The 2022 holiday season may look a little different from past years, as online retailers grapple with rising inflation, continued supply chain issues, and the recovery of brick-and-mortar shopping. Despite these challenges, survey results indicate that consumers are ready and willing to shop.
That’s good news for affiliate marketers — but only if you know what to expect this holiday season so you can optimize your strategy for the year’s unique holiday trends. For example, have you noticed that retailers are kicking off their holiday promotions earlier every year? The vast majority of consumers now start their holiday shopping before Black Friday, so you can expect that trend to continue. We’ve already seen major retailers like Amazon announce early-season shopping events — so if you don’t have your holiday commerce content plans in place, it’s time to get started.
No matter what subject matter you cover, you’ll likely see deals, coupons, and special shopping events pop up throughout the busy shopping season. The key is knowing which categories and merchants to target — and when.
Fortunately, we’re here to help. Sovrn’s new Q4 Shopping Calendar is your one-stop, curated guide to the top shopping dates, high-performing merchants, and featured categories for the 2022 holiday season.
Top holidays and shopping events of Q4
Of course you’ve got content planned for the biggest holiday events (like Black Friday and Cyber Monday) but you need to go beyond the obvious if you want to get the most out of the holiday season. To help you keep up with all the earning opportunities during this busy quarter, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to the season’s holidays and shopping events.
Keep in mind, not every opportunity will be a good fit for your audience. Regardless of seasonal trends, it’s important to stay true to your brand and analyze past performance when mapping out your affiliate strategy.
October is dominated by the spooky season of Halloween, but it also brings the start of holiday shopping. While deal volume traditionally picks up in November, retailers have started promotions earlier in recent years — and letting them run later. Now is the time to prepare for the coming holiday rush.
Key dates:
- October 11-12: Amazon Early Access Sale
- October 31: Halloween
November is the true start to the holiday shopping season, and the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday (known as the “Cyber Five”) is now the biggest shopping weekend of the year. But if your audience includes the Asian market, don’t ignore lesser-known shopping holidays.
Key dates:
- November 11: Singles Day (China)
- November 24: Black Friday
- November 25: Thanksgiving Day
- November 25: Small Business Saturday
- November 27: Cyber Monday
- November 28: Giving Tuesday
The biggest shopping weekend of the year may be over, but shoppers are still looking for deals in the first half of December — and even beyond. Many of the Cyber Five merchants will have additional sales during this time as part of their final holiday push. Outside the US, Boxing Day provides another chance to earn affiliate revenue before the new year.
Key dates:
- December 18-26: Hanukkah
- December 24/25: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
- December 26: Boxing Day (UK)
- December 31/January 1: New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
If you’re already working with Sovrn Commerce for your affiliate marketing, our support team is standing by with additional information on top deals and merchants for Q4. Not a Commerce customer? Sign up now! It only takes a few minutes, and you can start earning as soon as you’re approved.
