Most eCommerce businesses will likely see their biggest sales during Q4 thanks to the snowball of holiday shopping events. But there are other important eCommerce holiday planning  dates and “seasons” throughout the year that you must be aware of to cover all your bases (even the overlooked ones).

Sales seasonality is nothing new for retailers, whether traditional brick-and-mortar or eCommerce. While the peaks and valleys of sales trends throughout the year are certainly top of mind as sellers plan for inventory cycles and even staffing needs, it’s important also to consider how seasonality impacts the other end of your business, namely, manufacturing, procurement, and supply chain.

North American-based sellers must pay attention to the global economy and supply chain as well as culturally significant events around the world that may impact your business operations.

If you sell internationally, being aware of important holidays in other regions will help your eCommerce holiday planning inventory to accommodate sudden spikes in sales. Conversely, if you procure goods from international suppliers, you’ll need to be aware of holidays or events that could slow or even stop manufacturing and shipment of those goods.

From quarter to quarter, holidays, festivals, and seasonal trends all but dictate business operations. Read on to learn the important eCommerce holiday planning dates to be aware of throughout the year in 2024-2025, as well as why they’re significant and how to manage your business around potential interruptions.

eCommerce holiday planning dates for 2024

Q3

“School’s out for summer” and, depending on where in the world you are, everything else might be, too. Europe is famous for having the most paid vacation time in the world, and some countries are known to be essentially shut down for entire months during the third quarter. From mid- to late June into mid-September, many organizations see peak vacation time usage, meaning you can expect lots of out-of-office replies, delays from B2B contacts, and possibly even see a slowdown in purchases as folks are away from devices.

Canada Day (July 1)

Canada Day, or Canadian Independence Day, is a public holiday celebrating the birth of Canada as a nation. It’s observed across the country, so many businesses shut down, including postal services, meaning packages may be delayed and contacts unreachable. Canada Day sales usually include outdoorsy goods, Canadian flag-themed items, and party supplies.

Independence Day (July 4)

The Fourth of July is a noteworthy occasion for U.S.-based retailers, with customers seeking red, white, and blue items to help them celebrate this summer holiday. The celebration of U.S. independence brings more than fireworks, though — it can create shipping delays and halt business operations as companies close for the festivities.

Summer holiday (July-August)

The summer holiday is when most people look forward to some R&R with friends and family. But this time period could spell disaster for any business as vacations kick off and out-of-office replies roll in. In Europe, many workers are away for at least some or all of the month of August.

As a result of this vacation-heavy time, the summer holidays tend to equate to less traffic to your store, slower eCommerce business, and thus fewer sales. To overcome these challenges, think mobile first; most people aren’t home on their computer, but out and about with their mobile device. You can also use this quieter time to catch up on your pre-Q4 planning.

Back to school (July-September)

Parents begin the countdown to back to school almost immediately after the academic year ends, but back-to-school shopping trends pick up speed in the mid- to late-summer months. School supplies, backpacks, and children’s apparel are in higher demand then, so make sure you’re well stocked and offer unique deals to capture interest and close sales.

Labor Day (September 2)

As the final hurrah of summertime, Labor Day weekend in the U.S. and Canada is commonly spent outdoors with friends and neighbors celebrating the end of summer and the beginning of a new season. The holiday itself can cause snags in postal services and supply chain logistics with closures and limited hours.

To make the most of the holiday, “Goodbye, summer; hello, deals” campaigns perform well. Consider offering free or discounted two-day shipping over the long weekend to attract new customers and give your own end of summer one last boost.

Q4

For eCommerce professionals (and anyone else in the retail space), the fourth quarter is the busiest time of the year. Early-bird shoppers begin trickling into your online store at the start of the quarter to prepare for their holiday gift-giving needs, so make sure you’re ready!

Canadian Thanksgiving (October 14)

Canadian Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the last quarter’s holiday run for residents and businesses in the Great White North. This public holiday sees many businesses and all postal service, transport, and banking services closed, which means orders may be stuck and contacts unreachable during the long weekend.

Halloween (October 31)

This spooky holiday shouldn’t create any snags in your manufacturing and supply chain logistics, but it can be tricky if you fail to plan ahead for all the treats your customers need.

Halloween shopping can begin as early as the late second quarter, with die-hard Halloween fans picking up costumes and decorations well in advance. Offering bundled goods for costumes, decorations, or candy can help you carve out an edge over the competition and rack up additional sales early in your last quarter.

U.S. Thanksgiving (November 28)

Just one month before Christmas, U.S. Thanksgiving kicks off the beginning of Cyber Week. It marks the beginning of what many consider the holiday season in the U.S. Traditionally, Cyber Week is among the biggest shopping weeks of the year.

Black Friday (November 29) and Cyber Monday (December 2)

Black Friday’s historic roots are well known in retail, but the younger Cyber Monday began almost 20 years ago to encourage folks to head online for their holiday shopping. These two significant dates are the big wigs of Cyber Week. Throughout the shopping period, beginning on November 28 with Thanksgiving, you should expect higher sales volumes and greater traffic to your eCommerce store.

To prepare for a smooth and successful week, plan your campaigns and inventory cycles well in advance to ensure you don’t sell out of must-have items. Also, create bundles and other deals to differentiate your offerings.

Remember, too, these are important cultural holidays in the U.S., so many people will take vacation time or otherwise be out of the office, meaning business contacts may be unreachable and postal delays probable.

Keep in mind your Amazon FBA inventory restock date for Black Friday and Cyber Monday is October 26.

Super Saturday (December 21)

Sometimes called Panic Saturday, Super Saturday is the final Saturday before Christmas Eve, a major day for retailers in North America. This date (or just before) is commonly viewed as the last chance to order online to receive items with enough time to wrap them and place them under the tree.

Since Christmas 2024 falls on a Wednesday, shoppers who wait until Super Saturday to hit your eCommerce store may find themselves out of luck for online shopping, but you can still capitalize on the date. Email customers special offers like free or discounted two-day shipping to increase interest in your store for last-minute shopping needs.

Hanukkah (December 25-January 2)

Hanukkah gift-giving rarely extends beyond children, meaning you probably shouldn’t invest significant time promoting gifts to consumers. This holiday can, however, impact your business in a big way if you operate in a region with a large Jewish population. You may experience less traffic, fewer purchases, and, if you work with organizations in these regions, you might also see reduced staffing or delays as employees enjoy time off with their families.

Christmas (December 25)

Folks have barely finished unwrapping their gifts by the time the Christmas offers begin to roll in. In many countries, Christmas and Boxing Day are considered public national holidays, so everything outside of essential services will grind to a halt. The weeks and months leading up to Christmas will no doubt be your busiest of the year, as this major celebration introduces new challenges for manufacturing, procurement, supply chain, and delivery processes and timelines. Planning your inventory and ensuring you’re set up for success well in advance of Santa’s arrival will help you avoid overselling or limited access to goods.

Boxing Day (December 26)

Boxing Day lands on December 26 each year, and in many jurisdictions, it’s a public holiday that all businesses observe. Boxing Day (or Boxing Week, as it’s rapidly becoming) helps ensure customers get what they really want over the holidays, with fantastic deals on must-have products.

New Year’s Eve (December 31)

New Year’s Eve marks the end of the year and one of the biggest party days worldwide. Hot on the heels of Christmas, this holiday can see a surge in online shopping activity as people plan for their New Year’s resolutions (or just really wanted an item that wasn’t in their stocking).

Often, postal services are still burdened by a high volume of packages over the holidays, and warehouses may experience staffing shortages due to celebrations and time off. Be aware of these delays in between planning your own bash!

eCommerce holiday planning 2025

Q1

Compared to the busy Q4 and holiday season, the first quarter of the new year can feel like a slump. You might think it’s the perfect time to kick back and relax, but don’t get too comfortable — the (New Year) shopping frenzy is just getting started.

New Year’s Day (January 1)

Anyone in need of same-day delivery for ginger candies and Tylenol? Customers recovering from a fun New Year’s Eve might find themselves scrolling through Amazon from their couches looking for deals and trying to distract from a well-deserved hangover. Conversely, resolutioners are ready to dive into their plans for self-improvement, often seeking deals on fitness or wellness equipment, books, journals, and more.

Since New Year’s Day is a statutory holiday in several regions, shipping challenges may persist for several days following the calendar change.

Blue Monday (January 20)

The third Monday of January is often referred to as “the most depressing day of the year.” A British vacation company birthed it after factoring in weather and debt levels as part of a publicity campaign that academics and mental health professionals mocked, but the general public lapped up. Whether you subscribe to it or not, you can take advantage of Blue Monday in your early Q1 marketing efforts to spread cheer among your customers.

Many customers will be feeling the post-holiday slump and ready to indulge in some retail therapy to kick-start that “New Year, New You” plan, or simply to use up some of their holiday gift cards and cash.

Tip: You can apply this term to any Monday, like the first Monday of the year, which many feel is the most Monday of Mondays.

Chinese New Year (January 29)

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival, is among the most important celebrations observed in China. The festival signals the beginning of spring as well as the start of the new year according to the Chinese Lunar calendar.

In countries where it’s celebrated, Chinese New Year is a public holiday. All factories close and employees go on holiday for at least two weeks. This shutdown includes countries such as mainland China, Indonesia, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, and Brunei.

In 2025, Chinese New Year begins on January 29 and ends on February 22, but activities can begin up to three weeks before. Expect factory shutdowns for about two weeks followed by demand from businesses looking to make up for the delay in products during that time frame.

Valentine’s Day (February 14)

In North America and the UK, the day of love tends to inspire sales spikes of romantic items — think jewelry, flowers, chocolates, etc. — starting in early February. While this holiday shouldn’t impact manufacturing or supply chain processes, you might want to consider your inventory of Valentine’s-related goods well in advance to make sure you’re not oversold when the big day comes.

White Day (March 14)

In many Asian countries, women celebrate Valentine’s Day in February, giving chocolates and handmade gifts to significant others, then men return the favor one month later in March. If you operate in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, and/or Vietnam, make sure your customers have lots of custom-made apparel, accessories, and jewelry to choose from, and consider offering bargains to sweeten the deal (and day).

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)

Whether of Irish blood or Irish at heart, folks around the world love to celebrate Ireland’s heritage and customs on St. Patrick’s Day, often holding parades, festivals, and long days at the pub. St. Patrick’s Day is a $5.6 billion market, so you should get in on the action. For example, you can offer a discount or bundle on green accessories. Also, note that Irish businesses may be closed or operate at reduced capacity, as some employees choose to take time off to celebrate the holiday. In 2025, it’s on a Monday, so this could impact your shipping or warehousing.

Mother’s Day (March 30 in the UK)

If your business caters to a UK clientele, you’ll want to stock up on everything “mum” for May. Cards, books, socks, accessories, and trinkets are all hot choices for mom-friendly gifts.

Q2

The second quarter ramps up quickly after a relatively quiet Q1, and for many eCommerce professionals, the impacts of the late Q4 and Q1 holidays may still be felt in manufacturing and supply chain snags.

Qingming Festival (April 4; holiday: April 3-5)

The Qingming Festival translates to “pure brightness” in English and is also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. This traditional Chinese festival is an important time for most people of Chinese descent to show respect by sweeping the tombs and commemorating the lives of their ancestors.

The public holiday in China runs April 4 to April 6, 2025. During this time, transport and business disruptions are highly likely as people observe the holiday and participate in festivities.

Easter (April 20; Holy Week: April 12-19)

Easter and Holy Week are observed in hundreds of countries around the world as the most important Christian holiday (even more so than Christmas). In many jurisdictions, Good Friday is observed as a public or statutory holiday, with businesses, postal service, banking, and transport disruptions, while Easter Monday is generally treated as any other day.

Between an increase in Easter-themed goodies (think chocolates, Easter bunnies, and spring-themed goods) and the potential postal service slowdown, planning your inventory and shipping timelines will be especially important.

Mother’s Day (May 11)

Of all the Hallmark holidays, Mother’s Day in North America might be the biggest. Since it falls on a Sunday, it’s unlikely you’ll see a spike in traffic or purchases then, but you may see mother-focused gifts flying out of your warehouses in the weeks prior.

Father’s Day (June 15)

Similar to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day can inspire shoppers to hit your store for dad-worthy goodies. In both instances, be sure to leverage the holidays through targeted advertising and marketing campaigns with gift ideas.

Graduation

As June nears its end, schools let out, and parents often seek graduation or “grading day” gifts for their scholars. Graduation kicks off the summer holiday shopping trends, often leaning towards outdoorsy items like bikes, beach items, bicycles, skateboards, scooters, or even electronic devices like mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.

Other key items for graduates include personalized goods such as digital photo frames, custom shirts and mugs, and engraved jewelry.

Q3

• Canada Day (July 1)
• Independence Day (July 4)
• Summer holiday (July-Aug)
• Back to school (July-September)
• Labor Day (September 1)

Q4

• Canadian Thanksgiving (October 13)
• Halloween (October 31)
• U.S. Thanksgiving (November 27)
• Black Friday (November 28) & Cyber Monday (December 1)
• Super Saturday (December 20)
• Hanukkah (December 14-Dec 22)
• Christmas (December 25)
• Boxing Day (December 26)
• New Year’s Eve (December 31)

Wrapping up — Mark these eCommerce holiday planning dates on your calendar to stay on top of big events and easily overlooked holidays

While this isn’t an exhaustive list — there are far too many holidays around the world to count — these are some of the most important dates to keep in mind as you plan in 2024. Remember that culturally significant holidays in other parts of the world may impact your eCommerce business, big or small, in the U.S., Europe, or Canada. Take the time to educate yourself, plan ahead, and respect these important traditions to keep your business running smoothly.

Published: January 18, 2022
Updated: August 29, 2024