Aussie and Kiwi retail holiday dates offer retailers a massive moneymaking opportunity. Sure, always discounting can quickly get you caught in a race to the bottom.
But retail holidays and yearly sales dates are not just a serious revenue earner — they can also help grow your business. Consumers plan for them and enjoy the shopping experience.
This article gives you the key sales dates for 2022/23. We also outline 8 steps to prepare for any retail sales coming up. (Psst... if you need retailer tips for Click Frenzy - The Main Event, go here!)
Thiese steps will help optimise vital issues like inventory management, stock control, omnichannel operations, staffing and marketing.
Kiwi & Aussie retail sales dates: a big deal?{Compelling stats on Kiwi & Aussie retail sales dates}
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales keep getting bigger – online spending from Black Friday and Cyber Monday rose 22.8% in 2021
- November 2021 was Australia's biggest online sales month ever
- In 2021, Aussies spent more than $8 billion over Black Friday and Cyber Monday
- Australia Post delivered 21 million parcels during the above time
- In 2019, Aussies planned to spend $1.62 billion on Mother's Day
Retail sales are a huge deal. Fail to prepare, and you'll leave money on the table.
Like to boost your profits during sales times with omnichannel POS software? Get a live demo with one of our retail experts to find out more.
Key retail sales dates & marketing events in AU & NZ{Key 2022/23 retail sales & marketing events - AU & NZ}
2022 AU & NZ sales dates-
March 2022
- 17 – 20 Afterpay Day sale
- Month-long: 'March Madness' sales
- 17 March St Patrick's Day
April 2022
- 15 – 18 April Easter sales
May 2022
- 8 May Mother's Day
- 17 May Click Frenzy Mayhem
- 9 – 13 May: Australian Fashion Week
June 2022
- Month-long: EOFY (End of Financial Year) sales
- 16 – 24 June Click Frenzy EOFY Showcase
July 2022
- Month-long: Winter sales
- 26 – 28 July Click Frenzy July
- Christmas in July
- Plastic-free July
August 2022
- 30 Aug – 1 Sept Click Frenzy Travel
September 2022
- 4 Sept: Father's Day
October 2022
- 31 Oct: Halloween
November 2022
- 1 Nov: Melbourne Cup
- Click Frenzy -The Main Event
- 11 Nov Singles Day
- 25 Nov Black Friday sales
- 28 Nov Cyber Monday
- 23 Nov – 1 Dec Click Frenzy Black Friday sales
December 2022
- 22-24 Dec Pre-Christmas sales
- 25 Dec Christmas Day
- 26 Dec Boxing Day sales
2023 AU & NZ sales dates-
January 2023
- 1 Jan New Year
- 22 Jan Chinese New Year
- 26 Jan Australia Day
February 2023
- 14 Feb Valentine's Day
March 2023
- Month-long: 'March Madness' sales
- 17 March St Patrick's Day
April 2023
- 7 April Good Friday
- 9 April Easter Sunday
- 25 April Anzac Day
May 2023
- 14 May Mother's Day
June 2023
- Month-long: EOFY sales
- TBC June Click Frenzy EOFY Showcase
July 2023
- Month-long: EOFY Sales
- 16 – 24 June Click Frenzy EOFY Showcase
August 2023
- TBC Click Frenzy Travel
- TBC Afterpay Day sale
September 2023
- 3 Sept Father's Day
October 2023
- 31 Oct: Halloween
November 2023
- 7th Nov: Melbourne Cup
- TBC: Click Frenzy – the Main Event
- 24 Nov Black Friday
December 2023
- 22-24 Dec: Pre-Christmas sales
- 25 Dec Christmas Day
- 26 Dec Boxing Day sales
NEW ZEALAND
The above dates are celebrated by Aussies and Kiwis alike. But New Zealand retailers also plan for the following dates. These dates are more community-focused than retail events, often celebrated with fairs, food stalls and local activities. Think local and use this time for brand building and community networking.
Hawke's Bay Anniversary Day 2022/2023
- October 22
Canterbury Anniversary Day 2022/2023
- November 12
Westland Anniversary Day 2022/2023
- November 29
8 Winning steps to prepare for AU & NZ retail sales {8 Winning steps to prepare for AU & NZ retail sales dates}
Preparing for the sale date is not just about pulling in dollars. Yes, that's a big deal. But you can also develop deep, loyal relationships with customers and improve branding, which will massively help keep the dollars rolling in.
Let's dive in:
STEP 1. ORGANISE YOUR 2022/2023 RETAIL CALENDAR
Planning is your friend when it comes to sales events. Don’t wait till the ‘next big sales in Australia are around the corner. Go to the above dates and record the appropriate ones for your business in your retail calendar before going further.
STEP 2. UNDERSTAND THE EVENT (& SHOPPER INTENT)
Traditional shopping dates: Some notable holiday dates are firmly steeped in tradition (think Christmas, Mother's Day). They're here to stay — and due to tradition, many consumers still really enjoy the sense of tradition and the social activity of shopping on these occasions. Creating inspiring in-store experiences at these times is a must.
Shoppers want — even expect the window displays, the music (okay, perhaps not all the music), the in-store events and all the candy-coloured icing on top. It's up to you to get creative and make this time the most satisfying and fun for your customers.
Cultural dates: Events linked to cultural dates may be less apparent moneymaking machines and more of a community and branding exercise. But they can bring in a serious return. Think Chinese New Year or St Patrick's Day. Similarly, events such as International Women's Day — although not a retail date — can be worth planning something unique and inclusive for the day. These are great brand-building opportunities where you can explore community activities, social events, charities or guest speakers.
Bargain dates: We're talking Cyber Week, Black Friday, EOFY Sales, Boxing Day. The focus here is transactional. It's all about the dosh — discounts, bargains and deals. Ka-ching!
TIP: Draw what you can from your sales data over the last year—note which events brought in the most foot traffic and online traffic. Use the data to see what swam and what sank. However, don’t conclude that because last year failed, there’s no point trying again. Perhaps you were understocked or under-staffed — or forgot to market the event.
STEP 3. THE CHECKLIST
With each retail sales date, think through the following:
- Customers: Which customers do this sale date appeal to? (e.g., Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween)
- Marketing: What type of emails, social media campaigns and web pages will you need to produce at this time?
- Timing: How many weeks prior should you start your promotion (and when is the cut-off date for delivery)?
- Inventory/products: Will you promote specific products?
- Discounts & promotions: Which options will be more successful?
- Stock availability: Can you get enough stock in/ensure customers can order what they want?
- Fulfilment: How can you get the goods to your customers quickly?
STEP 4. TAKE ACTION: Are you omnichannel-ready?
Optimising all facets of your business for sale time is challenging work without the right tools. Today, every retailer needs complete visibility over their business. And, they need the agility to move quickly — whether we’re talking inventory management, fulfilment, purchasing, marketing, reporting or any other facet of the business.
To achieve these goals, retailers need to integrate their bricks and clicks into one set of cloud-based data. This gives endless time-saving and revenue earning possibilities — and provides the necessary data you need to make informed business decisions.
Right now, making a move to omnichannel gives you a competitive advantage. But soon, those left without it will be seriously lagging. And many Aussie retailers are already getting the message. According to the Australian Retail Outlook 2022 survey:
- 68.15% of retailers said they would likely continue to invest more in digital
- 24.44% of retailers anticipated that consumer expectations for omnichannel would increase
Switch to omnichannel POS software and get that competitive edge during Australia’s key retail sales dates. Get a live demo with one of our retail experts today to find out more.
Coupons, deals & discount codes: making waves in 2022-
You needn’t savagely slice into your profit margins to do this, either. As we discuss below, get personalisation right, and your deals and discounts can be minimal.
NB: The Jungle Scout report contains data from the US. We've referenced it as US consumer habits are often highly indicative of Australian and New Zealander shopping behaviour.
STEP 5. Personalised marketing campaigns & loyalty software
You've identified the right customers to target STEP 2. Now you need to access these demographics or groups and market a FLASH SALE to them .
The bygone days of blanket emails to one customer database should be distant memories. Instead, savvy retailers must use targeted marketing to segmented groups to drive online and in-store visits and maximise brand awareness. It’s a simple process:
- Capturing leads: With thorough retail marketing software, you can quickly capture customer profile data at the POS or online.
- Segmentation: Loyalty and marketing software allows you to segment these groups in various ways, such as demographics, purchasing history, product preferences, age, and targeting them with specific campaigns.
Personalisation goes further than traditional marketing communication. It flows right through to product offers, merchandising, bundling and service delivery, according to researchers at KPMG.
And the best bit — personalisation pleases the pyjamas off the customer. And by pleasing them, it requires minimal discounting to win them over. So you'll save on your margins, win more loyal customers, and improve business performance.
REMINDER – WORK BACKWARDS FROM THE DATE: Work backwards from the date of the sale, factoring in time for repeat reminder emails, browsing/purchasing time and delivery time.
"Personalisation pleases the pyjamas off the customer... And by pleasing them, it requires minimal discounting to win them over. You'll save on your margins, win more loyal customers — and improve business performance."
STEP 6: Inventory & stock control
‘Bulk up’ in advance (say, 3 months).
Having the right product selection and the right amount in all your channels before significant sales days seems like basic bananas. But it's still one of the most common failures we see in Australian and New Zealand retail.
Understocking and overstocking issues are monsters when it comes to lost sales. But the good news? This problem is easily avoidable.
Retailers who exceed expectations by implementing the right software can offer customers complete visibility and access to the products they want — and this gives them a powerful competitive advantage.
Retail Express point of sale software with advanced omnichannel features offers the following vital sale time functions:
- Live stock levels available in-store – Never miss a sale now that your entire inventory levels are available online. Stock that may previously be sitting in another store will now be easily visible. Alternatively, you'll miss the embarrassment of double selling by all sales recorded in the one data set.
- Endless aisles – Each of your stores and channels can leverage all inventory across the entire supply chain. This way, you can maximise product availability and choice, making the customer happier — and increasing revenue.
- Check ETAs at the POS – Suppose a customer wants to buy a sales item that hasn't yet arrived in-store. The sales assistant can easily view data on the supply chain at the POS to see when stock will arrive, improving the chance of a sale.
- Personalised shopping experiences – Build loyal relationships in-store or online with a more personalised experience. Online customers can log in to see their order history and loyalty points. Similarly, at brick and mortar stores, the shop assistant can access the customer's profile at the POS in seconds. It all helps keep the customer connected to your brand.
"Don’t have half your floor filled with young casuals as useful as the lampshade standing next to them. Instead, make them informed, helpful sales staff who can personalise the shopping experience and delight your customers. It’s all accessible at the POS — with the right software.”
STEP 7: Hire extra sales staff
You’ll likely be hiring more casual staff when sales are coming up. But these newbies may not have the same level of experience as your long-standing staff members, so the easiest way to get them up to speed is with the help of technology.
For example, with Retail Express POS software, staff can conveniently access loads of helpful information at the POS. New sales staff can retrieve comprehensive product details, real-time supply chain info, and customer profiles to give personalised recommendations (including upsells, cross-sells, product bundles) and perform loyalty sign-ups.
So don’t have half your floor filled with young casuals as useful as the lampshade standing next to them. Instead, make them informed, helpful sales staff who can personalise the shopping experience and delight your customers. It’s all possible at the POS — with the right software.
STEP 8: Give customers the fulfilment options they demand
During sales events, customers want to act quickly. They may compare your prices, product range and delivery times to other brands — and they want to know where the stock is and how they can pick it up or have it delivered.
Fail to offer confidence that customers will get their goods in time, and you could see your conversion rates plummet. That’s why we recommend retailers provide the following:
- Click & Collect – Give clients the option of securing the item online and then collecting it at their nearest store. Click & Collect also saves on delivery fees — and there’s a high chance they’ll purchase even more when they visit to collect.
- Decentralised fulfilment – This means you can ship from the nearest store or warehouse, so freight costs are minimised, and customers get the goods sooner.
Switch to omnichannel POS software and get that competitive edge when key retail sales dates approach. With omnichannel software, you can:
- Offer personalised marketing and loyalty programs
- Offer live stock levels available in-store — making it easier to sell more
- Use inventory software to avoid overstocks/understocks
- Offer endless aisles and never miss a sale
- Check ETAs at the POS
- Educate new casual staff at the POS
- Provide personalised shopping experiences
- Implement Decentralised fulfilment
- Offer Click & Collect
Like to boost your profits during sales times with omnichannel POS software? Get a live demo with one of our retail experts to find out more.
