We’ve put together a full year’s worth of marketing ideas for retail that will help you get sales from new and existing customers all year long. Use the retail marketing calendar and ideas below to plan your 2023 marketing.

Key marketing tactics for retail

Here are some of the main tactics we’ll recommend below in our retail marketing calendar.

  • Email Sign-Up Tools: Capture customer information both on and offline through Sign-Up Forms on your website and social media pages, as well as using a QR code on receipts or at checkout.
  • Email Marketing: Quickly share new products, promotions, purchase recommendations, tips and trends, and ways to use or care for your products to engage customers.
    • One-off Emails: Stay top of mind and increase sales with your customers through promotion, holiday, informational, and announcement emails.
    • Automated Emails: Greet customers on their birthday and remind customers what they left in their cart to encourage them to buy. 
  • Social Media Presence: Stay top of mind with social connections to drive repeat business and gain visibility with potential new customers through social posts and social stores. 
  • Social Ads: Increase your reach to get more new customers. 
  • Online Store or Shoppable Landing Page: Enable online purchases by creating a virtual space where you can easily add products, services, and different purchase options, including “buy online and pick up in-store”.
  • Google Business Profile: Make your business front and center in Google search results and Google Maps when people are searching in their local area for businesses like yours
  • Marketing Calendar: Plan ahead and stay ahead with our Marketing Calendar by scheduling out emails, social posts, social ads, and more.

Monthly marketing calendar with ideas for retail

Use the Retail marketing ideas and tools below to help you plan your 2023 marketing and accomplish your goals. 

January

  • Send out a “Coming Soon” email announcement to pique your customers’ interest and increase engagement
    • One-off Email
  • Take a fresh approach to your marketing by promoting a curated showcase of new arrivals and top products
    • Shoppable Landing Page
  • Encourage customers to share pictures enjoying your products — they can even feature their four-legged friends on National Dress Up Your Pet Day
    • Social Media Presence
  • Check out these New Year Promotions

February

  • Check out how your holiday marketing campaigns performed and use your new customer insights to optimize your online store and create targeted campaigns to re-engage past customers
    • One-off Email
    • Online Store
    • Social Ad
    • Automated Email
  • Ask customers to share a story of someone they care about to win a curated package of your products and feature the winner on your social media pages
    • One-off Email
    • Social Media Presence

March

  • Develop a free in-person or virtual educational event, like an art class or cocktail-making seminar, and offer a discount to attendees to encourage sales
    • One-off Email
    • Social Media Presence
    • Social Ad
  • Partner with a local business to do a cross-promotion on National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day
    • One-off Email

April

  • Share out fun activities, places to visit, and the best restaurants in your area to encourage visitors during the spring & summer months and increase foot and website traffic to your business
    • One-off Email
    • Social Media Presence 
    • Social Ads

May

  • Now is the time to revisit how your sign-up tools are performing and encourage potential new customers to sign up for your email list for early access to spring product releases
    • Email Sign-Up Tools
    • Social Media Presence
    • Social Ads
  • Optimize your customers’ shopping experience by building out or updating a shop on Facebook and Instagram and encourage customers to check them out through your social posts
    • Social Ad
    • Social Media Presence
  • Share a teachers’ appreciation post on the 2nd and include a discount code for teachers to use or for people to share with the teachers in their lives.
    • One-off Email

June

  • Encourage customers to enjoy their summers by sending out upcoming local virtual or in-person activities and events that are relevant to your business
    • One-off Email
    • Social Media Presence

July

  • Join top retailers in building out a 4th of July promotion and personalize it with your favorite summer recipe
    • One-off Email

August

  • The holiday shopping surge started in September last year — take advantage this year by scheduling out holiday-related promotional emails for the end of the year
    • Marketing Calendar
    • One-off Email
  • Be ready for key dates like Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Hanukkah, Christmas, and more by ensuring your year-round tactics are optimized!
    • Year-Round Tactics
  • Encourage sign-ups for your holiday push by adding a clear call to action that offers a discount, free gift, or additional material such as a product guide or how-to video to increase excitement
    • Social Media Presence
    • Social Ads
    • Email Sign-Up Tools

September

  • Connect with your customers while they’re celebrating Labor Day with end-of-summer BBQ recipe ideas and ask them to share out their top memories on social media
    • One-off Email
    • Social Media Presence

October

  • Celebrate Halloween with a “trick or treat” contest — have customers drop their email addresses into a cauldron (either in person or virtually) for a chance to win a 20% off coupon
    • Email Sign-Up Tools
    • One-off Email
  • Check out these Halloween promotion ideas.

November

  • Build out a holiday gift guide that directs customers to your top products or creative gift-giving ideas for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday
    • One-off Email
    • Social Media Presence
    • Social Ad

December

  • Offer an end-of-year promotion to encourage people to buy and develop a sense of community by providing behind-the-scenes video for your customers
    • One-off Email
    • Social Media Presence
  • Use our ideas for holiday promotions that help you sell more.

Year-round marketing ideas

  • The past few years have proven how valuable an online presence is for retailers — optimize yours by building a new online store or by checking the speeds and mobile responsiveness of your current site
    • Online Store
  • Ensure you’re visible to customers in your area by optimizing peoples’ ability to search for you online through SEO and your online listings
    • Google Business Profile
  • Make shopping easy by building out a shop on Facebook and selling on Instagram and encourage customers to check them out through your social posts
    • Social Ad
    • Social Media Presence
  • Set up birthday greetings, shopping cart abandonment emails, and welcome emails for new subscribers
    • Automated Emails
  • Offer a promotion in exchange for signing up like a coupon, free delivery, or free birthday gift
    • Email Sign-Up Tools

It’s time to step up your retail marketing

For more ways to plan your online marketing for 2023, check out our full online marketing calendar with a free template and list of marketing holidays.