Where’s the online “App” for retail holidays & events?
As I was sitting on several worldwide conference calls with Asia last evening, I realized that they did not have a clue that July 4th is a big family holiday celebrated in US this weekend. Likewise, I didn’t realize “The Festival of Lights” was celebrated as a holiday in Hyderabad, India. An absolutely “killer app” would be a worldwide calendar of holidays and festivals … especially those impacting retail. Local holidays have huge seasonal impact on retail sales Most working in retail recognize the seasonal nature of the business. In the US, “Black Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving) is one of the two largest shopping days of the entire year. The largest day on the internet in the US is “Cyber Monday” (the Monday after Black Friday). The holiday seasonality associated with November and December is so dramatic in the US that retailers start locking plan-o-grams and advertising as early as June, so as not to miss peak sales seasonality. The US is certainly not unique. December holiday seasonality impacts sales in much of Europe, where countries also celebrate similar holidays and traditions. However, neither the holidays nor retail sales seasonality is universal. For example, retail seasonality is greatly impacted by the lunar New Year in much of Asia [Year of the Ox]. With global retailing – We need a Global Retail Calendar! The nature of retail has become global. Walmart and Carrefour have hundreds of stores spread across many countries. Best Buy, Apple and European CE retailers are also expanding internationally. Each retailer must have an internal calendar of key holidays and events by country. Such an international retailer calendar would be essential in planning effective ads, promotions and inventory to support them. But, I can honestly say: “I don’t know … I’ve never seen an international calendar from within a retailer”. What I do know is that I rarely if ever see a consumer electronics manufacturer with a current, up-to-date global retailer calendar that marks significant holidays and events by country. If there are any vendors who have one, it has to be in the packaged goods and food categories. The sales in packaged goods categories are highly impacted by local customs and holidays. Who knows how many “Independence” Days are in July? If you don’t travel or live in another country, it’s very easy to become parochial. Americans tend to think that Independence Day is celebrated on July 4th and unique to the US. Since I lived in Canada for awhile, I do remember that July 1st is “Canada Day”, and it truly is a “bank holiday” that impacts retailing and planning. There must be something about the heat of July that makes for a good celebration in the northern hemisphere. Can you name all of the “independence day” celebrations by country in July? … can you even look them up? In searching for a worldwide calendar, I have found one that is very simple, easy to search with worldwide holidays and celebrations. And, it is a non-profit website! While Earth Calendar comes with a disclaimer that holidays listed may not correspond to bank or store closings, it is one of the simplest, searchable sources I have found on the web to date. Check out the “Wikipedia” of worldwide holiday calendars: Major Opportunity – Create a Worldwide Retail Calendar App! Ok, I’m probably one of the last people not to have an iPhone, so I don’t know how to search the 45,000+ iPhone Apps to find a worldwide calendar. What retail professionals and vendors need is a worldwide retail calendar “app” that can be downloaded to any “smartphone” or calendar system. I would gladly pay to have the Earth Calendar downloaded to my Outlook. Note to anyone who develops this “killer app” and makes tons of money … Please note that the US has a dearth of “bank holidays” that create 3 day weekends. We desperately need the time off for July 4th without conference calls, so that we have time to go shopping to celebrate … with enough time to “recover” from celebrating. Happy Independence Day to all those celebrating in July!
Hmm... you may see this soon :)
Posted by: Gliktch Media | August 11, 2009 at 09:13 PM
I agree. I have friends in France and Israel who wish me a happy 4th. I don't know when their holidays are so that I could return the favor, and being a good ugly American, I haven't troubled to find out. A worldwide calendar would help us connect and reconnect with all of our contacts worldwide in a way that would truly show caring and awareness.
Posted by: Doug Smith | July 19, 2009 at 09:22 AM