Boutique Holiday Promotions

Boutique Holiday Promotions for the entire year. Learn how to promote your boutique business all year long.

Each year as January rolls around, we get excited about mapping out the year ahead. Everything from the goals, plans and ideas, right down to the plan of action and editorial calendar.   Each new year is a new opportunity to evaluate past performance and layout a fresh marketing perspective.

For many businesses, it’s the major holidays that get the attention in marketing, but there are many great lesser known holidays that are the perfect time to offer your customers something unique that fits the occasion.

We’re mapping out 12 months of holidays and seasonal events perfect for boutiques and small fashion brands to celebrate, creating unique touch points for customers.

Should you celebrate each and every one?  Not exactly.

Pick which touch points matter most to you that can be celebrated in a unique way. Quality and great planning trump sheer quantity any day.

JANUARY

New Years Resolutions 

We’ve all been there. New Years Resolutions – in both our personal and business lives. It’s time to create something Pinterest worthy right?   Create talking points with followers about how to start the year off fresh. Outfit staples, key investment pieces, offer them to turn in clothes and donations in your store for a discount on something new. Inspire the to do and be more with the help of your brand.

MLK Day 

Celebrating MLK Day is a unique touch point for all communities.  Offer this time to celebrate leaders among your followers – ask for nominations for someone inspiring that you can reward with a new closet.

Human Trafficking Awareness 

January 11th is Human Trafficking Awareness day, a growing epidemic across the world.  Is there a woman’s shelter or charity near you that you can run a promotion for?  Shoppers love doing business with brands on a mission to help others, join forces with your audience to give hope to other women.

FEBRUARY

Groundhog Day

Everyone has cabin fever by this point in the year, so make it fun!  Will he see his shadow or not?  Offer a discount based on the outcome – 10% if he does (bummer) or 20% if he doesn’t! Let in store customers have fun choosing a black or white balloon to pop based on their prediction – and offer a coupon code inside or note for a free gift with purchase!

World Cancer Day

Cancer affects us all, and February 4th is a day to recognize it.  Try offering something special to cancer survivors on this day, or do a photo shoot with survivors in your community to celebrate them throughout the whole week.

Super Bowl 

Did your team make it?  Have fun being creative with customers based on their team of choice! Discounts based on the outcome, giveaways for those choosing the right team in a poll or free silly gifts with purchase for all orders placed on that day.  Bring out the competitive spirit with your followers and get them engaged on social media.

Mardi Gras 

Beads, beads and more beads!  Offer an in store party on Fat Tuesday and celebrate with BOGO’s, beads and music!

Valentines Day 

We all know Valentines Day is a major retail holiday, and for boutiques it’s a great one to work on ahead of time.  Did you work on collecting husband information over Christmas?  Now’s a great time to call on your database of men and offer them something great for their lady.

Working together with other businesses on Valentines Day is a great way to make it easy for men, try combining a cute outfit or assortment of accessories with a $25 or $50 gift card from the local spa, coffee shop, or specialty store. You could even pre-buy your own chocolates and roses to combine with purchases!

MARCH

International Women’s Day 

You’ve got this.  There are so many great ways to celebrate women in your community whether you’re online or have a storefront.  Host a contest for inspiring women, tell untold stories, offer a celebration for women in store with a great speaker or entertainer, pamper them with an extra gift and most importantly, invite them to share their unique story!

Saint Patrick’s Day 

What do you have that’s green?  Have fun with discounts or prizes to shoppers wearing green, gold chocolate coins with each purchase, or a great giveaway for the extra ‘lucky’ shoppers on your list!

Spring Break

While shoppers with spring break plans have likely been shopping for a few weeks already, don’t miss the opportunity to start rolling out your spring lines early (like end of January) for those planning a getaway.  As vacations get closer, the more opportunities you have to offer a getaway wardrobe.

Spring Cleaning

As spring begins, we’ve all likely faced a bit of spring fever and gone through closet cleaning mode.  Choose a week to help your shoppers clean their closets by bringing them in to donate to a local charity, and give a discount in return.

Easter 

Weeks ahead of time, shoppers are searching for the perfect Easter Dresses.  Create an Easter Lookbook or promotion for the dresses you have in stock!  You might even have a few extra plastic eggs hanging around, fill them up with a coupon code and ship them with orders or place them in a cute bowl near your register for use now or on the next purchase!

APRIL

Music Festival Season

Festival fashion has taken mainstream fashion by storm, so don’t miss your opportunity to share your boutique’s outfit picks and must haves for the season. Is there a music festival near you? Try taking your show on the road and set up shop at the event.

April Fools Day 

Everyone loves a great joke right?  Engage with your social media followers and encourage them to share the best pranks they’ve been in on.

National Siblings Day

Who has a sister that loves to shop?  Enter her name for a chance to win your new spring arrivals, or share a discount code with followers who tag a photo and share why their sister is so special on your social media channels.

Tax Day 

Let’s face it, we all dread it so why not make it fun? Create a structured ‘return’ for shoppers based on order size!  Anyone with a refund check is temped to splurge just a little, so create a fun reason why!

Earth Day 

Shoppers are becoming more aware of sustainable fashion and ethical production all the time. Earth Day is a great time to highlight the Ethical brands you carry or brands and lines making a difference in the world.   It’s also a creative way to promote recycling old clothing.

Administrative Professionals Day 

Do you sell cute coffee cups or accessories that you know Administrative professionals would love?  Get a list of local businesses that you could offer packages to – create packages at two different price points that can be purchased quickly by decision makers.  Great sunglasses or a cute tumbler last longer than flowers any day!

MAY

May Day

We LOVE May Day baskets, create a few cute goodie baskets ahead of time and offer them all at a flat price to interested shoppers, or collaborate with a local gift shop to do so.

Kentucky Derby 

It’s big hat season, Pin-inspire your followers with some fabulous Kentucky Derby outfits recreated with your own boutique’s clothing or accessories.  Have a good Mint Julep recipe?  Get social with your followers sharing recipes, fun facts or offering giveaways based on Derby outcomes!

Mothers Day

Mom deserves something special.  Bringing mom in store is a great way to pamper her with a local massage therapist with portable chair, or create gift packages moms would love to share with your online customers.  Here’s another great holiday to utilize a database of men you’ve gathered!

National Burger Day

Is this not already on your list?  Pop up shops are a creative way to take your boutique on the road, and what better way than to create a pop up at a local park and grill burgers or collaborate with a local food truck that sells them.

Memorial Day 

One of the largest retail holidays, Memorial Day is known for spectacular spring sales.  Create a lookbook of your favorite spring fashions combined with your creative offer.

JUNE

National Best Friend Day

Bring a best friend to shop, this fun holiday is a great reason to create an event in your store. BOGO, double discounts and a gift for your bestie are great ways to keep your community interested.

Fathers Day 

If your shop offers gifts for guys, Fathers day is an opportunity to showcase the unique items that may not be the focal point of your traffic.   Team up with your local golf course, coffee shop or bakery to offer a unique locally sourced gift for dad.

JULY

July 4th 

Besides providing seasonal patriotic tee’s and accessories, the 4th offers time to ramp up seasonal sales.  As you’re ready to start moving out the first big wave of summer inventory for a  fresh back to school stock, deep discounts are well placed.

National Picnic Month, Hot Dog Day and National Parks Month 

There’s no doubt, July is all about being outdoors.  Whether it’s a sidewalk sale, pop up with a local food truck vendor or sack lunches and shopping, don’t miss the opportunity to take your show on the road and enjoy the outdoors with your fans.

AUGUST

Back to School

One of the biggest shopping seasons for boutiques and apparel brands, don’t miss the back to school window.   Lookbooks, Snapchat stories, Instagram video previews, there are so many great ways to preview your collection and get the interest going early.   Don’t miss the opportunity to give back while you’re cashing in.  For every piece purchased, donate a share to donating backpacks for kids, sponsoring a sports team or impacting someone’s education.

Game Day

As college students head back to school, there’s a great opportunity to invite them in to see your gameday lines, or simply offer them a warm welcome back when they show their student ID.  Saturdays are for football and fashion, set the trend at your local University.

SEPTEMBER

Labor Day 

Known for it’s big marketing push, it’s time to lay out the sales, clear the summer racks and welcome fall fashion!

Oktoberfest 

Yes, it’s September, but it’s the start of the German month-long celebration of Oktoberfest.  Ready for a sip and shop with a local brewery, brat grilling with a food vendor or polka and pretzels in your shop?  Oktoberfest is a joyful celebration, so have fun offering creative ways to celebrate with your shop.

OCTOBER

International Coffee Day 

Who wouldn’t want to celebrate this little holiday gem?  Team up with your favorite coffee shop, and offer coupons to all of your shoppers with a purchase, or bring the brews into your store for a coffee tasting event!

National Cat Day 

Instagrammers beware, cute, cuddly cat pictures coming.  Shoppers love the opportunity to share their friendly feline for a chance to win a discount. Cutest Cat Contest anyone?

Halloween 

Trick or Treat bags for in-store shoppers or mystery grab bags online are fun ways to celebrate the childhood holiday with adults.  Online shoppers love extra surprises in packages, so don’t forget to add some candy and a cute card or sticker!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month 

Just like World Cancer Day in the spring, celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the perfect time to celebrate survivors in your community either locally or online. Invite them to model, share their story and most importantly, encourage others.  Add Mammogram reminder cards to shoppers packages and spread the word about cancer detection and prevention.

NOVEMBER

Veterans Day 

Offering a giveaway, discount or contest for shoppers in celebration of Veteran’s Day is one small gesture to say thank you to a very special community.  Don’t forget to engage with your social media tribe on Veterans Day, share your family’s story and invite them to tell theirs.

The Biggest Shopping Weekend of the Year

It’s the big one.  Thanksgiving. Black Friday. Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.  While there are a million ideas we could add here, the key is to be prepared well ahead of time. Know what you plan to offer and don’t wait until the last minute.  Consider in-store collaborations with creatives, pop-ups, or any physical event to draw people in as shopping is on their mind.  Don’t forget the details either, gifts with purchase, double discounts – one for now and one for first quarter of the next year, or insider perks may give you the edge in reaching your community.  If you’re participating in Small Business Saturday, registering with AMEX is a must!

DECEMBER

Christmas & Hanukkah Season

All month long, shoppers are looking to fill their lists, right up to the last minute.  Instead of offering a discount, start by creating a need.  Create gift guides, idea lists and get shoppers excited about your ideas before asking for the sale.

Men’s Shopping

Ok, it’s not a holiday perse, but don’t miss the opportunity to ask women to create wish lists and share their husband or significant other’s contact information with you.  Guys will love that you’ve made shopping easy when you contact them to come in for a men’s night to shop, and you already know what she wants!

Besides many of the holidays mentioned, there are several more opportunities throughout the year to create a unique touch point with your shopping community.

Whether it’s gathering birthdays and sending a cute note and coupon or celebrations tailored around locally celebrated events or seasons, everyone loves a reason to celebrate.

Which are your favorite holidays or seasons to celebrate as a retailer? 

Let us know in the comments or join our Boutique Community Facebook Group to keep the ideas flowing!