of the holiday shopping season – here are the key retail dates for 2022. 

January

26th January – Australia Day

Commemorating the establishment of the first European settlement at Port Jackson, now part of Sydney, in 1788, it’s a great excuse to offer customers in Australia special discounts. Marking this holiday could help you see uplift with Australian customers.  In 2019, when Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) ran a campaign around Australia Day it recorded a 21% increase in average weekly lamb sales. At WorldFirst we’ve made it easy to make and receive payments in Australian dollars.

February

1st February – Chinese New Year 

2022 is the Year of the Tiger and this symbol of strength brings a strong opportunity to reach the Chinese market. Chinese New Year is a major retail event, with shoppers in Asia buying gifts for relatives as well as new clothes for the event. At WorldFirst we can help you pay China-based suppliers like a local or repatriate your money from sales on Chinese marketplaces. 

18th February – London Fashion Week 

The glitterati of the fashion world descend on the UK as London designers showcase their new collections.Thanks to the power of social media and influencers, people are more connected to this event than ever before, which is watched all over the world. Instagram has seen an opportunity in London Fashion Week, and since the launch of shoppable posts, consumers can directly purchase from the app. Fashion brands on Instagram offering customers access to their collections straight after the catwalk shows are set to enjoy a spike in sales. 

14th February – Valentine’s Day 

As well as the traditional, seasonal products of flowers, cards and chocolates, Valentine’s Day can be a chance to promote more unusual gifts. For example, if you sell on Etsy you could offer discount codes on personalised items for couples who want an original, meaningful gift. Find out more about how WorldFirst can help you make the most of your marketplace sales.     

March

3rd March – World Book Day 

A major day for the publishing industry, this is also something of a tricky date for parents who find themselves expected to put together a World Book Day outfit for their beloved children at the last minute. Many, of course, just make a purchase, so it’s a great chance to promote any products that could be used for dressing up. Despite book shops being closed on and off during the pandemic, book sales grew 5.2% in 2021 compared to 2019, generating £1.7 billion. With the appetite for books growing, World Book Day is an ideal day for book sellers to run a promotion. 

8th March – International Women’s Day 

A date that’s growing in retail significance, International Women’s Day is an opportunity for firms to highlight the gender equality work they’re doing. It’s also a chance to run a charitable campaign and support organisations that champion women’s rights. For example in 2021 jewellery brand Tatty Devine, beauty brand L’Occitane and fragrance brand Jo Malone launched special International Women’s Day products with a percentage of sales going to charity. 

27th March – Mother’s Day 

While Mother’s Day spending dropped last year during lockdown it was still in the millions. With families hopefully able to spend Mother’s Day together in 2022, sales of flowers, chocolates and pampering treats could reach new heights.  

April

1st April – Ramadan 

A Muslim festival, Ramadan is a month-long period of fasting during daylight hours, after which Muslims come together in the evening to break their fast with a meal called Iftar. Mobile, online and social media usage is also at its highest during the night, with Facebook reporting in 2019 that its usage grew by an extra  57 million hours and a peak usage time of 3 am

15th April – Good Friday 

While stores might shut for the bank holiday weekend it’s a great opportunity for online sellers as people make the most of an extra day off work. DIY is a popular bank holiday pursuit so the long Easter Weekend can be a good chance to increase your retail sales in home furnishings and DIY tools.

17th April – Easter Sunday 

In 2020 we spent £153 million on Easter eggs and £37 million on hot cross buns, showing what a major retail event Easter is. Run special holiday campaigns if you sell Easter food, gifts or decorations to cash in on the event.   

May

1st May – Wedding season begins 

Get your fascinator out of its box and dust off your morning suit, it’s that time of year when every British married-couple-to-be crosses their fingers and prays that the rain stays away on their special day. Weddings are a growth area for e-commerce,  for example, wedding items are one of the most popular categories on Etsy.

2nd May – May bank holiday 

The first May bank holiday feels like the start of summer so it can be a good time to promote outdoor items like garden furniture or BBQs. The shift in season can also make it a great time to promote new summer fashion lines or footwear.

2nd May – Eid 

Ramadan ends with the holiday of Eid. Muslims get dressed up in their best clothes, exchange gifts, and enjoy a feast with family and friends. Eid Mubarak, everyone! 

14th May – FA Cup Final 

The most romantic football tournament in the world comes to an end at Wembley. Small teams may win it rarely, but small businesses can always get involved in an amazing day that rounds off the domestic football calendar. To give you an idea of potential revenue for football related merchandise, in 2021 just one football shirt, the “Ronaldo 7” Manchester United Adidas shirt, generated £187.1 million in sales

24th May – RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Gardening is big business with Britons spending more than £1.5bn a year on plants and over 2/3rds of Brits visiting a garden centre every year, according to the Horticultural Trades Association – and there is no bigger date in the gardener’s calendar than the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show. The Queen herself attends annually – and the head-turning hats worn by some of the attendees are as spectacular as the flowers. 

June

2nd June – Spring bank holiday 

Usually at the end of May, the 2022 spring bank holiday falls in June. Both parents and kids need entertaining as the days grow longer, so it’s a good time to promote experience days, outdoor toys or al fresco dining. 

19th June – Father’s Day 

Novelty beer and socks are the typical order of the day for the dad that probably prefers you just let him watch the football in peace. As with Mother’s Day, the hope is that Father’s Day sales will rise post lockdown. With an average spend of £24 per dad in 2021, the sales could add up if you run Father’s Day retail events.  

27th June – Wimbledon 

It’s hard to picture Wimbledon without thinking of strawberries and Pimms. In fact, a whopping 303,000 glasses of Pimm’s are consumed at Wimbledon each year. This key summer event is a chance to pack your marketing plan with fun tie-in promotions

July

6th July – Women’s Euro 2022 

After the excitement of Euro 2020 comes the Women’s Euros. Games are held right across the Continent – culminating, thrillingly, at Wembley Stadium, where the final is being held on 31st July. With women’s football gaining more traction, expect sales of food, drink, barbecues, replica shirts and all the paraphernalia associated with an England campaign to rise, especially if England rocket to the final. The success of the men’s team in the delayed Euro 2020 tournament saw replica England shirts hit over 1,000 sales per minute, even a fraction of this interest will generate a significant spike in merchandise sales. 

11th July (TBC) – Amazon Prime Day 

Amazon’s biggest shopping event, exclusively for Prime users, is set to be a 48-hour parade of non-stop deals. If you sell on Amazon it’s a great chance to run some special retail sales and shift some serious stock. During Prime Day 2021, some of the most popular items were hardware, skin care, electronic devices, spirits and make-up. 

WorldFirst can support your  trading on Amazon and help you expand internationally with simple cross-border collections and payments. Find out more

August

29th August – Summer bank holiday 

Music festivals abound, the days are long, and nobody wants to believe that summer is coming to an end. It’s a last chance to shift any remaining outdoor leisure stock and start looking ahead to sales for winter sun destinations and more autumnal clothing.

 

 September

1st September – Back to school 

The “back-to-School” rush, like Christmas, seems to get earlier and earlier. Uniforms, stationery and the latest gadgets will all be in high demand ahead of the academic year. If your products don’t immediately tie-in with back to school, see if you can push a treat for mum and dad instead – they’ll need it after the long summer holiday. In 2020 in the US, parents spent an average of $529 per child on back to school tech and gear. 

October

31st October – Halloween 

When it comes to planning your marketing calendar, start the holiday season with Halloween. With forecasters putting 2021 halloween spending at the £500 million mark, this festival of the dead just keeps getting bigger and it’s too good an opportunity to miss. If you don’t sell Halloween products like decorations or fancy dress outfits, you could still run a Halloween promotion with discounts to mark the holiday. 

November

1st November – Movember 

It’s time to stock up on moustache wax and beard combs as Britain’s menfolk spend November growing their annual ‘tache to raise awareness of men’s health issues. If it’s not appropriate for your brand to run a direct tie-in with Movember, it’s a good reminder to see what social or charitable cause you might want to get behind as a business.  

5th November – Bonfire Night 

Overtaken by Halloween in the winter festival spending stakes, what was once a festival dedicated to foiling a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament has long since turned into a night of bright lights and loud bangs.  Like Halloween and other popular holidays, it’s a chance to run a cross-over promotion.  

11th November – Single’s Day 

The anti-Valentine’s day has become a phenomenon in the past few years. In 2021 Chinese shoppers spent a whopping $139.1 billion , making it a key date to rival Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Although this event is growing in popularity in the US and the UK, its biggest market is still Asia. At WorldFirst we’ve made it easy to make and take payments in China, so you can make the most of the many Single’s Day retail opportunities. 

24th November – Thanksgiving 

Thanksgiving in the US is more important than Christmas for some people, and it’s becoming an increasingly important day here in the UK as well. Food products sell well around this holiday, especially turkeys, the traditional centre of the Thanksgiving feast. In 2021, US consumers spent $5.1 billion on Thanksgiving Day.

25th November – Black Friday  

The informal name for the Friday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday has become America’s biggest shopping day, marking the start of the countdown to Christmas. Millions of people use it to tick off items on their holiday shopping lists early, with 2021’s event generating $8.9 billion in online sales. Amazon is one of the biggest and most active marketplaces on Black Friday, capturing the largest share of spending in 2021. WorldFirst can help support your sales on Amazon and other marketplaces, making it easy to collect payments from around the world. Find out more

28th November – Cyber Monday 

Cyber Monday started as the online alternative to Black Friday, but they’re essentially bookends of a four-day-long selling period, where savvy shoppers can find even more great deals. 

December

17th December – Super Saturday 

If you don’t count Christmas Eve, it’s the last Saturday before Christmas – AKA the day the men start their Christmas shopping! With panic buying reigning supreme, this is a huge day for American retailers, who typically offer one-day sales – and as what happens in the US generally makes its way to the fair shores of the UK, expect more of the same over here.  

23rd December – Last day for one-day delivery 

Another vital date for last-minute panic buyers who’ve suddenly remembered they forgot to buy Granny a gift. Promote your fast delivery by adding banners to your site to remind your customers they can make it in time for Christmas if they buy now. 

25th December – Christmas Day

It’s a quiet day retail-wise as after all the Christmas build up most shops are shut, and buyers are otherwise occupied. Use it as a chance to wish customers a Merry Christmas and build up some brand loyalty. 

26th December – Boxing Day  

The Boxing Day sale is a bittersweet day for most Brits, who’ve spent a fortune on Christmas gifts for their loved ones, only to see them on sale at half the price just a few days later. Shoppers spent £2.7 billion in the 2020 Boxing Day Sale. However, Black Friday is now the UK’s biggest sale date, with poor weather and post-Christmas fatigue blamed for waning Boxing Day sales.