Ecommerce Holiday Guide to 2023: Complete Calendar

We’re still a few months away from welcoming in a new year, who says it’s too early to start crafting your content calendar for 2023? The more you plan ahead with the help of a holiday guide, the less stress you’ll feel when those big dates come around.

To help you get a head start, we’ve put together a holiday guide with all the major holidays and events you should be aware of for the year to come. From religious events to national celebrations, we’re certain that once your on-brand content is sorted for all these dates, you’ll be set for a successful 2023!

New Year’s Day – January 01, 2023

Of course, we have to start with the biggest celebration of the year—New Year’s Day! While it’s New Year’s Eve (December 31) that’s typically known for the big parties and countdown to midnight, the first day of the year is when everyone makes their resolutions and looks ahead to the months to come.

Thus, this day isn’t just an opportunity for businesses to post a “Happy New Year!” message, but also a chance to engage with customers and followers about their goals for the year.

Holiday Guide tip: What to post on New Year’s

If you’re active on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, this would be the perfect opportunity to post interactive content, like a New Year’s Resolution template or graphic. For example, you could ask your followers to share their resolutions in the comments, and then repost some of the responses on your feed.

Apart from social media marketing, you can also focus on giving your customers and followers something to look forward to for the year ahead. This could be in the form of special deals, new product announcements, or teasers of your upcoming collections.

Valentine’s Day – February 14, 2023

Aah, Valentine’s Day—the day of love. While some people see it as a Hallmark holiday, there’s no denying that this is a big opportunity for businesses, especially those in the e-commerce and retail space. After all, what better way to show your customers some love than with a sale or promotion?

Holiday Guide tip: How to increase sales on Valentine’s Day

Of course, you can always show your customers some appreciation by offering Valentine’s vouchers and discounts. However, if you want to be a bit extra and you’ve got some design ideas you want to try out, you can also launch a Valentine’s Day collection for your POD brand. Your collection can promote and highlight all kinds of love—self-love, love for family and friends, romantic love, and many others through shirts or bags with heartfelt messages or your own illustrations.

You can also run a Valentine’s Day contest on social media, where followers can share photos of themselves or their loved ones wearing your products. Be sure to include a creative branded hashtag to make it easy for people to join, and offer a prize that would be of interest to your target audience.

St. Patrick’s Day – March 17, 2023

Who could forget about St. Patrick’s Day? It’s the one day of the year where everyone is Irish—even if they’re not! This holiday is all about celebrating Irish culture, and of course, drinking green beer. But most importantly, it’s a great opportunity for businesses to show their fun side and bond with the community they serve.

Holiday Guide tip: Full POD Guide tailored to St. Patrick’s Day

Not sure where to get started for product ideas and marketing strategies specifically tailored to St. Patrick’s Day? Get started with our blog, for the Ultimate Print on Demand Guide to St. Patrick’s Day!

Shirts and other apparel with popular St. Paddy’s Day slogans, such as “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” or “Irish I Was Drunk,” would be a big hit on this day. You can also launch special St. Patrick’s Day-themed products, like green beer mugs or shot glasses.

For social media, you can get creative with green-themed filters and lenses on Instagram and Snapchat, or even create a fun St. Patrick’s Day-themed video. And of course, don’t forget to use relevant hashtags like #StPatricksDay and #IrishPride to join in on the conversation.

Easter – April 09, 2023

A few weeks after St. Patrick’s Day comes Easter, which is typically celebrated with egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, and of course, the Easter Bunny. While this holiday is mostly enjoyed by children, it’s also a great opportunity for brands to get creative when it comes to connecting to families who are spending time together during this time off from work and school.

Holiday guide tip: Use pastel colors for Easter

There are a few things you can do to make the most of Easter as a POD business. First, you can launch a special Easter collection with pastel-colored shirts or egg-shaped enamel pins. You can also host an online Easter egg hunt on social media, where followers can find clues to unlock discounts or freebies.

Lucky for you, we also have a Full Print-On-Demand Guide to Easter to prepare you for Easter!

Earth Day – April 22, 2023

One of the reasons why many business owners choose the POD model is because it’s a more sustainable way of doing business. Thus, it makes perfect sense to celebrate Earth Day with your POD brand! This is your chance to show your customers that you care about the environment and that you want them to join you in your journey to a greener future.

Holiday guide tip: Post content about sustainability

Celebrating Earth Day doesn’t have to be grand or expensive. You can start by simply informing your followers about sustainable practices and the history of Earth Day through a set of Instagram stories or a blog post. You can also offer discounts on your eco-friendly products, or donate a portion of your sales to an environmental organization.

Mother’s Day – May 14, 2023

Of course, who could forget about Mother’s Day? This is the one day of the year where we celebrate the moms in our lives and everything they do for us. And for print on demand brands like yours, Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to help your customers in finding the perfect gift for their moms—or even better, to treat themselves!

Holiday guide tip: Make Mother’s Day special for your customers

There are a few things you can do to make Mother’s Day special for your customers. You can start by launching a special collection of shirts, mugs, or tote bags that are perfect for gift-giving. You can also create Mother’s Day-themed social media posts and offer discounts made specially moms. If you want to offer something more special and personal to your customers, you can also add a handwritten note with each order or provide free gift-wrapping services.

For a full guide, visit our blog’s Mother’s Day POD Cheat Sheet.

Pride Month – June, 2023

June is Pride Month, and it’s the perfect time for your POD brand to show its support for the LGBTQIA+ community. This is your chance to create products that celebrate queer culture and to let your customers know that you’re an ally. It’s also a great opportunity to donate to causes that support the community, such as LGBTQIA+ youth organizations or HIV/AIDS research.

Holiday Guide tip: What You Can Do as a Business during Pride Month

While you can definitely boost your sales by launching Pride-themed products during this month, it’s also important to show your genuine support through your words and actions. You can start by creating social media posts that inform your followers about the history of Pride Month and the struggles that the LGBTQIA+ community still faces today. You can also donate a portion of your proceeds to organizations that support LGBTQIA+ rights or offer discounts to customers who are part of the community.

Father’s Day – June 18, 2023

Similar to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is the perfect opportunity for your POD brand to show its support for the dads in your customers’ lives. This can also be a great opportunity to test out new products, especially if your market is mostly female.

Holiday guide tip: What to do for Father’s Day

Of course, since a lot of your customers will be looking for gifts for their dads, it’s a good idea to launch a special Father’s Day collection. You can design a set of shirts, mugs, wine holders, or even keychains that are perfect for gift-giving. You can also create Father’s Day-themed social media posts and offer free shipping or discount vouchers to your shoppers.

For product inspiration, visit our Father’s Day blog!

Independence Day – July 04, 2023

Nothing says “patriotic” like celebrating one of the most important days in American history—the fourth of July! This is the perfect opportunity for your POD brand to be in solidarity with the American community and get creative with your product designs.

Holiday guide tip: How to create best-selling 4th of July merch

Of course, parade merch and patriotic-themed products are always a hit during Independence Day. Hence, you can launch a special collection of shirts, flags, mugs, and more that are perfect for celebrating the holiday. You can also change the theme of your social media pages for the week to reflect the holiday and build anticipation for your products. Lastly, you can offer free shipping or other discounts to customers who order before or during the holiday.

Take a look at our 4th of July blog for best-selling merch inspo!

Back-to-school Season – August, 2023

Once the summer heat starts to die down, it’s time to get back into the swing of things with the back-to-school season. For POD brands, this is the perfect time to launch new products or designs that cater to students and teachers.

Holiday guide tip: What You Can Do

Clothes for children and college students are always in demand during back-to-school season. You can launch a line of shirts, hoodies, or even school supplies that have your unique designs. You can also create social media posts that feature your products and offer limited time discounts for customers who order during the season.

Check out our top 5 Marketing Tips for Back-to-School season!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month – October, 2023

Whether your business mainly sells to women or to a more general audience, showing your support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month is always a good idea. This is your chance to create products that raise awareness for the cause and to donate proceeds to breast cancer research.

Holiday guide tip: How to show your support during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

For this month, you can launch a special collection of products that feature pink ribbons or other breast cancer awareness designs. You can partner with an organization that supports breast cancer research and offer them discounted rates or a portion of your proceeds. You can also create social media posts that educate your followers about breast cancer and its symptoms.

For a full guide on how to show your support: Creating Awareness for Breast Cancer: Tips for POD Businesses.

Halloween – October 31, 2023

Of course, one of the most fun holidays for any brand and business is Halloween. With the millions of kids and kids-at-heart who look forward to the holiday, there’s a lot of potential for POD brands to score some big sales while challenging their creative juices!

Holiday guide tip: What You Can Do

Halloween is all about dressing up as monsters and magical characters, so why not launch a line of Halloween-themed shirts that can be used as part or as a whole costume? You can also create other products like mugs, phone cases, or even keychains that have Halloween designs. For social media, you can run contests where customers have to share photos of themselves in their Halloween costumes wearing your products. The best photos can win prizes like gift vouchers or discounts.

Stand out from the competition by following our Halloween Marketing and Print on Demand Design Ideas!

Veterans’ Day – November 11, 2023

Another holiday you can show your support for is Veterans’ Day. While shopping merch isn’t really the focus of this holiday, you can still express your gratitude to the men and women who have served in the military on this day by using your online platform.

Holiday guide tip: Show Support and Design Merch if You Are a Veteran

One way you can show your support is by featuring veterans in your social media posts and stories. You can also run discounts and promotions for military families on this day. Lastly, you can donate a portion of your proceeds to organizations that support veterans.

If you are a veteran and would like to run your own veteran-themed business, here are a few Veteran’s Day Merch Design Ideas for Your eCommerce Store!

Thanksgiving – November 23, 2023

The start of the holiday season is marked by Thanksgiving in the US. For POD brands, this is another opportunity to score some big sales and to show your gratitude to your customers, whether through special promos or new product offerings.

Holiday guide tip: How to Design Products for Thanksgiving

Gifts and gift-giving are central to Thanksgiving, so you can launch a line of Thanksgiving-themed products that can be given as gifts. You can also create engaging social media content such as an IG Live show or a tutorial on how to style Thanksgiving outfits using your products.

As always, thank your customers for their support in your posts!

Black Friday – November 24, 2023

Right after Thanksgiving comes the biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday. Almost ALL businesses, big or small, offer some sort of promotion on this day, so it’s a good idea to start planning your Black Friday Sale early.

Holiday guide tip: Get Creative With Your Promotions

Aside from offering irresistible discounts which lots of other brands will already be doing, you can also get creative with your promotions. For example, you can work with an influencer for a Black Friday shopping haul video that features your products. You can also do a social media giveaway where customers can win a bundle of your products by following your brand and tagging friends on your posts.

Cyber Monday – November 27, 2023

Another big shopping day that’s worth planning for is Cyber Monday. This is when most people do their online shopping so it’s a good idea to make sure your website and social media platforms are ready for the influx of traffic.

Holiday guide tip: Take Full Advantage of the BFCM weekend

Similar to Black Friday, you can offer exclusive discounts and promotions on this day. You can also schedule a whole post-Thanksgiving sale event which spans from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. This way, you can keep the momentum going and capitalize on the holiday shopping frenzy!

Christmas Day – December 25, 2023

A few weeks after the whole Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping extravaganza is Christmas—the most wonderful time of the year! This is when people are in a giving mood, so it’s a great opportunity for POD brands to give back to their customers.

Holiday guide tip: Create Festive-Themed Social Media Campaigns

Of course, launching a Christmas-themed collection is always a great idea for the holiday season. If your POD brand mainly sells minimalist pieces, you can put a festive spin on them by adding some Christmas-themed details or launch a set of apparel with subtle, red and green hues.

Another way to show your appreciation for your customers is by giving them early access to your Christmas collection or running a promotion where they can get a discount for every purchase they make.

You can also launch a holiday-themed social media campaign or create festive-looking graphics that your customers can share on their own social media platforms.

New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2023

Finally, we have New Year’s Eve—the last big holiday of the year! While we already started our list with New Year’s Day, you can also do something special for New Year’s Eve and ring in the new year with your customers.

Holiday guide tip: Launch a New Year’s Countdown on Social Media

One fun way to do this is by launching a New Year’s countdown on your social media platforms. You can also do a flash sale where customers can get a certain percentage off their purchase when they use a promo code at certain intervals leading up to New Year’s Eve.

Another great idea is to team up with other brands in your niche and run a joint giveaway where everyone’s products are up for grabs. This is a great way to get your brand in front of a new audience and build relationships with other businesses in your industry.

Ready to Plan Your 2023 Holiday Marketing Strategy?

There you have it—a rundown of the biggest holidays in 2023 and some ideas on how POD brands like yours can make the most of them!

Now it’s time to start creating your content calendar for the year and mapping out your 2023 holiday marketing strategy. With a little bit of planning and creativity, you can make this coming year your best one yet!
For more marketing and e-commerce tips, check out the Awkward Styles’ blog.