Every year, as a retail marketer, you work on annual marketing plans that bring you closer to fulfilling your objectives and to your customers. Once your supermarket marketing strategy is, indeed, in place and you have decided on your goals for the coming year, you must anticipate and strategize ahead to successfully implement your marketing activities. But the question is: From where should you start? First things first: identify the key retail dates for the year 2021.

The 2021 Retail Marketing Calendar is a tool that highlights the important dates of 2021 in order to help you come up with a cohesive year plan to:

• Enhance the interactions between your brand and shoppers
• Boost footfall and increase sales
• Winn key sales periods in the year.

UNGA has gathered all the key retail dates of 2021 to help you identify the best opportunities to reach and connect with your customer base, more specifically the family segment. Read on to fully understand how to use the 2021 Retail Marketing Calendar and download your free copy.

Grasping every marketing opportunity in 2021

Successful execution of a retail marketing strategy requires a solid handle on the “4 Ps”: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For each of these components, especially “Promotion”, identifying key retail dates will help you develop cohesive plans.

Which days or weeks will resonate the most with the family segment in 2021? Which 2021 celebrations would align well with your brand message and values? Is there a period in the year when your sales need a boost? Are there any special events around that time that could be an opportunity for a marketing push?

Ask yourself these questions while looking at the 2020 Retail Marketing Calendar, and transform these key dates into growth opportunities.

You might also want to add your brand’s own key events for 2021 to your marketing calendar, such as an important anniversary or any special event that occurs every year and that your loyal customers know and love.

Spreading your marketing messages efficiently

Once you have selected the key dates that you don’t want to miss out on in 2021, define the marketing tactics you want to opt for in order to achieve your goals. Your promotional mix—or the third P—depends a lot on the season, the industry conditions, and the target customer segment.

Would a new advertising campaign or public relations be relevant for any key date? Would a sales or loyalty campaign be more attractive? What days, weeks or months will be great for building brand communication and awareness? What moments in the year should focus more on ROI-driven promotional activities?

In any scenario, relying on your retail marketing calendar and past results will help you determine your promotion activities for 2021. Your 2021 Retail Marketing Calendar will also help you keep your messaging and positioning consistent throughout the marketing plan.

Keeping track of your budget and ROI

Your calendar will assist you in making a positive impact on your company’s turnover. For retailers, every day is different. Some moments in the year bring higher profits than others, while some marketing activities generate more ROI. Therefore, your calendar will help you not only identify the days on which you would need to work on your digital marketing plans and in-store operations but also predict your budget and strike a balance between the marketing tactics that will strengthen your brand equity and the ones that will skyrocket your sales.

If you are looking for your very own marketing retail calendar for 2021, do not look any further. We bring you a 2021 Retail Marketing Calendar that caters to retailers like yourself who aim to increase their brand’s interactions with family and children segments. Download yours right away, and start working on creating your marketing plans.

Key dates in the 2021 Retail Marketing Calendar

January 2021

New Year’s resolutions campaigns, Winter sales (NH), Summer sales (SH), Back to School Sales (SH)
01 – New Year’s Day
06 – El dia de los Reyes Magos (ES)
18 – Blue Monday
24 – International Day of Education
26 – Australia Day (AU)

February 2021

02 – Chandeleur / Crêpe party (FR)
07 – Super Bowl Sunday (US) *
08 – Australia Open starts (AU) *
08 – National Day (NZ)
12 – Chinese New Year
14 – Valentine’s Day
16 – Mardi Gras – Pancake Day (UK)
23 – Father’s Day (RU)

March 2021

04 – World Book Day
08 – International Women’s Day
14 – Mother’s Day (UK)
15 – Consumer Rights Day
16 – Click Frenzy (AU, NZ)
17 – Saint Patrick’s Day
19 – Father’s Day (PT, ES, IT)
20 – International Day of Happiness
20 – Spring (NH), Autumn/Fall (SH)

April 2021

01 – April Fool’s Day
02 – Good Friday
04 – Easter Sunday
05 – Easter Monday
07 – World Health Day
22 – Earth Day
23 – National Day (UK)
27 – King’s Day (NL)
27 – Freedom Day (ZA)

May 2021

02 – Mother’s Day (PT, ES)
05 – Liberation Day (NL)
08 – World Fair Trade Day
09 – Mother’s Day (US, CA, CO, CL, AU, NZ, ZA, DE, NL, IT)
13 – Father’s Day (DE)
15 – FA Cup Final *
15 – International Day of Families
22 – Eurovision Grand Final *
23 – Roland Garros starts (FR) *
30 – Mother’s Day (FR)

June 2021

Summer Sales (NH), Winter Sales (SH)
01 – Global Day of Parents
05 – World Environment Day
11 – UEFA Euro starts *
20 – Summer (NH)
20 – Father’s Day (US, CA, CO, CL, UK, FR, ZA)
21 – Winter (SH)
26 – Tour de France starts (FR) *
28 – Wimbledon starts (UK) *

July 2021

School summer holidays (NH), Christmas in July (SH)
01 – Canada Day (CA)
04 – USA Independence Day (US)
14 – Bastille Day (FR)
17 – Emoji Day
20 – Colombia Independence Day (CO)

August 2021

12 – International Youth Day
30 – US Open starts (US) *
30 – Summer Bank Holiday (UK)

September 2021

Back to School (NH)
05 – Father’s Day (AU, NZ)
06 – Labor Day (US)
18 – Chile Independence Day (CL)
22 – Autumn/Fall (NH)
23 – Spring (SH)

October 2021

03 – German Unity Day (DE)
03 – London Marathon *
04 – World Animal Day
11 – Canadian Thanksgiving (CA)
11 – Columbus Day (US)
12 – National Day (ES)
16 – World Food Day
31 – Halloween

November 2021

04 – Diwali
05 – Bonfire Night (UK)
20 – Universal Children’s Day
22 – Autumn/Fall (NH)
25 – Thanksgiving (US)
26 – Black Friday
28 – Mother’s Day (RU)
28 – Hanukkah starts
29 – Cyber Monday

December 2021

06 – Sinterklaas (NL) / St. Nicholas Day
13 – Green Monday
18 – Super Saturday
21 – Winter (NH)
22 – Summer (SH)
24 – Christmas Eve
25 – Christmas Day
26 – Boxing Day (UK) / Second Day of Christmas (NL)
31 – New Year’s Eve