Brand Calendar: 2025 Retail Holidays and Ecommerce Events | Salsify

Holidays are a time for family, friends — and spending. While shopping isn’t the reason for any season, it’s central to many holidays and events. From buying gifts and party decorations to seasonal foods and celebration-specific supplies, holiday spending is a fact of life.

Ecommerce events and holidays are behind the biggest shopping days of the year — both in-store and online. Knowing and preparing for these important ecommerce events and 2025 holidays helps your brand capitalize on the seasonal rush and maximize sales potential.

And there's no time like the present to start planning.

2025 Ecommerce Events: Plan for Cyber Week and Beyond

While many shoppers are content to leave their holiday purchases to the last minute, brands don’t have this luxury. Nothing could be worse than putting off your end-of-year planning.  

Many retailers report that 20% or more of their annual sales occur in the four weeks between Black Friday and Christmas, according to The Balance — all the more reason to ensure your brand is prepared for what could be the busiest online holiday season yet.

We all know the holiday season is the busiest time of year for online retailers, but a few days stand out as especially important. Here are the five days that should be any brand’s top priority when planning their end-of-year campaigns.

Singles Day

Celebrated on November 11 every year — the number ones in the date are representative of single individuals — Singles Day has become a popular ecommerce holiday in China. Created as a protest against Valentine’s Day, Singles Day has become an opportunity for singles to treat themselves to a shopping spree. 

What was once a 24-hour ecommerce holiday has turned into weeks-long promotions both in-store and online. Reuters reports estimates from data provider Syntun that the 2024 multi-day Singles Day shopping event spurred 1.44 trillion yuan in spending.

Black Friday

While the old-school doorbusters-style Black Friday is starting to fall out of fashion, online sales are becoming increasingly popular on this legendary retail holiday.

Many customers search for information about Black Friday deals as early as September or October. As consumer habits shift increasingly online, many retailers have begun offering their Black Friday deals online as early as Thanksgiving night. 

Cyber Monday

First coined in 2005, Cyber Monday was created by online retailers who felt they were missing out on the large gains other retailers saw on Black Friday. Since then, the line between Cyber Monday and Black Friday has blurred slightly — many online retailers now offer Black Friday deals too — but the day is still one of the year’s busiest shopping days.

GivingTuesday

Started in 2012 by a group of nonprofits under the umbrella of New York City’s 92nd Street Y, organizers hoped to create a sort of “Black Friday” for charitable spending during the holiday season.

It’s since become a massive success, raising billions for charities since its conception. The organization is also now active in many other countries.

While a big day for the nonprofit world, your brand can also leverage GivingTuesday to reaffirm your brand values and build rapport with values-driven consumers.

Think of the creative ways your brand can stand out while making a tangible difference:

• Can you donate proceeds or products to a worthy cause? 
• Can you allow customers to convert reward points into a cash donation to their favorite charity? 

Even raising awareness with community engagement posts can go a long way in affirming your company values to would-be customers.

Green Monday

Also known as “Cyber Monday 2,” Green Monday refers to the last Monday in December that’s at least 10 days before Christmas. First coined by eBay executives in 2007, it’s oftentimes their busiest shopping day of the year.

What’s so special about that particular Monday? After some research, the company discovered that this was often the last day shoppers could place an order guaranteed to arrive in time for Christmas — prompting a mad dash of last-minute shoppers flooding the site.

While shipping times have certainly improved in the past 15 years, many retailers still offer Green Monday sales, and many late-shopping consumers will look out for them. 

Super Saturday

Super Saturday — or “panic Saturday,” depending on who you ask — refers to the last Saturday before Christmas, when procrastinating customers often have their last chance to complete any final purchases before the big day.

Many consider it to be the official end of the holiday shopping season, with sales that have started to surpass those of even Black Friday.

While some customers will be wary of shipment delays so close to Christmas Day, online retailers can reassure customers with features like same-day pickup or free expedited/guaranteed shipping.

2025 Holidays: Take Note for Strategic Seasonal Planning

Traditionally, ecommerce events like Cyber Monday draw the biggest crowds of online shoppers. However, online spending has continued to grow around other holidays as well.

Planning around the 2025 holidays can help brands meet shoppers at every major event. Here are the 2025 holidays and dates for strategic seasonal planning.

5 Tips for Building a Winning Retail Holiday Strategy

Here are five tips to help you build a winning holiday strategy and make the most of the upcoming ecommerce events and holidays.

1. Assess What's Working for Your Brand

A good first step for any brand considering a holiday or seasonal campaign is performing an honest, detailed assessment of their previous efforts — identifying which elements worked best and incorporating those strategies as you move forward. That being said, don’t be afraid to experiment with new approaches either.

2. Perform Seasonal Keyword Research and Optimize Your Product Titles and Descriptions

Familiarize yourself with trending keywords that drive product sales during the various ecommerce events and holidays related to your category.

Audit the following across channels to increase your discoverability:

• Product titles
• Product descriptions
• Search engine optimization (SEO) keywords

Think of search phrases like “stocking stuffers” or “Father's Day gifts for dads who have everything.” Incorporating the voice of your customer into product copy is another great way of organically including common search terms shoppers might use to find your products. 

3. Incorporate Enhanced Product Content

Incorporating enhanced content into your product detail page (PDP) can effectively increase conversion and support engaging shopping experiences.

Enhanced content includes:

• Longer, more customized product descriptions
• Videos
• Extensive image galleries
• Feature tours
• Comparison charts
• Downloadable materials

Enhanced content will always help build consumer trust and increase your discoverability across channels. 

4. Keep an Eye on Customer Service

Increased sales mean more customers will be contacting your company with questions and concerns about your products — make sure that your customer service department is ramped up and prepared to handle the uptick in holiday inquiries.

5. Monitor Emerging Trends

As each ecommerce event or holiday comes around, don’t “set it and forget it” — actively monitor trends for any unexpected opportunities and be prepared to move quickly when they arise.

Stand Out — and Stay Ahead — in 2025 and Beyond

The secret to success with ecommerce events, holidays, and seasonal sales periods? Preparation. Navigating the increasingly crowded ecommerce landscape requires a clear vision and understanding of how your audience explores the digital shelf.

By being proactive, your brand can stand out — and stay ahead — in 2025 and beyond.