Plan Your 2022 With These Major Dates for eCommerce Merchants and Marketplace Sellers

This first Monday of the year is also the first business day of the year. With 2021 now fully behind us, let’s take a brief look at important dates in 2022 for online merchants and marketplace sellers.

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In January we will have the first national holiday with Martin Luther King Jr. day on Monday, January 17. As is standard for US national holidays, the US Postal Service will be closed and there will be no pickups and deliveries. Also, most public government agencies and banks will be closed. UPS, FedEx, DHL, and most private carriers will operate on this day.

February could be a busy month for marketing opportunities. The Winter Olympics start on February 3 and will go on until the 20th. The NFL Super Bowl will be later this year and will take place on Sunday, February 13.

While sporting events can offer some marketing opportunities in some categories, it’s important to remember that using any logos and trademark names like the “Super Bowl” cannot be used without authorization and these organizations are very protective of their intellectual property rights.

The biggest marketing opportunity in February is Valentine’s Day on Monday, February 14th. With US spending having stayed well over $20 billion over the past three years, this is a very opportune time to promote relevant products to shoppers looking to make this day special.

President’s Day falls this year on, Monday, February 21, which like all other national holidays means no USPS, and most government offices and banks are closed. UPS, FedEx, DHL, and most private carriers will operate on this day.

March is light on online commerce marketing opportunities but it also has no national holidays either. The month brings is us one popular cultural celebration on March 17; St. Patrick’s Day.

The month of April is headlined by Easter on April 17, a major holiday that has spurred more online sales over the last few years. This is definitely one huge promotional opportunity for sellers in many categories.

The other “Big” day in April is the IRS tax filing deadline for most yearly returns which will be on April 18th this year. Here is a complete list of all IRS tax filing deadlines for 2022 if you need to file quarterly returns or issue 1099s for example.

Good marketing opportunities continue in the month of May with Mother’s Day being top on Sunday, May 8. This year, sellers should start promotional efforts the week after Easter as there is little time between the two dates in 2022. This year, Mother’s Day spending could exceed $30 billion.

Thursday, May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, another growing cultural celebration in the US (no it’s not Mexico’s Independence Day), and just like St. Patrick’s Day, it could offer some promotional opportunities in select categories for party and festival supplies.

Later in May, Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 30. Memorial Day is a “major” national holiday as not only are USPS, government offices, and banks closed, but many corporate offices and many fulfillment warehouses as well (except Amazon…). UPS, FedEx, and DHL operations are limited to critical express services only.

Father’s Day falls on Sunday, June 19th this year. Just like Mother’s Day, another great opportunity for running relevant promotions as Father’s Day related spending is around $20 billion for that day.

Last year, the Juneteenth National Independence Day was added as a US national holiday to be observed on June 19, but USPS was not able to adjust its operations in 2021 as they only had about 48 hour notice. This year, USPS will observe Juneteenth National Independence Day on Monday, June 20 because the new national holiday falls on a Sunday.

Amazon Prime Day, which now has many copy-cat promotions by other major marketplaces and online merchants was held in June last year. The company said last year it felt June was a better spot for the big summer sale to engage with shoppers as many consumers planned to travel again in the summer.

Will Amazon return the sale to June or July (the original month when the event was launched) is currently unknown. While Prime Day started as an Amazon-specific summer sale, it now has become a big sales event for many retailers and marketplaces. Prime Day is a good opportunity to reduce left-over inventory and turn it into cash for the holiday season, even if you don’t sell on the platform.

The only major holiday in July is Independence Day (Monday, July 4), which is another “major” national holiday when USPS, government offices, banks, corporate offices, and many fulfillment warehouses are closed. UPS, FedEx, and DHL will only operate critical express services that day.

Independence Day can also be a good opportunity for promotional activities, especially around summer fun and sport.

August has no national holidays or major cultural celebrations. This is a good time to prepare product and marketing strategies for the holiday season. Although, depending on your sourcing and category, you may need to start earlier with some of your holiday season prep work.

Labor Day in 2022 falls on Monday, September 5, and is also a “major” national holiday with the US Post Office, government offices, banks, most corporate offices, and warehouse operations closed. UPS, FedEx, and DHL will only operate critical express services that day.

In October, Monday, October 10th is Columbus Day which is a national holiday with US Post Office, government offices, and most banks closed. UPS, FedEx, DHL, and most private carriers will operate on this day.

Halloween falls this year on Monday, October 31. Sometimes overlooked, it is a growing significant opportunity for merchants with spending reaching around $10 billion now.

Some people think of this as the beginning of the holiday sales season as well. In 2021, mostly driven by fear of not finding the gifts they want due to supply chain issues, shoppers started buying gifts earlier. Will this trend continue?

In 2022, sellers should consider some “pre-season” promotions in early November, maybe even earlier in late October.

One other thing to keep in mind is that there will be national “mid-term” elections this year on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Expect a lot of political noise and distractions in October heading into the elections, but it’s important to stay focused on the holiday season.

Veterans Day in 2022 will fall on Friday, November 11 honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. On this day, the US Postal Service, government offices, and most banks will be closed. UPS, FedEx, DHL, and most private carriers will operate normally.

The FIFA World Cup (Soccer) will start on November 21 and go on until December 18. Just like the Olympics, it is a major global sporting event that may offer some promotional opportunities for some sellers.

Because the quadrennial tournament is held in Qatar, it is being held outside the traditional summer months due to climate concerns (extreme heat) in the host country.

The 2022 holiday season will kick in high gear this year on Thanksgiving Day, which falls on November 24.

Followed by Black Friday on November 25, Small Business Saturday on November 26 and Cyber Monday on November28.

The year will round out with Christmas Day falling on Sunday, December 25. Because Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, Monday, December 26 will be the observed national holiday with all shipping carriers closed and not operating, as well as government offices and private companies also being closed.

New Year’s Eve will fall on a Saturday in 2022, meaning the observed New Year’s Day holiday will fall on Monday, January 2, 2022.

Making 2022 a Great Year

We hope this overview provides online merchants and marketplace sellers with a basic outline of national holidays when USPS is closed, but also offers some ideas for promotional activities when applicable.

Of course, there are many other promotional opportunities that are specific to certain categories throughout the year and many religious and cultural holidays. When appropriate, focused marketing can also boost sales leading up to those holidays.

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