This is a comprehensive list of holidays and retail marketing events that can be used in your campaign planning for the year of 2022. The breadth of events in the list below is quite significant, as it serves to cover a wide array of areas, industries, seasons, and geographies.
If you own an e-commerce company, you know how essential it is to have a promotional calendar in place in order for your website to be fully up to date and seasonally relevant, and for your marketing activities to be effective – thereby increasing the chances to achieve your sales objectives. The most successful businesses plan their sales and marketing activities far ahead of time. As you know, failing to plan is planning to fail!
This is exactly why I’ve compiled the most comprehensive month-by-month retail shopping event calendar that’s available – the holidays and events are based on national holidays, discounting seasons, awareness creation possibilities, a potential CSR focus, and the like.
All sales dates for Amazon sellers and E-Commerce store owners are included. So you’ll know exactly when and how to charm your consumers and boost your income in 2022.
January
January is one of the most popular months for online shoppers and sellers alike, as consumers search for ways to spend their Christmas money and use gift cards. Post-holiday sales entice savvy buyers looking for products at a good price. And this might be a fantastic way to get your brand in front of new consumers.
Also, most of us spend money on our new year’s resolutions. Veganuary and Dry January are excellent opportunities to promote your goods to customers who are looking to reach their new health objectives. Health supplements, beauty products, and the like also tend to perform very well in the month of January, and it is in fact the largest month of the year for many brands within these industries.
If your business has a presence in Japan, then Fukubukuro (a lucky bag campaign) also makes very much sense to explore, as the excitement on such lucky bags is quite significant.
Key dates in January 2022:
- 1st January – New Year’s Day
- 1st of January – Fukubukuro (Japan)
- 1st – 31st January – Dry January
- 1st – 31st January – Veganuary
- 2nd of January – National Science Fiction Day
- 6th January – National Shortbread Day
- 16th January – Religious Freedom Day
- 17th January – Blue Monday
- 17th January – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- 21st January – National Hugging Day
- 24th January – National Peanut Butter Day
- 25th January – Burns Night
- 26th January – Australia Day
- 27th January – Chocolate Cake Day
February
February is a month where most January resolutions usually have been given up on, and the winter depression is likewise starting to peak in many geographies. It is, however, a month for lovers, footballers, and sweet tooths alike. From World Nutella Day to Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day – the opportunities are many. This month, you have the freedom to let your imagination run wild and take advantage of sales incentives on your best sellers to increase your income. However, there are also other more charitable events than can be used to promote your CSR initiatives, and can allow you to simply just give back to society: World Cancer Day, Random Act of Kindness Day, and the like are here some examples than can be considered.
Key dates in February 2022:
- 1st February – Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger)
- 1st – 28th February – Black History Month (United States and Canada)
- 1st – 28th February – LGBT History Month (United Kingdom)
- 4th February – World Cancer Awareness Day
- 5th February – World Nutella Day
- 6th February – Yorkshire Pudding Day
- 9th February – National Pizza Day
- 13th February – Super Bowl Sunday
- 14th February – Valentine’s Day
- 15th February – Singles Awareness Day
- 17th February – Random Act of Kindness Day
- 20th February – Love Your Pet Day
- 21st February – Presidents’ Day (United States)
March
Many people are looking forward to the first days with temperatures above 20 degrees, which many hope will be followed by more pleasant weather. So, why not use this happy mood to send out some emails on International Women’s Day or Mother’s Day to remind your customers of your store and encourage them to buy presents for their loved ones? You may also use Saint Patrick’s Day to your advantage by including (green) color in your advertisements. March is also the month where many brands in especially fashion and accessories launch their Spring/Summer 2022 (SS22) collections. What else is there to do if that isn’t a broad opportunity to mix things up?
Key dates in March 2022:
- 1st March – Shrove Tuesday
- 1st March – St David’s Day
- 1st March – Pancake Day
- 2nd March – Ash Wednesday
- 3rd March – World Book Day
- 3rd March – World Wildlife Day
- 8th March – International Women’s Day
- 10th March – Popcorn Lovers Day
- 13th March – BAFTA’s
- 17th March – St Patrick’s Day
- 20th March – First Day of Spring
- 21st March – World Poetry Day
- 23rd March – World Puppy Day
- 25th March – International Waffle Day
- 27th March – Mother’s Day (United Kingdom)
- 27th March – BST starts
April
After a quarter (Jan-Mar) with a wide array of large campaigns ranging from Chinese New Year to Valentines Day and the launch of SS22, April is a month with various smaller holidays that can be used as campaign opportunities. April Fool’s Day is a great chance for you and your brand(s) to demonstrate how inexpensive your goods might be. If that isn’t your thing, you may focus on selling Easter presents to customers in the week before Easter Sunday instead. Earth Day is also a great opportunity to promote your sustainable initiatives at a great extent – many brands are even using April to celebrate ‘Earth Month’.
Key dates in April 2022:
- 1st April – April Fool’s Day
- 1st April – Diversity Month
- 3rd April – Ramadan Begins
- 7th April – World Health Day
- 10th April – Siblings Day
- 11th April – National Pet Day
- 15th April – Good Friday
- 17th April – Easter Sunday
- 18th April – Easter Monday
- 19th April – Bicycle Day
- 21st April – National Tea Day
- 22nd April – Earth Day
- 23rd April – St George’s Day
- 23rd April – World Book Day
- 28th April – National Superhero Day
- 29th April – 5th May – Golden Week (Japan)
May
With temperatures hitting the 20-degree mark on a regular basis, why not rejoice the return of summer sentiments with World Cocktail Day, which has been long awaited? Alternatively, if drinking isn’t your thing, you may send your customers back to the kitchen with shopping products around National Biscuit Day or World Baking Day. If your brand is based in the United States or Canada, then Mother’s Day is also a great option.
Key dates in May 2022:
- 1st May – End of Ramadan
- 1st May – Mental Health Awareness Month
- 1st May – Labour Day (United Kingdom)
- 1st May – World Laughter Day
- 2nd May – Early May Bank Holiday (United Kingdom)
- 4th May – Star Wars Day
- 5th May – Cinqo De Mayo
- 7th May – National Fitness Day
- 8th May – Mothers Day (United States, Canada and Australia)
- 11th May – National Eat What You Want Day
- 13th May – World Cocktail Day
- 16th May – International Day of Light
- 17th May – World Baking Day
- 20th May – World Bee Day
- 25th May – World Wine Day
- 29th May – National Biscuit Day
- 30th May – Memorial Day
- 31st May – Spring Bank Holiday
June
June is the month when our retail marketing calendar gets busier. Father’s Day, World Environment Day, National Beer Day, and the beginning of summer are all significant dates to remember during this period. If you’re ready to participate in a month-long campaign, why not sponsor your local LGBTQ pride community to help promote your business?
Key dates in June 2022:
- 1st June – Global Day of Parents
- 1st June – 30th – LGBTQ Pride Month
- 2nd June – Spring Bank Holiday
- 3rd June – Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday
- 3rd June – National Donut Day
- 5th June – World Environment Day
- 11th June – World Gin Day
- 14th June – Flag Day (United States)
- 15th June – National Beer Day (United Kingdom)
- 19th June – Father’s Day
- 20th June – Juneteenth (United States)
- 21st June – International Day of Yoga
- 21st June – Summer Solstice
- 21st June – Beginning of Summer
- 21st June – World Music Day
- 22nd – 26th June – Glastonbury Festival
- 25th June – Midsummer’s Day
- 27th June – Wimbledon Starts (ends 10th July)
July
July may appear to be a relatively quiet month if your products aren’t seasonal towards this period (i.e., sunglasses, bathing shorts, BBQ equipment, etc.); however, you should take advantage of it to replenish your stock and develop marketing strategies for the following school season. You may still engage your consumers in July by utilizing World Chocolate Day or the start of the school holidays as a hook for sales campaigns.
Key dates in July 2022:
- 1st July – Canada Day
- 2nd Jule – Made in the United States Day
- 4th July – American Independence Day
- 6th July – International Kissing Day
- 7th July – World Chocolate Day
- 11th – 12th July – Amazon Prime Day (Estimated based on 2021)
- 14th July – Bastille Day (France)
- 17th July – World Emoji Day
- 25th July – School Holidays (differs per school)
- 26th July – Back to School (ends early September)
- 30th July – Islamic New Year
- 30th July – International Day of Friendship
- 31st July – National Avocado Day
August
It’s all too easy to be caught up in the holiday spirit while your consumers are travelling and enjoying their days and weeks off. Thankfully, although people are travelling the world thin, the consumers are still active on the internet and browsing through products across most industries. However, you may need to become more precise about who you want to communicate with and target, as the campaign opportunities in August are limited, the consumer budgets tights (due to holiday spendings) and people still being distracted in the spirit of holidays.
Key dates in August 2022:
- 1st August – Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland)
- 1st August – Black Business Month
- 5th August – International Beer Day
- 8th August – International Cat Day
- 9th August – Book Lovers Day
- 19th August – World Photography Day
- 19th August – World Humanitarian Day
- 21st August – World Senior Citizens’ Day
- 25th August – National Burger Day
- 26th August – International Dog Day
- 29th August – Summer Bank Holiday
September
With most consumers returning from vacations, their children must return to school. That’s the ideal time to give your customers some special offers and price cuts. If you’re in the food business (or have a marketing team that’s creative), World Guacamole Day adds a little spice to things, or if you have products that compliments students, then launching a back to school campaign also makes very much sense. September is also the month where various fashion and accessory brands drop their Autumn / Winter 2022 (AW22) collections.
Key dates in September 2022:
- 1st September – Autumn Begins
- 1st September – Self Improvement Month
- 1st September – Friendship Month
- 5th September – Back to School (differs per school)
- 5th September – Labour Day (United States)
- 6th September – Read a Book Day
- 11th September – Grandparents’ Day
- 12th September – National Chocolate Milkshake Day
- 16th September – World Guacamole Day
- 17th September – Octoberfest Begins
- 27th September – World Tourism Day
- 30th September – International Podcast Day
October
October has a number of interesting ecommerce sales dates, including Diwali in India and Halloween where you can offer exciting offers such as mystery discounts. International Coffee Day is also an option to tie coffee samples to your deliveries if you want to raise the energy levels of your customers. You may also use this method with your vegetarian consumer base during World Vegetarian Day.
Pumpkin Day and Halloween are confirmed methods to run special sales and deals on seasonal items at the end of the month.
Key dates in October 2022:
- 1st – 31st October – Black History Month (United Kingdom)
- 1st – 31st October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- 1st – 31st October – Go Sober for October (Stopober)
- 1st October – International Coffee Day
- 1st October – World Vegetarian Day
- 4th October – World Animal Day
- 10th October – World Mental Health Day
- 10th October – Columbus Day (United States)
- 10th October – Indigenous Peoples’ Day (United States)
- 10th October – Canadian Thanksgiving
- 16th October – World Food Day
- 22nd October – National Nut Day
- 24th October – Diwali
- 25th October – World Pasta Day
- 26th October – National Pumpkin Day
- 29th October – National Cat Day
- 30th October – BST ends
- 31st October – Halloween
November
November is for many businesses the busiest, most thrilling, and anxiety-facilitating month of the year. There’s nothing else in the year that brings as much activity, excitement, or tension as Singles Day in China, or Black Friday in most parts of the world. Make sure your inventory levels and sales plans are well planned and ready for execution. The week leading up to Black Friday is just as hectic as Black Friday itself. Make sure your most popular items are marked down and advertised effectively, and ensure to stretch your campaign all the way to Cyber Monday, even if you don’t sell technology. Those occasions aren’t designed to give small discounts, but rather an opportunity for consumers to make some of the best bargains during the year. Since margins can be quite squeezed when discounting heavily, it is recommended that you organise your discounts around a ‘gift with purchase’ element, or through a ‘buy one, get one’ (BOGO) structure. For more about different offer / promotional types you can consider during discounting seasons, I suggest you read through the following article: ‘The 5 most effective types of e-commerce offers and promotions‘.
Key dates in November 2022:
- 1st – 30th November – Movember (Men’s Health Awareness Month)
- 1st November – World Vegan Day
- 5th November – Guy Fawkes Night
- 8th November – United States Mid-Term Elections
- 11th November – Remembrance Day
- 11th November – Singles Day (Mainly China, but starting to become global. Also known as 11:11)
- 13th November – Remembrance Sunday
- 13th November – World Kindness Day
- 19th November – International Men’s Day
- 21st November – FIFA World Cup Begins
- 24th November – Thanksgiving (United States)
- 25th November – Black Friday
- 25th November – Small Business Saturday
- 28th November – Cyber Monday
- 29th November – Giving Tuesday
- 30th November – St Andrew’s Day
December
You’ve hopefully hit your sales targets by now after a hectic month of Black Friday and potentially even Singles Day. And if you haven’t, don’t be concerned. Demand is still extremely high, as everyone searches for Christmas presents for their family members. Make sure you advertise and discount your most giftable items with a clear lead-time guarantee so that your consumers are aware of when they can expect their purchase to arrive prior to Christmas.
Key dates in December 2022:
- 1st December – Holiday Seasons Gears Up
- 3rd December – Make A Gift Day
- 4th December – National Cookie Day
- 12th December – Green Monday
- 14th December – Christmas Jumper Day
- 14th December – National Free Shipping Day (United States)
- 17th December – Super Saturday
- 18th – 26th December – Hanukkah
- 21st December – Winter Solstice
- 24th December – Christmas Eve
- 25th December – Christmas Day
- 26th December – Boxing Day (United Kingdom)
- 26th December – Kwanzaa
- 28th December – Bank Holiday
- 31st December – New Year’s Eve
