The 3 top times of the year for business retail & how to capitalise on them

Public holidays often influence retail sales, but as a small business owner, how can you ensure you’re maximising revenue during these key events? Research reveals how…

Business credit card experts from price comparison website, Money.co.uk, have analysed the average weekly sales and key retail transaction days over the past year – identifying the best days for small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to focus their marketing efforts for maximum profit.

You may ask, ‘why is it important to know peak times for retail sales?’. Well, by acknowledging and utilising the peaks, this can help manage the troughs. Peak retail sales typically happen around seasonal events – when spending habits increase through gift giving and celebrations. Thus, it’s key to focus on these periods to make the biggest profits.

2023’s top three retail days were:

1. The Sunday of Black Friday weekend  – the figures show that last year, sales were up 50.38% than the daily average, with 59.51% of retail transactions happening online. This year, the Sunday, also known as ‘Super Sunday’ will take place on 1 December 2024.
2. Easter Monday – Last year’s Easter Monday sales were up 32.7% vs the daily average. Add the next Easter Monday, on 5 May 2025, to your business calendar.
3. Black Friday – in 2023, sales were up 32.5% more than the daily average. Note that Black Friday this year will be taking place on 29 November 2024.

In addition, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s annual Christmas survey, carried out by Opinion, revealed that just 31% of consumers plan to do their festive shopping in December, with 43% aiming to complete their purchases by Black Friday.

Black Friday deals are especially popular amongst younger generations, with 82% of 18-24-year-olds and 75% of 25-34-year-olds planning to spend a quarter, or more, of their budget that weekend.

So now you know the days to focus on, which offers should you be promoting? Money.co.uk Business credit card expert, Cameron Jacques, advises: “According to a study by Science Direct, ‘Buy X Get One Free’ type offers are more attractive to consumers than ‘Save % on X When You Buy Y’, because they’re easier to think through. Customers are more likely to engage in an offer where they know immediately how much they will save.”