It’s hard to believe that 2021 is almost over! It’s even harder to believe that the holiday season is right around the corner. With that said, now is the time to get all your last-minute holiday to-do’s buttoned up before the orders start rolling in.
By now, you should have your 2021 marketing calendar finalized with dates for email drops, Facebook promotions, special sales, etc. Your customer service team should be staffed well to handle phone orders, email inquires, live chat, and all the other ways your customers contact you. And of course, your warehouse should be stocked well with all the season’s hottest moving products.
As we inch closer to the start of the busy season, here are some important dates for you to take note of:
Wednesday, November 24, 2021 – the last day for you to take a breather before the rush starts! Use this day to double-check that everything is ready and set to go because Black Friday is just a couple of days away.
Thursday, November 25, 2021 – Thanksgiving. Sit back, enjoy the time with friends and family and keep reminding yourself not to eat too much turkey! Do yourself a favor and double-check your email marketing platform to make sure that your Black Friday email is scheduled to be sent early the next morning.
Friday, November 26, 2021 – Black Friday. The official start of the holiday shopping season has arrived. While many shoppers will be visiting bricks-and-mortar stores to scoop up deals, COVID-19 has gotten more and more people hooked on the convenience of ordering online, so expect to see an increase in Black Friday sales this year.
Saturday, November 27, 2021 – Small Business Saturday. This is a day to promote “Shop Small” an initiative by American Express to encourage shoppers to ditch the big-box retailers and support small businesses across the country. More information can be found here. If your business accepts American Express, you may qualify for a listing on their website as well as free promotional materials.
Monday, November 29, 2021 – Cyber Monday. This is the big one, folks! The day online shoppers wait for! The day they’re expecting your biggest deals of the year, so don’t let them down. Offer deals such as free shipping, great discounts on items, free gifts with a purchase, whatever you can afford to pass on in the form of a deal. Be sure to queue up some emails to send to your customers throughout the day remind them to stop by and take advantage of the huge savings you’re offering. Again, with COVID-19 generating a whole slew of first-time online shoppers, Cyber Monday is expected to be huge this year, so be sure to cash in on it.
Monday, December 13, 2021 – Green Monday. Procrastinators rejoice, your day has arrived! Green Monday is regarded as the biggest sales day in December. Why? Because it’s generally regarded as the last day shoppers can place an order and have it arrive in time for Christmas. Don’t let the day pass without sending out an email blast with a few specials to nudge those who haven’t completed their holiday shopping yet.
Other important dates to consider:
- Sunday, November 28 – Monday, December 6, 2021 – Hanukkah
- Friday, December 24, 2021 – Christmas Eve
- Saturday, December 25, 2021 – Christmas Day
- Friday, December 31, 2021 – New Year’s Eve
- Saturday, January 1, 2022 – New Year’s Day
Finally, as many store owners are keenly aware, shipping carriers are experiencing unprecedented amounts of packages coupled with delivery delays. This won’t ease up as we inch closer to Christmas, in fact, it will probably get worse.
Don’t provide your customers with unrealistic dates when it comes to delivery times. We recommend adding in some “padding” to your normal processing and transit times to avoid complaints and disappointment if packages are slightly delayed.
This year, we’re offering our Holiday Shipping Graphics that you can use to display your shipping deadlines on your website, in email marketing blasts, and at the checkout. We have several different styles to choose from and they’re only $49! Click here for more information.
Scott Sanfilippo began his eCommerce journey in 1994 by co-founding one of the Internet’s first online retailers, TheFerretStore.com, which was acquired by PetCo in 2006. In 2001, he co-founded the eCommerce design and marketing firm Solid Cactus, which was acquired by web.com in 2009. Today, Scott is the General Manager of Your Store Wizards and lives in Delray Beach, FL. Scott can be contacted at scott@yourstorewizards.com.