Key eCommerce Dates Drive Sales as Stores Reopen

As we mark a month since non-essential retail reopened in England, the latest online retail data from Salesfire shows that eCommerce stores have shifted their focus to tailored discounts to sustain the demand in online shopping.

Online discounts worked heavily in shoppers’ favour, with brands using key dates in the calendar to boost their traffic.

Fashion and accessory retailers performed particularly well on Earth Day on 22 April, after Trends showed that sustainability-focused promotions led to a 54% uptick in sales.

On Bank Holiday Monday, home and living stores saw a 38% increase in sales, suggesting people were thinking about home improvements over the long weekend.

This is ahead of further restrictions lifting as we’re able to have gatherings of 6 people indoors from 17 May.

As the government included 12 countries on its “green list” for quarantine-free travel on Friday 7th May, the following day saw foreign holiday bookings soar.

On Saturday 8 May, Salesfire saw an uplift of 120% in revenue through its travel sites. Travel bookings site Thomas Cook also reported more bookings than usual to Portugal and Malta.

Rich Himsworth, CEO at Salesfire, commented on the findings:

“Despite the pent-up demand for the in-store shopping experience bringing customers back onto the high street, it isn’t surprising that online shopping is still seeing a high rate of growth.

“Consumers have become used to valuing the convenience of ordering online while they largely remain working from home.

“The boom in sales on Earth Day reflects the eco-conscious shift that we have seen in shoppers over the past few years, which has only been enhanced by the pandemic.

“Online retailers have the advantage of being able to offer tailored discount codes and online remarketing tactics to attract the right customers.

“This can boost sales on key dates, compared to in-store discounts, which are less tailored and rely on people being in the vicinity.”

Rich continued:

“As we approach summer 2021, I think we can expect to continue seeing travel sales increase, for staycations and foreign destinations alike, depending on the government guidelines.

“It’s been 14 months of refunds, concerns about quarantining and hesitancy to book holidays, so we’re looking forward to hopefully seeing the travel industry thrive after a tough year.

“As cinemas, theatres and museums reopen from 17 May and we can dine indoors again, it will be interesting to see how town centres and in-store shopping compares to online shopping in the next few months.”

Produced for Salesfire by Tank.