2025 Global E-commerce Marketing Calendar

Q1 (January - March): New Year and Spring Consumption Season

1.1 Key Dates

• January 1-7: Global New Year Promotions (Second peak of consumption after the post-holiday return surge in Europe and the US)
• January 25 - February 10: Chinese New Year (Peak gift shopping season in Southeast Asia's Chinese communities)
• February 14: Valentine’s Day (300%+ surge in beauty and gift categories)

1.2 Practical Strategies

• Inventory Management: Complete stockpiling for Southeast Asia warehouses before Chinese New Year, and utilize overseas warehouses for 7-day delivery.
• Ad Optimization: Launch “Last Minute Gift” themed ads for Valentine’s Day and set up Dynamic Product Ads (DPA).
• Localized Operations: Implement "Red Envelope Covers + Discount Vouchers" combo marketing for Southeast Asia markets.

Q2 (April - June): Warm up for the summer shopping season

2.1 Key Dates

• April 22: Earth Day (An 85% increase in searches for eco-friendly products)
• Second Sunday in May: Mother’s Day (Explosive growth in home goods and health categories)
• June 18: China’s 618 Shopping Festival (Significant impact on emerging markets like Southeast Asia and Russia)

2.2 Practical Strategies

• Content Marketing: Create short videos on "Sustainable Lifestyles" and incorporate eco-friendly product use cases.
• Social Media Engagement: Start a #MyEcoLife challenge on Instagram or TikTok.
• Logistics Planning: Pre-plan US warehouse stock to prepare for Prime Day and avoid storage restrictions.

Q3 (July - September): Global Shopping Frenzy

3.1 Key Dates

• July 15-16: Amazon Prime Day (Massive traffic spike across all categories)
• September 9: Southeast Asia 9.9 Sale (Record-breaking single-day sales on Lazada and Shopee)
• September 22: Fall Equinox (Surge in demand for home goods in Europe and the US due to seasonal changes)

3.2 Secrets to a Big Sales Boost

• Pricing Strategy: Use tiered discounts (e.g., additional 5% off during the first 2 hours).
• Ad Combination: Combine brand ads, product promotions, and display ads to maximize reach.
• Traffic Conversion: Set up automated email sequences (abandoned cart recovery, browse but no purchase, etc.).
• Efficiency Tools: Use AdsPolar’s cross-platform ad management system to optimize ads across Meta, Google, TikTok, and other major platforms, saving an average of 2 hours daily on operations.

Q4 (October - December): The Final Push for Year-End Sales

4.1 Key Dates

• November 11: Singles’ Day (Increased participation from the Middle East and Latin America markets)
• November 29: Black Friday (Average order value in the US and Europe increases by 18% year-on-year)
• December 12: Double 12 (Key period for clearing inventory)

4.2 Key to Success

• Stock Strategy: Complete FBA inventory by the end of October and reserve 20% of stock for replenishment.
• Ad Campaign: Launch "Pre-Black Friday" ads starting November 1st.
• Customer Retention: Design exclusive member benefits (e.g., early access 48 hours before the sale).

Year-Round Operations Tips✨

• Data-Driven Decisions: Create a quarterly GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) forecasting model and adjust stock levels based on historical data.
• Localization: Produce localized product videos in the native language for each market.
• Compliance: Regularly review changes in VAT policies, especially in the EU with new tax laws.
• Private Domain Management: Build a customer segmentation system using WhatsApp Business for better customer relationship management.