CJ Offers More Reasons to Celebrate—and Sell!

Now that we're well into Q4, are you ready to celebrate the holidays? If you're like me, you're ready to gobble down that turkey on November 24! But many of you might not be aware of some lesser known holidays like National Pizza Day—mark your calendar, it's on November 12!

While we're all well aware of the five heavy hitter retail holidays—Thanksgiving (11/24), Black Friday (11/25), Cyber Monday (11/28), Christmas (12/25), and New Year's Eve (1/1)—there are a few other holidays where CJ Affiliate sees a major lift in shopping patterns.

Here are some up and coming lesser known holidays where you might want to consider focusing placements and promotion efforts:

• Single's Day (11/11)

  Originating in China but now growing in global popularity, Single's Day is the anti-Valentine's Day founded to celebrate being single by shopping for yourself. Last year online retail giant Alibaba made $14.3 billion on Single's Day alone.

• Small Business Saturday (11/25)

  Founded by American Express in 2010, as its name suggests, Small Business Saturday is dedicated to supporting small businesses. In 2015, this single-day shopping event generated $16 billion in collective revenues.

• Giving Tuesday (11/29)

  When many are focused on shopping for themselves, Giving Tuesday encourages charitable giving during the holidays. This is a great opportunity to offer promotions that benefit charities (IE: 1% of proceeds goes to United Way).

• Green Monday (12/12)

  Each year this event, also known as "Cyber Monday 2" occurs on the second Monday of December. Green Monday is the third heaviest online sales day of the year, and was coined as the second Monday in December is often the best sales day of that month.

• Free Shipping Day (12/16)

  Free shipping is a fantastic promotion, especially during the holidays. Free Shipping Day is a great opportunity to get in front of those last minute shoppers with offers that guarantee free shipping before Christmas Eve.

• Boxing Day (12/26)

  Celebrated more heavily in CA and the UK, Boxing Day is another day to give gifts. Originally a religious holiday, this day has become a commercialized rival to Black Friday. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post next month where we feature strategies around this holiday in particular!

Although these are the main holidays affecting shopping patterns in North America (specifically US & Canada), be aware of international holidays to focus on with your global partners.

And don't forget, Hanukkah will be December 24-31 and Kwanza begins on December 26 this year, so expect sales to continue after Christmas. Plus, many of the deal-seekers are looking for those post-Holiday sales, so expect a lift in any clearance or discount items the end of December.

Want to take a break from all the holiday planning and do something for you? Skip "Have a Bad Day Day" on November 19 and enjoy "National Cookie Day" on December 4!

Sources:
WinCalendar
Holidays Calendar