Key Dates Every Jeweler Should Know for 2020

2019 displayed e-commerce strength with online sales hitting a record high as bumped by holiday seasons. The Mastercard Spending Pulse of 2019, covering US holiday retail sales, reported an online sales growth of 18.8%. Further, the jewelry sector did not lag behind, with a total growth record of 1.8% in total retail sales and 8.8% in online sales growth. Considering that the increasing sales trend in the jewelry sector began prior to the holiday season tells that jewelers, indeed, had a joyous holiday celebration.

But there’s more to it than that. This sparkling holiday sales wrap-up shows that more and more people are doing their jewelry shopping online, especially on holidays.

And what’s the better way to take the bigger piece of the holiday pie, you ask?

In this post, we’re going to give you a rundown of all the key dates jewelers like yourself should know for 2020. After all, nothing beats being prepared for sales opportunities and preparation begins by knowing what you’re preparing for.

Stick with us and read on!

Key Dates Every Jeweler Should Know for 2020

January

1 – New Year’s Day

20 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day (US)

MLK is the first major sales weekend this year that starts on the weekend before the actual day. While it’s not as profusely advertised as before, retailers continue with its three-day-weekend sales that include jewelry items. Don’t even harbor doubts for a second as people will have more time off work to shop on these days. You don’t want to miss all those opportunities!

25 – Spring Festival / Chinese New Year (China)

As a marketing tip, entice your shoppers by engaging them via social media platforms with a new jewelry item launch or limited-time offer.

February

14 – Valentine’s Day

Love is still in the air, it seems if previous Valentine’s day spending would be the key measure. For instance, last year, V-day shoppers spent a total of $20.7 billion, which was a 6% increase from the previous year. This is an indication that shoppers are spending more than ever. In fact, sales would start to pour in ahead of the actual celebration.

Don’t forget to update your promotional tactics. You can start a spellbinding YouTube Valentine’s Day campaign or maximize Pinterest to capture all the lovers at heart.

15 – Singles Awareness Day

17 – Presidents’ Day (US)

March

17 – St. Patrick’s Day

22 – Mother’s Day (UK)

24 – Cash Mob Day (AU)

Celebrated annually in Australia, Cash Mobs are a community get together where people are encouraged to shop small as a boost to small business owners.

If you’re an independent jeweler in Australia, you can organize your own cash mob and entice shoppers by sponsoring events, telling your story, communicating your values, and just staying active in community groups that advocate for local shopping. You can also partner with other independent jewelry businesses.   

April

1 – April Fool’s Day

4 – Qingming Festival (China)

10 – Good Friday

12 – Easter Day

15 -Tax Day (US)

20 – Patriot’s Day (US)

22 – Eaarth Day (US)

23 – St. George’s Day (UK)

May

1 – Labour Day (UK, China)

5 – Cinco de Mayo (US)

10 – Mother’s Day (US, Canada, & Australia)

25 – Spring Bank Holiday (UK)

25 – Memorial Day (US)

Graduation

Jewelry (mostly engraved) and watches are often considered to be among the best graduation gifts although, cash remains to be the king. Last year, graduation spending was at $5.5 billion, but just because cash reigns supreme, it doesn’t mean that jewelers can forego preparing for this holiday. In fact, you can help make this milestone memorable between the parents and the students by offering customization and other personalized services.

June

13 – Queen’s Birthday

21 – Father’s Day (US & UK)

July

4 – Independence Day (UK)

13 – Amazon Prime Day

Independent Retailer Month (UK)

Independent Retailer Month is an annual event that highlights the role of independent, local, and small retailers in their respective communities, the local economy, and the retail sector as a whole. If you’re an independent jeweler in the UK, watch out for this event and make the most out of it by promoting it on your social media pages or partnering with other local, independent jewelers to host sales or contests.  

August

25 – Qixi Festival (China)

31 – August Bank Holiday (UK)

September

7 – Labor Day (US)

13 – National Grandparents Day (US)

October

1 – Mid-Autumn Festival (China)

1-7 – Golden Week (China)

12 – Thanksgiving Day (Canada)

12 – Columbus Day (US)

31 – Halloween

November

5 – Bonfire Night (UK)

11 – Singles’ Day (China)

Take advantage of the unabashed retail therapy phenomenon when you prepare for this year’s Singles’ Day, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) 24-hour shopping event.

Last year, e-commerce giant Alibaba reported sales activity totaling US$38.4 billion, which was more than the entire quarter sales of Amazon. Further, jewelry and apparel from American retailers were two of the most popular categories on this biggest shopping day of the year.

11 – Veterans Day

26 – Thanksgiving Day (US)

27 – Black Friday

28 – Small Business Saturday (US)

30 – Cyber Monday (US)

December

1 – Giving Tuesday

12 – Double 12 Festival (China)

14 – Green Monday

14 – Free Shipping Day (US)

15 – Free Shipping Day (AU)

25 – Christmas Day

26 – Boxing Day (AU & UK)

31 – New Year’s Eve

Proposals/Engagements

Time and time again, December always emerges as the most popular time of year to get engaged and married. In fact, jewelry sales in the US have the tendency to peak in December of each year, so get your engagement rings and wedding bands ready should they decide to get down on one knee and ask that heart-melting question, “will you marry me?”

Be sure to come up with a well-thought-out campaign. Remember, more than the jewelry, you’re selling them the emotion of love, so influence through emotions and drive those sales.

Get those calendars ready!

Create a calendar that drives your sales all year round. Forget about downtime, 2020 is yours if you seize it.

Happy selling!