This is the complete retail marketing calendar for the year 2023.
If you run an ecommerce business, you know the drill: Having a promotional calendar for marketing and shopping events is key to delivering your sales targets.
And the most successful brands plan their participation in promotions and sales events well in advance.
That’s why I’ve put together the most comprehensive month-by-month retail shopping event calendar you’ll find online.
Including all the key sales dates for Amazon sellers and online shop owners alike. So you know exactly when and how to delight your shoppers and increase your sales in 2023.
Let’s dive right in.
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December
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January
With customers on the lookout for opportunities to spend their Christmas money and redeem gift cards, January is one of the most attractive months for online shoppers and sellers alike. Post-holiday sales attract savvy shoppers with an appetite to consume. And this can be a great opportunity to introduce your brand to new customers.
Plus, most consumers spend on their new year’s resolutions. Veganuary and Dry January are the perfect opportunities to help shoppers with your products to achieve their goals. Right before Chocolate Cake Day arrives at the end of the month 😉
Key dates in January:
2023
- 1st January – New Year’s Day
- 1st – 31st January – Dry January
- 1st – 31st January – Ginuary
- 1st – 31st January – Veganuary
- 6th January – National Shortbread Day
- 16th January – Blue Monday
- 22nd January – Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit)
- 25th January – Burns Night
- 26th January – Australia Day
- 27th January – Chocolate Cake Day
February
With new year resolutions widely abandoned, February holds a lot for dreamers, lovers and sweet tooths. From World Nutella Day to Valentine’s Day to Shrove Tuesday. You can really set your creativity free this month and use promotions on top sellers to grow your sales.
Key dates in February:
2023
- 1st – 28th February – LGBT History Month
- 4th February – World Cancer Day
- 5th February – World Nutella Day
- 5th February – Yorkshire Pudding Day
- 9th February – National Pizza Day
- 14th February – Valentine’s Day
- 17th February – Random Act of Kindness Day
- 20th February – Love Your Pet Day
- 21 February – Shrove Tuesday
- 21 February – Pancake Day
- 22 February – Ash Wednesday
March
Leaving the cold winter months behind, many hope for the first days with temperatures above the 20 degrees mark. So why not use this happy mood to celebrate International Women’s Day or Mother’s Day with email campaigns that bring loyal customers back to your store to shop for their loved ones? And with Saint Patrick’s Day around the corner, you can even bring some (green) colour to your ads. If that’s not a way to change things up, what is?
Key dates in March:
2023
- 1st March – St David’s Day
- 2nd March – World Book Day
- 8th March – International Women’s Day
- 9th March – Popcorn Lovers Day
- 17th March – St Patrick’s Day
- 19th March – BAFTA’s
- 19th March – Mother’s Day
- 20th March – First Day of Spring
- 22nd March – Ramadan Start
- 25th March – International Waffle Day
- 26th March – BST starts
April
With the consumption of chocolate eggs and other sweet temptations at its peak before Christmas, buckle up your retail marketing efforts: The upcoming April Fool’s Day is an ideal opportunity for you and your brand(s) to show some discounts that seem too good to be true. And if that’s not your thing, you can lean back and market your products as Easter gifts to shoppers in the week before Easter Sunday instead. April: Sorted.
Key dates in April:
2023
- 1st April – April Fool’s Day
- 10th April – Siblings Day
- 11th April – National Pet Day
- 7th April – Good Friday
- 9th April – Easter Sunday
- 10th April – Easter Monday
- 19th April – Bicycle Day
- 21st April – National Tea Day
- 22nd April – Earth Day
- 22nd April – End of Ramadan
- 23rd April – St George’s Day
May
With temperatures hitting the 20 degrees mark on a repetitive basis, why not celebrate the return of summer feelings with the long-awaited World Cocktail Day? And if drinking is not really your thing, you can send your shoppers back to the kitchen with shopping stimuli around World Baking or National Biscuit Day.
Key dates in May:
2023
- 1st May – Labour Day (UK)
- 2nd May – Early May Bank Holiday
- 4th May – Star Wars Day
- 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
- 29th May – National Biscuit Day
- 29th May – Spring Bank Holiday
June
June. A busy month when it comes to our retail marketing calendar. Wold Gin Day, National Beer Day, Father’s Day and the beginning of summer should give you and your marketing teams enough ideas to fire up social media campaigns. And if you’re willing to engage in a month-long event, why not sponsor your local pride community to build your brand?
Key dates in June:
2023
- 1st June – Global Day of Parents
- 1st June – 30th – Pride Month
- 10th June – World Gin Day
- 15th June – National Beer Day (UK)
- 18th June – Father’s Day (UK)
- 21st June – International Day of Yoga
- 21st June – Summer Solstice
- 21st June – Beginning of Summer
- 21st – 25th June – Glastonbury Festival
- 24th June – Midsummer’s Day
July
While July may seem like a quiet month, you should use the slower period to stock up on your inventory and create marketing plans for the upcoming back-to-school busyness. In July, you can still delight your customers by using World Chocolate Day or the start of the school holidays as a hook for your sales campaigns.
Key dates in July:
2023
- 3rd July – Wimbledon Starts (ends 16th July)
- 4th July – American Independence Day
- 7th July – World Chocolate Day
- 17th July – World Emoji Day
- 18th July – Islamic New Year
- 24th July – School Holidays (differs per school)
- 24th July – Back to School (ends early September)
- 30th July – International Day of Friendship
- 31st July – National Avocado Day
August
With everyone in holiday mode, getting your customers’ attention can be hard. Thankfully, shoppers are also online this month. But you may have to become a bit more specific about which customers you want to target:
Book Lovers Day, World Photo Day or National Dog Day attract a wide consumer base, but with very distinct interests. Don’t overcomplicate it, just pick the relevant events that fit your brand.
Key dates in August:
2023
- 1st August – Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland)
- 4th August – International Beer Day
- 8th August – International Cat Day
- 9th August – Book Lovers Day
- 19th August – World Photography Day
- 24th August – National Burger Day
- 26th August – National Dog Day
- 28th August – Summer Bank Holiday (England and Wales)
September
With most shoppers returning from holidays, their kids have to go back to school. That’s an ideal time to offer promotions and discounts to your customer base. World Guacamole Day spices things up if you’re active in the food industry (or have a creative marketing team).
Key dates in September:
2023
- 1st September – Back to School (differs per school)
- 4th September – Labour Day (US)
- 6th September – Read a Book Day
- 12th September – National Chocolate Milkshake Day
- 16th September – World Guacamole Day
- 23rd September – Autumn Begins
- 27th September – World Tourism Day
October
October holds some really interesting sales dates for ecommerce sellers: If you want to raise the energy levels of your buyers, use International Coffee Day to attach some coffee samples to your shipments. You can do the same for your vegetarian customer base.
Pumpkin Day and Halloween are proven events to run some effective discounts and promotions on seasonal products at the end of the month.
Key dates in October:
2023
- 1st – 31st October – Black History Month (UK)
- 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
- 10th October – World Mental Health Day
- 16th October – World Food Day
- 22nd October – National Nut Day
- 25th October – World Pasta Day
- 26th October – National Pumpkin Day
- 29th October – National Cat Day
- 29th October – BST ends
- 31st October – Halloween
November
This is the month most retailers love and hate the most at the same time. No other month in the year is as busy, exciting and nerve-racking. Make sure your inventory levels and sales plans are up-to-date. The week before Black Friday can be as busy as Black Friday itself. And even if you don’t sell tech, make sure your top sellers are discounted and promoted on Cyber Monday. Those events are not made to offer small discounts.
Key dates in November:
2023
- 1st – 30th November – Movember (Men’s Health Awareness Month)
- 1st November – World Vegan Day
- 5th November – Guy Fawkes Night
- 11th November – Remembrance Day
- 12th November – Remembrance Sunday
- 24th November – Black Friday
- 27th – November – Cyber Monday
- 30th November – St Andrew’s Day
December
By now, you’ve hopefully reached your sales targets. And if not, don’t worry. Demand is still VERY high, as everyone searches for Christmas gifts for their loved ones. Make sure you promote and discount your most giftable products with a clear lead-time promise. This ensures your customers understand if their order arrives in time for Christmas.
Key dates in December:
2023
- 4th December – National Cookie Day
- 14th December – Christmas Jumper Day
- 22nd December – Winter Solstice
- 25th December – Christmas Day
- 26th December – Boxing Day
- 27th December – Bank Holiday
- 31st December – New Year’s Eve
The Retail Marketing Calendar 2023 (Infographic)
Now that you know all the key shopping dates you need to look out for in 2023, here’s a handy infographic you can download to plan your promotions ahead.
