Here’s our rundown of the best sales dates, in the biggest vertical markets around the world, to incorporate into your global marketing plan.

Taking your e-commerce business global can bring major benefits — success in this sphere means more revenue and worldwide prestige. 

Yet global marketing isn’t as simple as extending the reach of your existing campaigns. Global sales demand a specific approach.

Unlike traditional marketing, which relates to a clear (and permanent) target market, global marketing rethinks the concept of a target market entirely. It seeks to find a customer base where products and services could be useful — wherever that may be.

Then once you’ve identified where in the world your most promising customers are, you need to know the prime times to target them. Whether you’ve been operating internationally for years, or you’re considering taking your e-commerce business global, this handy guide will help you keep track of major sales opportunities and give you some ideas to help target them. 

We’ve separated the sales dates into three main categories: Regional, Sports, and Seasonal. Each requires a specific approach, which we outline below.

Of course, finding out which specific dates present the best marketing opportunities for your business will depend on your unique products, services, and goals.

Regional Events

Several appealing sales opportunities arise from events in specific countries around the world. If there’s a market for your brand in the region, you stand to gain a lot from running targeted campaigns for these events. Just like any campaign, it’s vital to observe shopping habits, behaviors and preferences — remember that what works in one country might not play out so well in another. Being culturally sensitive is a primary concern, so conduct thorough research at the beginning of each project.

Here are some of the top regional events for your calendar.

Diwali | October 27, 2019

Diwali, or the festival of lights, is the biggest holiday in India, with celebrations lasting for about 5 days. It’s also a festival of spending, with the holiday being considered the most favorable time to shop. The lead up to Diwali is even thought to be the best time of the year to make expensive purchases. Luxury online retailers in particular can reap great rewards by marketing to communities celebrating in India and around the world.

Single’s Day | November 11, 2019

You may be surprised to learn that for retail giant Alibaba, this Chinese anti-Valentine’s day generates nearly 3x more sales than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. This holiday — a day for young adults to celebrate being single — is a huge opportunity for retailers with an international reach. Remember, this is the day where consumers buy gifts for themselves. So it’s much easier to use consumer data to target promotions at individual customers than it is on Black Friday weekend, when many shoppers buy gifts for friends and family.

Chinese New Year | January 25, 2020

Also known as Lunar New Year, this holiday produced over $70 billion in revenue from China and abroad in 2018. If there’s potential for your brand to resonate with the Chinese market, it’s worth getting involved.

Sports Events 

Sporting events can be a lucrative opportunity for the right merchants targeting the right places. Even if your business seems unrelated, as long as segments of your audience are sports fans then you can incorporate international sporting events into your marketing plans. All it takes is a bit of creativity.

Here are some of the biggest events you might choose to target.

Super Bowl Sunday | February 2, 2020

An estimated 30-50 million of the event’s 165 million global viewers now come from outside the US. So with this in mind, creating a strategy that targets an international audience could prove to be profitable.

Wimbledon Championships | June 29 – July 12, 2020

It’s the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and with over 70 million TV viewers in 2018, there’s a huge audience to tap into here. Sponsorships and brand partnerships might seem unrelated at first but Rolex and Stella Artois have created impressive campaigns and become widely associated with the event.

Olympic Games | July 24 – August 9, 2020 (Summer), February 4 – 20, 2022 (Winter)

3.6 billion people tuned in to watch the latest summer games in Rio, with PyeongChang’s winter games drawing an audience of nearly 2 billion. That’s a huge pool of potential customers.

World Cups | various dates 

World cups generally happen once every four years and are powerful and profitable opportunities. Notable world cups include Fifa (‎November 21 – December 18, 2022), Cricket (February 9 – March 26, 2023) and Women’s Soccer (July 10 – August 20, 2023). These events are particularly celebrated in countries that routinely do well in the games, but you can target anywhere with a substantial following.

Seasonal Events

Many seasonal sales that are observed around the world offer prime opportunities for brands looking to expand their reach overseas. While sales like Mother’s Day falls on different dates worldwide, the vast majority of seasonal sales are shared by their participating countries. These “shared sales” are especially accessible for companies with limited resources.

Here, we list some of the top seasonal sales days with an international audience.

Halloween | October 31, 2019

The NRF estimated that $9 billion was spent on Halloween in the US alone in 2018. And the holiday is increasing in popularity around the world. By 2015, Canada hit Halloween-related sales of around $1 billion, and spending in the UK was estimated at a healthy £419 million in 2018. So if you’ve not focused on this holiday in the past, this is the year to start.

Black Friday & Cyber Monday | November 29 & December 1, 2019

Black Friday is celebrated at the end of November, but sales can extend throughout the entire month. According to Google Trends, global interest in the event has more than doubled over the past 5 years and there’s also a global average of a 624% rise in spending compared to a normal Friday. This and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping events of the year, and need to be in your calendar.

New Year’s Day | January 1, 2020

The new year is always an important time for retail. Customers look to save money after the Christmas period, so retailers need to price low. The weeks after Christmas are a great time to clear out last year’s stock by offering bargains which not even frugal consumers will be able to resist.

Valentine’s Day | February 14, 2020

The international day of love remains a popular worldwide holiday year after year. If you’re in the business of chocolates, flowers, fashion, or gifts, an international marketing strategy could be a profitable move.

International Women’s Day | March 8, 2020

Celebrating women worldwide, there are limitless options on how you can approach this day. Even if you don’t sell female-specific products, celebrating the day with a sale is a great way to connect with your female customers. Check out some brilliant campaigns here for inspiration.

Good Friday & Easter Weekend | April 10 – 13, 2020
This Christian festival is a major event with varying traditions around the world, and it now marks a significant time in the sales calendar, too. With many countries also observing a holiday on the Monday following Easter Sunday, it’s a prime opportunity to target shoppers. Expect competition to be tough — but be vigilant in your preparation and pre-sale marketing efforts to cut through the noise and get a headstart.

Mother’s and Father’s Days | various dates

Days to celebrate Moms and Dads have considerable reach worldwide and are great sales to target, especially if you stock products that make good gifts. You can choose the most appropriate dates for your store based on the demographics you want to aim for. If that involves multiple sales days, it’s easier to cater to them if you operate using a multi-storefront set-up.

Fashion Weeks | various dates

Occurring in February and March in the ‘Big 4’ fashion capitals of New York, London, Milan, and Paris, these events aren’t just an opportunity for fashion retailers. It’s also a time where companies and the public discuss sustainability and other hot topics. You can join these conversations and engage with new communities and customers. And if you sell green or ethically made products, it’s great to promote them while these movements are on people’s minds.

A quick summary

Whatever the size of your e-commerce brand, it’s never a bad idea to think about improving your global marketing strategy. While success rests on more than what we covered in this article, knowing who, and when, to target is a key element.

If you’re thinking about introducing any of the campaigns we’ve mentioned here, remember to do your research first. Gaining a solid picture of each consumer base and how it engages with the sales days will help you to succeed.

Want help getting your customers to the checkout on sales days, wherever they are in the world? Learn how Klevu Smart Search can streamline the buyer’s journey with relevant on-site promotions, here. Find out more about our search by scheduling a live demo.

To learn more about the features that Klevu are currently deploying, submit a demo request here.