Now that we’ve settled into 2024, it’s time for businesses to plan and prep for the upcoming holiday sales calendar. Yes, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas are major boons to retail brands. But there are real opportunities to maximize sales, reach new customers, and increase brand awareness throughout the year. Below is a comprehensive list of holidays your brand can target during 2024. Not all will be applicable to your brand, so consult your team and external partners to determine which of these holidays to implement into your retail strategy.

General tips:

When creating your listings on marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and Target, make use of unconventional search terms. If you’re running a promotion for International Women’s Day, include keywords like “gifts for her,” “gifts for mom,” “feminist gifts for friends,” etc. Consider who is purchasing the item, and who they may be buying it for. 

 March

  • Spring Holiday Season: 3/1 – 4/17
  • International Women’s Day: 3/8 
  • Ramadan: 3/11 – 4/9
  • St. Patrick’s Day: 3/17
  • Easter: 3/31

Pro tip: Planning ahead for cyber sales events

February/March is the ideal time to begin planning for major holidays in the Fall. Prepare marketing materials and strategies for October’s Amazon Prime Day, Walmart Deals Holiday Kickoff Sale, & Target’s Fall Circle Week. 

April 

  • Eid al-Fitr: 4/9
  • National Pet Day: 4/11. Many retailers offer pet supply discounts during this time. Amazon even has an entire day dedicated to pet deals at the beginning of May. If your brand overlaps with pet products, consider adding this holiday to your sales calendar.  
  • Earth Day: 4/22

Pro tip: Prepping your inventory for the fall 

Start preparing your inventory and campaigns for the back-to-school season in August.

May  

  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
  • Beginning of May: Amazon Pet Day 
  • Mother’s Day: 5/12. 
  • Memorial Day: 5/27

June

  • Pride Month
  • Father’s Day: 6/16
  • Juneteenth: 6/19
  • Summer Solstice/First Day of Summer: 6/20

Pro tip: Prepping inventory to sustain fall and winter holidays 

Start prepping your inventory for cyber events during the holidays. Be certain to have the stock needed for Amazon, Walmart, and Target’s deadlines, and consider partnering with a third-party order management vendor.

July

  • Independence Day: 7/4
  • Mid-July: Prime Day, Walmart Plus Week, and Target Circle Week. The exact dates haven’t been announced yet, but based on last year, we predict these cyber sales events will take place during July. For real-time updates, follow us on LinkedIn. 

August

  • Back-to-School: School essentials span many retail categories. Books, backpacks, laptops, headphones, clothes, and household items for a dorm can benefit from the back-to-school season. Consider offering limited-time deals and promotions to capture seasonal sales. 

September

  • Labor Day: 9/12
  • First Day of Fall: 9/22

Pro tip: Optimize listings for the holidays 

Plan your media buys, adjust listings as needed to capture seasonal events, prepare your inventory, and start brainstorming sales you want to offer. 

October

  • Winter Holiday Season: 10/1 – 1/1. Make certain that your inventory remains well-stocked and replenished promptly, fine-tune your ad campaigns for optimal performance, update your product detail pages in the catalog, incorporate a festive touch to your Amazon brand store, and ensure that your deals and promotions are submitted before the deadlines.
  • Rosh Hashanah: 10/3 – 10/4
  • Mid October: Prime Big Deal Days, Walmart Deals Holiday Kickoff, Target’s bi-annual Circle Week
  • Indigenous Peoples’ Day: 10/14
  • Halloween: 10/31 

November

  • Walmart’s Deals for Days. Keep an eye out for an official date announcement.
  • Diwali/Deepavali: 11/1
  • Election Day: 11/5
  • Veteran’s Day: 11/11
  • Amazon Cyber “11”: Around November 22nd to December 2nd, Amazon will likely extend its Cyber 5 shopping event from five days to 11. The holiday season starts earlier each year, so prepare your inventory and optimize listings to stand out against competitors. 
  • Thanksgiving: 11/28
  • Black Friday: 11/29

December

  • Cyber Monday: 12/2
  • Winter Solstice/First Day of Winter: 12/21
  • Christmas Eve: 12/24
  • Christmas Day: 12/25
  • Hanukkah: 12/25 – 1/2 
  • Kwanzaa: 12/26 – 1/1 
  • New Year’s Eve: 12/31

Forward thinking into 2025: 

January

  • 1/1: New Year’s Day
  • 1/20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Lunar New Year: 1/29 – 2/4

Pro tip: Get a head start on summer sales. 

Plan your inventory and marketing tactics for July’s Amazon Prime Day, Walmart+ Week, & Target Circle Week.

February

  • Black History Month

Looking to maximize sales on Retail’s Big Three? Our full-service digital marketing agency helps our clients drive growth and sustain success. Get in touch with us today.