We are already well into 2020 and planning should now be underway to maximise on sales opportunities. Top brands don’t leave it till the last minute, they will all have plans and campaigns ready to go months in advance. To help guide your planning, WorldFirst have set out key retail dates in the next coming 12 months to plan your campaigns around.
Key Retail Dates for the first quarter of 2020 are below, visit the WorldFirst blog for the full year.
January Key Retail Dates
25 January – Chinese New Year
It’s the Year of the Rat this year – the first sign in the Chinese zodiac, the Rat signifies new beginnings, wealth and good fortune. Sounds good! It’s also a huge date in the Chinese retail calendar, with retail and catering enterprises receiving a revenue of over 1 trillion yuan (£108.5 billion) during 2019’s six-day Chinese New Year festival, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
26 January – Australia Day
Commemorating the establishment of the first European settlement at Port Jackson, now part of Sydney, in 1788, it’s a great excuse to open a tinny or two and re-watch Muriel’s Wedding.
February Key Retail Dates
14 February – London Fashion Week
The glitterati of the fashion world descend on the UK as London designers showcase their new collections – and thanks to the power of social media and influencers, people are more connected to this event than ever before, which is watched all over the world. Instagram has seen an opportunity in London Fashion Week, and since the launch of last year’s shoppable posts, consumers can directly purchase from the app. Fashion brands on Instagram offering customers access to their collections straight after the catwalk shows are set to enjoy a spike in sales. Selling to fashion lovers from all over the world, British retailers can benefit from working with an FX provider like WorldFirst to optimise their cross-border transactions.
14 February – Valentine’s Day
British lovebirds upped their spending on flowers, cards, and dinners-for-two to add an impressive £1.4 billion to the UK economy in 2019, with an estimated £391 million spent on dining out and £267 on romantic getaways, according to data from IBISWorld. This despite a general economic malaise at the time. It truly is the power of love!
March Key Retail Dates
5 March – World Book Day
A major day for the publishing industry, this is also something of a tricky date for parents who find themselves expected to put together a World Book Day outfit for their beloved children at the last minute. Or, of course, you could always just buy one. The figure for how much exactly was spent on ready-made Harry Potter outfits in 2019 is not known!
8 March – International Women’s Day
A date that’s growing in retail significance, International Women’s Day is an opportunity for firms to highlight the gender equality work they’re doing. For example, last year, in continuation of its ‘Shero’ campaign, Mattel made Barbie versions of women such as British model and activist Adwoa Aboah and Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar.
22 March – Mother’s Day
Breaking news: Brits love spoiling their mums! Central England Co-op examined every purchase in the run-up to last Mother’s Day and discovered that gin and flowers were the premium purchases. The research also showed a large spike in the purchase of flowers in the morning of Mother’s Day itself – suggesting kids wait until the last minute to buy their gifts.
