Your 2022 retail and ecommerce marketing calendar

Advanced SMS guides 8 min read Jun 2022 |   Author: Team MessageMedia

With so many events throughout the year – from Mother’s Day to Black Friday, Valentine’s Day to EOFY – how do you keep track of it all? To help you plan your marketing campaigns to coincide with all the big events, we’ve created this handy 2022 ecommerce calendar.

Use it to check out what’s coming up and get inspiration and ideas for your SMS campaigns, so you can reach more customers in the moments that matter and, ultimately, boost your sales.

Explore it all or jump straight to a particular month:

• Q1: January to March
• Q2: April to June
• Q3: July to September
• Q4: October to December

Q1: January to March

Ideally, you’ve already done all of your planning for the start of the year – giving you plenty of time to enjoy the summer. But if you’re looking for some last-minute marketing ideas to boost sales, here are the dates to focus on.

New year’s day, 1 January

The new year is the ideal time to reach out to customers who are resetting their goals for the year ahead. Here are some campaign ideas to turn this key date into something special:

• Focus on a theme. Think family, togetherness, resolutions, positivity, reflection, and planning for the future. 
• Have a new year’s sale. Just because the holidays are over, it doesn’t mean deals and discounts are off the table. A fresh sale could help drive more revenue. 
• Launch a new product or service. The new year can be a great time to get customers excited about something new.   
• Celebrate resolutions. Goal-setting is a big part of the new year. Have conversations with your customers on social media, provide encouragement and support, and deepen your relationships.   
• Share valuable content. Boost post-sale engagement by sharing key tips and tricks about products your customers bought or received over the festive season.
• Start the year on a positive note. Host a competition or giveaway to spread the positive vibes.

Back to school, throughout January

Depending on your business, the start of the school year can be a lucrative time. As parents start planning for the year ahead, get your brand noticed with timely, helpful messages. Start in early January and keep it up until the first bell rings.

Here are some things to keep in mind: 

• Kids influence back-to-school purchasing decisions. So use language, images, and campaigns that appeal to both kids and parents. 
• School-age children aren’t the only students heading back to the classroom. Uni students may also be on the lookout for new supplies.
• Parents find this time of year a drain on the budget. Offering special promotional offers and savings are likely to grab their attention.
• Parents love convenience. Make it easy for them to shop by creating checklists and shopping guides.

Chinese New Year, 1 February

Chinese consumers spend billions on this holiday, with average sales continuing to increase year-on-year. You can tap into this big sales event – no matter where your business is located. 

Kick-start your Chinese New Year campaign in early January or before, and keep these tips in mind: 

• Like Christmas and Ramadan, the Chinese New Year is about connection, community, and returning home. Focus on these values in your campaigns and ads.

Each year, a new animal on the Chinese Zodiac is celebrated. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. Do some research about its traits and get creative in your campaign.

Valentine’s Day, 14 February

Last year, Australians spent over $1.1 billion on Valentine’s Day. Make the most of this massive sales event by starting a campaign in mid-January. For inspiration, check out our five best Valentine’s Day SMS campaign ideas.

Q2: April to June

There are plenty of opportunities to boost sales and engage with customers through this period. From setting a fun tone on the 1st of April, right through to making the most of EOFY, here are some key campaigns to focus on.

Easter, 15-18 April

As soon as hot cross buns and Easter eggs hit the shelves, start thinking about how you can capitalise on this big holiday event. Here are some tips for your Easter ecommerce campaign: 

• Not everyone celebrates Easter, but most will get to enjoy a day or weekend off. Your campaign could focus on taking a break or connecting with family.
  
• Engage customers with innovative campaigns like mystery gift bags or ‘Easter baskets’ of items from your store for customers to bid on, win or buy.

Mother’s Day, 8 May

Celebrating mothers, motherhood, and maternal bonds, Mother’s Day is a huge sales opportunity.  In fact, Aussies spend an average of $78 each on their mums. 

Ideally, start promoting Mother’s Day in early April, keeping these tips in mind: 

• Offer services, not just products. Families often want to treat ‘mum’ with a day off, spas, trips and all sorts of special occasions. Think outside the box. 
• Be authentic. Emotional and authentic sentiment will make more of an impact in your campaigns than sales and promotional ads.  
• Celebrate mums. Showcase the human side of your business by promoting your team’s mums or encouraging your community to enter a competition about what makes their mum so great. 
• Consider an opt-out. Many businesses kick-start Mother’s Day campaigns with a considerate opt-out message for those who may find Mother’s Day a difficult time of year. Consider whether you want to do this, too.

Want more inspo? Check out our mother of all Mother’s Day SMS marketing guides.

EOFY/Winter sales, late June

In Australia, June is a bumper month of EOFY offers and discounts on winter clothes, apparel, homewares, experiences, and business equipment. 

People love online shopping at this time of year and brands are busy competing with each other. If you’ve got a sale planned, use SMS to cut through the noise with great offers they can’t refuse.

Want more inspo? Check out our SMS marketing tips and templates for EOFY.

Q3: July to September

Things can feel quiet at this time of year. So think of it as the perfect time to plan ahead. Why not start thinking about the campaigns you’ll be running later in the year?

Refine your SMS templates, polish your content, check your contact lists, and more. And by the time the big sales roll around, everything’s ready to go.

Father’s Day, 4 September

Father’s Day celebrates all the dads out there, and they sure do get spoilt. In fact, people tend to spend more on dads at this time of year than on mums for Mother’s Day.

With Father’s Day falling on the first Sunday in September, start your campaign in early August. Keep these tips in mind: 

• People tend to shop last-minute for dads, compared to mums. Plan surprise offers and last-minute deals in the week before the big day. 
• If you can, go beyond typical gifts like socks, jocks, and ties. Offer customisable gifts or experiences instead. 

For more inspo, here are 8 Father’s Day SMS marketing ideas to boost sales.

Q4: October to December

For many retail and ecommerce stores, Halloween officially kicks off the holiday sales season. It can feel like major holidays and campaigns run back-to-back from now on. To maximise sales, make sure you’ve got a solid plan in place for moving through each campaign.

Halloween, 31 October

Once upon a time, Halloween was a single night of trick-or-treating. These days, it’s become a festival of fun that gradually builds throughout October, with shoppers on the look-out for decorations, dress-ups, party supplies, and loads of lollies.

With this in mind, start advertising your Halloween campaigns at the start of October. You’ll find that many people start stocking up on Halloween supplies early on.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday, 25 and 28 November

In 2020, Black Friday retail sales reached $3.8 billion in Australia. To make the most of these mega-sales, you need to stand out from the crowd. A great way to do this? SMS. It’s fast, personalised, and super-effective at cutting through the clutter. 

Hopefully, you did most of your planning for these big sales events back in July and August. These tasks should be top of the to-do list:

• Get your site ready to go. Your website needs to be in perfect working order. If links are broken, or it’s slow to load, shoppers will head elsewhere. Thoroughly test your checkout, product pages, site speed and most importantly, your mobile user experience. 
• Be ready for those abandoned carts. While shoppers are less likely to abandon carts in these sales, some do. Set up automated email or text alerts and reminders for those who abandon, so you don’t miss an opportunity. 

Explore creative partnerships. Partner up with another brand to increase awareness and customer reach. Together, you could create specific products and bundles exclusive to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

To help you save time and nail your marketing campaign, here are some helpful SMS examples and templates to make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Free Shipping Day, 14 December

On Free Shipping Day, online retailers offer free shipping and guarantee items for delivery by Christmas Eve. It’s hugely popular with people looking to finish last-minute holiday shopping, save money, and steer clear of the crowds. 

Falling in mid-December, you should start promoting Free Shipping Day well before then. Don’t forget to make it clear that it’s only for local customers (unless you’re happy to wear the costs of international shipping). 

As well as promoting your products and services, Free Shipping Day is a great opportunity to remind customers about final shipping dates before Christmas.

Christmas Day, 25 December

To make the most of the Christmas rush, you really need to start your holiday marketing as soon as Halloween is over.

Here are some tips to keep in mind: 

• Start early. If you can, plan a 2-month campaign to take you from November and into December, making the most of the many sales dates along the way. 
• Get in the spirit of Christmas. Dress up your shop, social media posts, and campaigns with festive branding. 

Focus on the customer experience. Make sure all your systems – in-store, online, and however else you interact with customers – can cope with heavier traffic. Plus, last-minute shoppers, early birds, and those wanting to catch a good deal or curated collection.

Roll on next year

Congratulations. You’ve made it to the end of the year. We hope your 2022 marketing campaigns are hugely successful. Don’t forget, we’re here to help with your SMS marketing along the way.