Key Dates for Your Q4 Diary

It’s never too early (or too late) to start preparing for Q4 – traditionally the largest consumer spending period, which aligns with the holiday season and gift-giving.

According to data from Salesfire Trends, eCommerce revenue across Q4 2024 was up by an average of 8.5% YoY.

This year will be no different, with buyer confidence on the rise and businesses being more digital-focused, we are anticipating another busy Golden Quarter online.

Preparing for Q4

eCommerce growth is showing no signs of stopping, with predictions that 95% of retail purchases will take place online by 2040.¹

On top of this, Q4 typically leads to large spikes in traffic from seasonal visitors. So, ensuring your online store is equipped to handle this influx of visitors is crucial.

Work with your suppliers to establish stock availability levels. You could also build early anticipation by teasing deals across your marketing platforms to generate interest and excitement.

Salesfire is here to support you through the most wonderful time of the year. We can help you develop tailored strategies and optimise your customer experience in preparation for the busy period.

We’ll start by taking a look at some of the key eCommerce dates over the next few months to help you plan your Q4 campaigns.

Halloween – 31st October

Halloween has lured the UK market into its spooky spirit for several years, with British consumers spending an estimated £776 million on the occasion in 2024.²

To capitalise on increased spending this scary season, you can:

• Set up dedicated landing pages to promote seasonal products
• Treat your shoppers by running competitions and loyalty schemes
• Share user-generated content on socials to increase buyer confidence

Single’s Day – 11th November

Originally a Chinese holiday to celebrate being young and single, this date has slowly transformed into a huge sales event across the globe.

Our Black Friday 2024 report marked Singles Day as the point at which online orders began to increase much more rapidly in Q4. 

Fashion and beauty brands such as ASOS, LookFantastic and Boohoo have taken advantage of this day in previous years by offering exclusive discounts.

It’s also an excellent opportunity to start a conversation with your customers on social media and raise engagement with your brand.

Black Friday – 28th November

Black Friday is one of the biggest, most significant dates in the online retail calendar. 

The day kicks off a weekend of high spending known as Cyber Weekend, ending with Cyber Monday, which falls on the 1st December this year. 

Savvy shoppers will also be scoping out the best deals even weeks before the big day.

It’s the ultimate event for online retailers, meaning the marketplace will be crowded and you’ll need to use clever tactics to stand out. Here are some strategies you can use to secure a successful Cyber Weekend:

• Building trust with shoppers: Help shoppers plan their purchases better by announcing sales in advance and spreading deals across a longer period of time. This can help you build relationships with your shoppers that last long after Black Friday is over.

• Upselling and cross-selling: Cyber Weekend is a great time to drive additional sales. Encourage larger orders and boost your AOV by displaying incentives like free delivery or gifts with a minimum spend. Showcase personalised Recommendations on product pages to help shoppers discover additional items. 

• Creating urgency: Give hesitant shoppers the nudge they need to purchase by utilising countdown timers that show how long an offer has left. Create FOMO by letting shoppers know how many others are viewing or have purchased a product.

• Personalised retargeting: Harness every opportunity to secure a sale by retargeting shoppers who leave your site without purchasing. Salesfire can enhance your retargeting by automatically triggering email and SMS flows aligned with the shopper’s on-site activity.

Boxing Day/Winter Sales – 26th December Onwards

The downtime between Christmas and New Year offers an opportunity to give your Q4 sales a final boost. 

Shoppers will be armed with money and gift cards from Christmas, however will likely have more free time to shop around. Competition also remains fierce during this period, with many retailers pushing their remaining stock out the door through an avalanche of promotional deals. 

You’ll need to capture shopper attention by offering further discounts, effective messaging and well-timed, thoughtful email campaigns.

Sending emails to shopper segments will be key here to ensure you cut through the noise with campaigns that resonate with the shopper and lead them to convert.

Suggested reading: Learn how to leverage the unique opportunities of the post-Christmas shopping period by reading our article ‘Why Q5 is the Golden Opportunity eCommerce Retailers Can’t Miss’. 

Get ready to thrive in Q4

There’s a goldmine of sales opportunities in Q4.

Planning out a calendar of dates you want to focus on and developing strategies for each can help you truly reap this season’s benefits.

In such a hectic time, you’ll also want to make use of eCommerce automation and personalisation tools, like Salesfire, to boost campaign effectiveness with minimal effort.

No matter how small or large your business is, a seasonal strategy is key to ensuring you finish the year on a high with a successful final quarter.

1 Grow Or Die The New Reality of eCommerce | Forbes
2 Halloween statistics 2024: How much is spent each year? | Finder