As a handmade crafter business, it’s important to be aware of the days in the year where sales can spike and what products are popular around these dates.
Being aware of these times means you can prepare and manufacture enough stock to avoid the dreaded “backorder” scenario - you want to always have enough stock on hand to ensure you can fulfil customer orders by their due dates.
Knowing these important dates for craft sellers also means you can target your online marketing to give your products the best possible chance of being noticed.
Here are the big dates in selling craft for 2022 that you need to note and prepare for:
Valentine’s Day 14th February
This one is a great opportunity for craft sellers and can be a great pick up for sales after a slow January. Promoting your most giftable products along with creating a sense of urgency towards purchasing can help increase your sales around this date.
Online shopping for Valentine’s Day peaks on the 5th and 6th of February, so ensure your products are made and listings are updated before these dates.
Product Ideas:
- Personalised products
- Bath products
- Candles
- Jewelry
- Cards
- Love Tokens
- Photo Frames
Aim to start listing your Valentine’s Day products by the first of January.
St. Patricks Day
St. Patrick’s Day is a feast day that falls on March 17) for the patron saint of Ireland. This day symbolises fun and you can really go to town on creating products around this theme.
Shamrock, green, “pot o’ gold” and leprechaun theme products work well in a range of different formats, so get creative to see what products work best for you.
Product Ideas:
- Centerpieces
- Wreaths
- Barrettes
- Earrings
- Beer Steins
- Shirts
- Hats
- Mugs
Aim to start listing your St Patricks Day products at the end of January.
Mother’s Day 6th March/8th May
Mother’s Day is Sunday 13th May in the US and most other places in the world. In the UK, the date to remember is the 11th March. This shopping holiday is second only to Christmas in sales for most e-commerce businesses so it’s definitely worth being prepared for this one.
Online shopping for Mother’s Day peaks on the last week of April (US) / last week of Feb (UK), so ensure your products are made and listings are updated well before these dates.
Product Ideas:
- Personalised products
- Soaps, body lotions and bath products
- Purses and handbags
- Jewelry
Start listing Mother’s Day craft items in the first couple of weeks of April.
Graduation Season
Graduation season in the US typically occurs around April/May. Is is a time of celebration, joy, and anticipation for the future, so handmade craft gifts that symbolise this are popular.
Personalised products and photo keepsakes are good targets for this time of year.
Father’s Day 17th June
Father’s Day is the 17th June, apart from Australia in which is 2nd September.
US online shopping for Fathers’s Day peaks on the first week of June (US) / last week of August (Aust), so ensure your products are ready well before these dates.
Product Ideas:
- Personalised products
- Beer, whiskey, port and coffee related items
- Humourous and novelty products
- Wallets and keyrings
Black Friday 23th November
Black Friday falls on November 23th. It’s the date that marks the start of the of the Christmas Shopping Season, so this one is a really important date to remember as it is a great way of testing if you are truly ready for the Christmas rush.
Cyber Monday 26th November
A relatively new date in the calendar, but one to be ready for as an online retailer: this is the Monday immediately after the US Thanksgiving holiday and is when a huge number of people jump online and start purchasing.
Free Shipping Day 15 December
Free Shipping Day is a coordinated one-day, online-shopping event in which thousands of merchants participate and offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve. Any online merchant can take part, so if you can wear the shipping cost for a single day of sales, then it’s well worth considering getting involved.
