Essential E-Commerce Dates for 2014

Essential E-Commerce
Dates for 2014
A Retailer’s Calendar
Look inside for the essential retail dates, events and topics you should be ready for in 2014. Use this calendar as a guide to keep you organized
and prepared for the year ahead.
january 2014
sunday
Notes
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
1
Comparison Shopping
January sales to start;
therefore, ensure that you
have past and
current price info available in
your feeds.
Have you subscribed to the
ChannelAdvisor blog? It’s a
great resource for the latest
e-commerce tips and updates.
Holiday
New Year’s Day
5
Event: PMA at CES
Conferences, Las Vegas
6
Event: PMA at CES
Sessions and Exhibits,
Las Vegas
Event: PMA at CES
Conferences, Las Vegas
12
Paid Search
Prepare Valentine’s Day
keywords.
7
13
14
Comparison Shopping
Seasonal increase for most
engines typically ends around
now.
19
20
Cross-Border Trade
Review last year’s sales to
identify whether there is
demand for your products in
other regions.
27
Marketplaces
Keywords are the primary
method buyers use to find
products on Amazon.
Review your listings and
verify that they’re visible in
searches.
15
21
3
Bid on terms like “After
Christmas Sale” as well as
long-tail search terms specific
to the inventory where you
have excess stock.
Webstores
Verify that all Christmasdelivery messages from your
website and other listings are
removed.
9
16
23
29
Event
WWD Digital Forum
Los Angeles
10
11
17
18
Comparison Shopping
Consider bidding up on
Valentine’s Day–related items
to give them greater visibility.
24
Images
Image requirements for eBay,
Amazon and Google
changed in 2013. Make sure
all your images are compliant.
Social
If you haven’t already, finalize
your social media plan for
2014.
28
4
Event: PMA at CES
Sessions and Exhibits,
Las Vegas
eBay
Update your location in eBay
so that estimated delivery
time can be calculated for
customers.
22
saturday
2
Event: PMA at CES
Sessions and Exhibits,
Las Vegas
ChannelAdvisor
Deadline
Last day to register for
Catalyst at $850!
Holiday
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
26
Paid Search
Pause Christmas-themed
keywords and ad copy.
8
Event: PMA at CES
Sessions and Exhibits,
Las Vegas
friday
30
Social
Prepare Valentine’s Day
marketing plans including,
campaigns, graphics, copy,
etc.
31
25
february 2014
sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
1
Notes
Don’t forget that if you register three people for Catalyst, you’ll receive 25% off each registration!
By 2018, cross-border online shopping will be worth $307 billion (a 200% increase from 2013),
with 130 million cross-border shoppers. Are your products ready to travel abroad?
2
3
Social
Prepare Presidents Day
marketing plans, including
campaigns, graphics, copy,
etc.
9
16
23
5
11
6
7
13
14
12
Social
Launch Valentine’s Day
campaign postings and
photos.
Event: WWD Digital
Forum, Beauty Edition
New York
17
Social
Launch Presidents Day
campaign postings and
photos.
19
Paid Search
Use the Seasonal Bid
Adjuster to find keywords
that performed well in spring
2013 and bid them up to
ideal rank now.
Holiday
Presidents Day
24
25
Mobile
Publish items with UPC
codes to ensure your
products appear in mobile
comparison shopping
engines.
26
20
21
Marketplaces
Review your eBay item
specifics and indentify any
gaps in your listing. Add
data where you see fit or
invest in collecting key data
if it’s not available.
27
Social
Create a calendar for your
social media coupons and
post short-lived coupons on
Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Paid Search
Pause Valentine’s Day
keywords.
15
Webstores
Change messaging on site
from Valentine’s Day to
spring.
Holiday
Valentine’s Day
18
8
Social
Develop an interest in
Pinterest. You’ll be hearing a
lot about it this year. This
Pinterest webinar offers tips
on how to use it to your
advantage.
Amazon Tip
Don’t forget to reply to all
negative customer feedback,
and make sure your Amazon
Customer Metrics are in
good shape.
10
Paid Search
Review your ads and make
sure you have included a
call to action and a value
proposition, and that each
word is capitalized.
Event Prep
The discounted room rate at
the Wynn Las Vegas for
Catalyst Americas expires
tomorrow!
4
28
Marketplaces
EBay typically announces its
Seller Release details around
this time. Watch out for
updates.
22
march 2014
sunday
Notes
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
1
Learn something new. Bookmark our tip sheets page in our free resource library for quick tips on
a variety of e-commerce strategies.
Keep an eye out for ChannelAdvisor’s Spring Release. We’ll announce improvements to our
platform to help you Be Seen and Sell More.
2
3
Event: eTail West
San Antonio
9
4
Event: eTail West
San Antonio
10
ChannelAdvisor Event
Catalyst Americas
Las Vegas
16
Event: eTail West
San Antonio
11
6
18
Holiday
St. Patrick’s Day
24
30
31
8
Marketplaces
Make sure you keep your
Amazon Order Defect Rate
(ODR) under 1%.
Event: eTail West
San Antonio
12
13
14
15
19
20
21
22
28
29
Paid Search
Implement automated
mobile bid adjustments for
Google campaigns using
the ChannelAdvisor
platform.
Webstores/Social
Have you added Facebook
Like and Google +1 buttons
to your product pages?
23
7
ChannelAdvisor Event
Catalyst Americas
Las Vegas
ChannelAdvisor Event
Catalyst Americas
Las Vegas
17
5
25
26
27
april 2014
sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
1
6
7
2
8
Amazon
Optimize your product title,
product ID, brand/designer,
manufacturer and search
terms to ensure that you are
found on Amazon.
Marketplaces
Monitor all your feedback
and have a system in place
to deal with customer
queries and complaints
quickly.
13
14
saturday
3
4
5
10
11
12
ChannelAdvisor Event
Catalyst Europe
London
15
16
17
18
19
22
23
24
25
26
Comparison Shopping
Consider bidding up on
Mother’s Day–related items
to give them greater
visibility.
Paid Search
Prepare Mother’s Day
keywords.
20
9
friday
21
Social
Launch Easter campaign
postings and photos.
Social
Prepare Mother’s Day
marketing plans, including
campaigns, graphics, copy,
etc.
Holiday
Easter Sunday
27
28
Marketplaces
Understand your
lead-to-ship time for every
product and set correct
expectations for every SKU.
29
30
Notes
Check out a ChannelAdvisor customer success story or
two to see what leading retailers are doing to Be Seen
and Sell More.
may 2014
sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
1
Notes
saturday
2
3
It’s almost summer! Start promoting items like outdoor furniture, grills, bathing suits,
sunscreen and more.
Comparison Shopping
Consider bidding up on
Memorial Day–related items
to give them greater
visibility.
Returning shoppers are key to success. Email loyal customers with a special promotion to say
thanks.
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
14
15
16
17
23
24
30
31
Paid Search
Prepare Memorial Day
keywords.
Event: eTail Canada
Toronto
11
Event: eTail Canada
Toronto
12
Social
Launch Mother’s Day
campaign postings and
photos.
Event: eTail Canada
Toronto
13
Paid Search
If you have put prices,
promotions or specific
features of a product or your
business in ads, review
them and ensure they’re
accurate.
Social
Prepare Memorial Day
marketing plans, including
campaigns, graphics, copy,
etc.
Holiday
Mother’s Day
18
19
Comparison Shopping
Consider bidding up on
Father’s Day–related items
to give them greater
visibility.
Paid Search
Prepare Father’s Day
keywords.
25
26
Social
Launch Memorial Day
campaign postings and
photos.
Holiday
Memorial Day
20
21
Event: eTail Latin America
Miami Beach
27
22
Event: eTail Latin America
Miami Beach
28
Event: eTail Latin America
Miami Beach
29
Social
Prepare Father’s Day
marketing plans, including
campaigns, graphics, copy,
etc.
june 2014
sunday
monday
1
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
10
11
12
13
14
20
21
27
28
Webstores/Social
Change spring messaging
to summer on all
promotions, as well as
your website.
8
Event: Internet
Retailer Conference
and Exhibition (IRCE)
Chicago
15
Event: Internet
Retailer Conference
and Exhibition (IRCE)
Chicago
17
16
Event: Internet
Retailer Conference
and Exhibition (IRCE)
Chicago
18
Cross-Border Trade
Are you aware of the
different tax thresholds of
each region you sell to?
Take time to educate
yourself on these rates and
ensure you’re compliant.
Social
Launch Father’s Day
campaign postings,
graphics and photos.
Holiday
Father’s Day
22
Event: CE Week
New York
29
19
Comparison Shopping
Set a reminder to regularly
check data quality. Review
descriptions and confirm
that your images are of good
quality.
24
23
Event: Internet
Retailer Conference
and Exhibition (IRCE)
Chicago
25
26
Event: CE Week
New York
Event: CE Week
New York
Event: CE Week
New York
Event: Future Stores
Location TBD
Event: Future Stores
Location TBD
Event: Future Stores
Location TBD
Event: CE Week
New York
30
Notes
Heading to IRCE?
Come see ChannelAdvisor in
Booth #501!
july 2014
sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
1
Notes
To reduce direct customer-service
inquiries, consider adding an
easy-to-find FAQ section to your
website.
thursday
2
friday
3
4
5
Social
Launch Independence Day
campaign postings,
graphics and photos.
Webstores/Mobile
Is your website optimized for
mobile shoppers? Browse
your site from multiple
devices and identify any
areas for improvement.
6
saturday
Holiday
Independence Day
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
30
31
Paid Search/Webstores
Edit ad copy and sitelinks to
get rid of all Independence
Day promotions.
Event: Shop.org Online
Merchandising Workshop
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
27
Event: Shop.org Online
Merchandising Workshop
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
28
Event: Shop.org Online
Merchandising Workshop
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
29
Notes
Paid Search
Prepare back-to-school
keywords and ad copy.
Comparison Shopping
Consider bidding up on
back-to-school-related items
to give them greater
visibility.
Q3 has begun, and it’s already time
to start thinking about the holiday
season. Stay tuned to industry
trends and forecasts through
ChannelAdvisor’s blogs and social
media outlets.
august 2014
sunday
Notes
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
1
2
7
8
9
14
15
16
21
22
23
28
29
30
Consider creating product-review videos for your top-selling
products. Not only will they help with SEO, but they will also give
shoppers the closest possible experience to shopping at a
brick-and-mortar store.
3
4
5
Holiday Prep
Take time to analyze your
Q4 2013 performance now.
What did you do right/wrong
last year? Start a plan to
maximize the holiday season
in 2014.
Social
Prepare to launch
back-to-school campaign
postings, graphics and
photos.
10
11
Event: eTail East
Philadelphia
17
31
12
Event: eTail East
Philadelphia
18
13
Event: eTail East
Philadelphia
19
Event: eTail East
Philadelphia
20
Holiday Prep
Calculate advertising
spending YTD and use
those numbers to determine
whether your planned
holiday budget will be
enough.
Holiday Prep
Start planning your holiday
marketing promotions.
24
6
25
26
Social
Set up all your social
properties and start testing
keywords and measuring
clicks.
Paid Search
Prep your paid search
keywords for Labor Day.
27
september 2014
sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
16
17
18
19
20
25
26
27
Social
Launch Labor Day
campaign postings and
photos.
Holiday
Labor Day
7
Comparison Shopping
Consider re-introducing
previously removed
products.
14
15
Event: WWD Digital Forum
New York
21
22
23
24
Comparison Shopping
Lock down products to be
promoted throughout the
holidays.
Paid Search
Prepare Halloween
keywords and ad copy.
28
29
30
Notes
Event: Shop.org Annual
Summit
Seattle
Holiday Prep
Finalize holiday Q4
planning.
Event: WWD Digital Forum
New York
Event: Shop.org Annual
Summit
Seattle
Measure the success of your customer services by following up with a brief survey after any
support interaction with a shopper.
Our Autumn Release comes out this month, so get ready for more innovative solutions that give
ChannelAdvisor retailers a competitive edge.
october 2014
sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
1
Notes
friday
2
3
4
9
10
11
16
17
18
24
25
eMarketer estimates that by 2017, 15% of all online purchases
will take place via mobile devices. Have you created and
maintained a well-functioning mobile version of your website?
Webstores
Add original content and
product-description content
to your site to encourage
shopper retention.
Event: Shop.org Annual
Summit Seattle
5
6
7
Marketplaces
Start monitoring your top
sellers and Amazon Order
Defect Rate (ODR) through
the ChannelAdvisor Amazon
360 dashboard.
12
19
14
Event:
Luxury Interactive 2014
New York
Holiday
Columbus Day
20
15
Event:
Luxury Interactive 2014
New York
21
27
22
28
Event: eTail Brazil
Sao Paulo
Social
Create a calendar for your
social media holiday
coupons. Post short-lived
coupons on Facebook and
Twitter throughout the
holiday season.
Paid Search
Prepare holiday keywords.
Webstores
Confirm that you’ve added
Facebook Like and Google
+1 buttons to all your
product pages.
Holiday Prep
Get a jump on Black Friday
by planning a “week before
Black Friday” sale.
26
8
Marketplaces
Make sure you’re keeping
your Amazon ODR under 1%.
13
Event:
Luxury Interactive 2014
New York
saturday
23
Comparison Shopping
Begin sending holiday
messaged data feeds to
comparison shopping
engines.
29
Holiday Prep
Test social flash-sale
strategy.
30
Event: eTail Brazil
Sao Paulo
Event: eTail Brazil
Sao Paulo
Event: WWD Apparel &
Retail CEO Summit
New York
Event: WWD Apparel &
Retail CEO Summit
New York
Paid Search
Pause Halloween keywords
and ad copy.
31
Social
Launch Halloween
campaign postings and
photos.
Holiday
Halloween
november 2014
sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
1
Notes
Customer chargebacks happen most often when items are not received in a timely manner. Avoid
this by shipping with a carrier that provides a tracking number for every item.
As you prep for the holidays, consider bundling complementary products, such as a cell phone wall
charger and car charger.
2
Comparison Shopping
PriceGrabber rate changes
usually occur this week.
9
Paid Search
Adjust look-back window on
bid rules to be shorter. Best
Practice: Use a 7-day
look-back in November
before Thanksgiving. Don't
forget to move your triggers
down as well.
3
4
5
6
Paid Search
Start bidding holiday
keywords up slowly.
Event: SEMA Show
Las Vegas
10
17
8
14
15
Event: SEMA Show
Las Vegas
11
Event: SEMA Show
Las Vegas
12
Event: SEMA Show
Las Vegas
13
Holiday Prep
Make sure your social media
plan is in place for the Cyber
Five. Drive followers to your
website with product videos,
photos and links.
Holiday
Veterans Day
16
7
18
19
20
25
26
27
21
22
28
29
Comparison Shopping
Shopping.com and Shopzilla
rate changes usually occur
this week.
23
30
24
Paid Search
Upload Black Friday ads as
paused.
Paid Search
Adjust look-back window on
your bid rules to be 1-2
days, in order to quickly
respond to seasonality.
Move your triggers down as
well.
#
2
Black Friday
Holiday
Thanksgiving Day
Paid Search
Watch ad position and
competitor ads; adjust as
needed.
december 2014
sunday
monday
#
1
Special Feature: Your
‘Top 10’ for 2014! We
ranked our customers’ top
e-commerce shopping
days of the 2013 holiday
season using GMV data to
help project which days in
2014 would be the highest
selling for you.
tuesday
1
#
3
5
2
10
3
friday
4
8
#
7
saturday
5
Event: Dealer Expo
Chicago
9
#
6
10
#
8
6
Event: Dealer Expo
Chicago
11
12
#
9
13
Paid Search
Launch “last ship date”
ads/data feeds.
Event: Dealer Expo
Chicago
#
thursday
Marketplaces
Update shipping deadlines
on your eBay
Stores, e.g., “Order by X
date in order to get shipping
by X date.”
Cyber Monday
7
#
wednesday
14
21
#
4
15
16
17
18
19
20
22
23
24
25
26
27
Holiday
Christmas Day
28
29
30
Holiday
Boxing Day
31
Year in Review
Compare your final channel
and sales metrics to your
2014 goals and key
performance indicators
(KPIs) to see how you
stacked up.
Notes
Make sure your holiday shipping
deadlines are highly visible on your
webstore and your homepage, as a
hero image or as a large banner.

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