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.

Essential E-Commerce Dates for 2014

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january 2014Comparison Shopping January sales to start; therefore, ensure that you have past and current price info available in your feeds.

HolidayNew Year’s Day

EventWWD Digital Forum Los Angeles

MarketplacesKeywords are the primary method buyers use to find products on Amazon. Review your listings and verify that they’re visible in searches.

ChannelAdvisor DeadlineLast day to register for Catalyst at $850!

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Event: PMA at CES Conferences, Las Vegas

Paid Search Pause Christmas-themed keywords and ad copy.

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 Christmas-delivery messages from your website and other listings are removed.

Event: PMA at CES Conferences, Las Vegas

Event: PMA at CES Sessions and Exhibits, Las Vegas

Event: PMA at CES Sessions and Exhibits, Las Vegas

Event: PMA at CES Sessions and Exhibits, Las Vegas

Event: PMA at CES Sessions and Exhibits, Las Vegas

Paid Search Prepare Valentine’s Day keywords.

Comparison Shopping Seasonal increase for most engines typically ends around now.

eBayUpdate your location in eBay so that estimated delivery time can be calculated for customers.

Comparison ShoppingConsider bidding up on Valentine’s Day–related items to give them greater visibility.

Cross-Border TradeReview last year’s sales to identify whether there is demand for your products in other regions.

HolidayMartin Luther King Jr. Day

SocialIf you haven’t already, finalize your social media plan for 2014.

ImagesImage requirements for eBay, Amazon and Google changed in 2013. Make sure all your images are compliant.

SocialPrepare Valentine’s Day marketing plans including, campaigns, graphics, copy, etc.

Notes Have you subscribed to the ChannelAdvisor blog? It’s a great resource for the latest e-commerce tips and updates.

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february 2014

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Paid SearchUse the Seasonal Bid Adjuster to find keywords that performed well in spring 2013 and bid them up to ideal rank now.

Event: WWD Digital Forum, Beauty Edition New York

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.

Social Prepare Presidents Day marketing plans, including campaigns, graphics, copy, etc.

Amazon Tip Don’t forget to reply to all negative customer feedback, and make sure your Amazon Customer Metrics are in good shape.

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.

Social Launch Valentine’s Day campaign postings and photos.

HolidayValentine’s Day

Paid Search Pause Valentine’s Day keywords.

Webstores Change messaging on site from Valentine’s Day to spring.

Event Prep The discounted room rate at the Wynn Las Vegas for Catalyst Americas expires tomorrow!

Social Launch Presidents Day campaign postings and photos.

HolidayPresidents Day

MarketplacesReview 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.

MobilePublish items with UPC codes to ensure your products appear in mobile comparison shopping engines.

SocialCreate a calendar for your social media coupons and post short-lived coupons on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

MarketplacesEBay typically announces its Seller Release details around this time. Watch out for updates.

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?

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Webstores/SocialHave you added Facebook Like and Google +1 buttons to your product pages?

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march 2014

Holiday St. Patrick’s Day

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Event: eTail West San Antonio

Event: eTail West San Antonio

Event: eTail West San Antonio

Event: eTail West San Antonio

MarketplacesMake sure you keep your Amazon Order Defect Rate (ODR) under 1%.

ChannelAdvisor EventCatalyst AmericasLas Vegas

ChannelAdvisor EventCatalyst AmericasLas Vegas

ChannelAdvisor EventCatalyst AmericasLas Vegas

Paid SearchImplement automated mobile bid adjustments for Google campaigns using the ChannelAdvisor platform.

Notes 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.

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april 2014

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Notes Check out a ChannelAdvisor customer success story or two to see what leading retailers are doing to Be Seen and Sell More.

ChannelAdvisor EventCatalyst EuropeLondon

MarketplacesMonitor all your feedback and have a system in place to deal with customer queries and complaints quickly.

AmazonOptimize your product title, product ID, brand/designer, manufacturer and search terms to ensure that you are found on Amazon.

Paid SearchPrepare Mother’s Day keywords.

Comparison ShoppingConsider bidding up on Mother’s Day–related items to give them greater visibility.

SocialLaunch Easter campaign postings and photos.

HolidayEaster Sunday

SocialPrepare Mother’s Day marketing plans, including campaigns, graphics, copy, etc.

MarketplacesUnderstand your lead-to-ship time for every product and set correct expectations for every SKU.

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may 2014

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Event: eTail Canada Toronto

Comparison ShoppingConsider bidding up on Memorial Day–related items to give them greater visibility.

Paid SearchPrepare Memorial Day keywords.

Event: eTail Canada Toronto

Event: eTail Canada Toronto

SocialLaunch Mother’s Day campaign postings and photos.

HolidayMother’s Day

SocialPrepare Memorial Day marketing plans, including campaigns, graphics, copy, etc.

Paid SearchIf you have put prices, promotions or specific features of a product or your business in ads, review them and ensure they’re accurate.

Paid SearchPrepare Father’s Day keywords.

Comparison ShoppingConsider bidding up on Father’s Day–related items to give them greater visibility.

Event: eTail Latin America Miami Beach

Event: eTail Latin America Miami Beach

Event: eTail Latin America Miami Beach

SocialLaunch Memorial Day campaign postings and photos.

HolidayMemorial Day

SocialPrepare Father’s Day marketing plans, including campaigns, graphics, copy, etc.

Notes It’s almost summer! Start promoting items like outdoor furniture, grills, bathing suits, sunscreen and more.

Returning shoppers are key to success. Email loyal customers with a special promotion to say thanks.

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june 2014

Notes Heading to IRCE? Come see ChannelAdvisor in Booth #501!

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SocialLaunch Father’s Day campaign postings, graphics and photos.

HolidayFather’s Day

Webstores/SocialChange spring messaging to summer on all promotions, as well as your website.

Event: Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE) Chicago

Event: Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE) Chicago

Event: Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE) Chicago

Event: Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE) Chicago

Cross-Border TradeAre 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.

Comparison ShoppingSet a reminder to regularly check data quality. Review descriptions and confirm that your images are of good quality.

Event: CE WeekNew York

Event: CE WeekNew York

Event: Future StoresLocation TBD

Event: CE WeekNew York

Event: Future StoresLocation TBD

Event: CE WeekNew York

Event: Future StoresLocation TBD

Event: CE WeekNew York

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july 2014

SocialLaunch Independence Day campaign postings, graphics and photos.

HolidayIndependence Day

Event: Shop.org Online Merchandising Workshop Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Webstores/MobileIs your website optimized for mobile shoppers? Browse your site from multiple devices and identify any areas for improvement.

Paid Search/WebstoresEdit ad copy and sitelinks to get rid of all Independence Day promotions.

Event: Shop.org Online Merchandising Workshop Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Event: Shop.org Online Merchandising Workshop Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Paid SearchPrepare back-to-school keywords and ad copy.

Comparison ShoppingConsider bidding up on back-to-school-related items to give them greater visibility.

Notes To reduce direct customer-service inquiries, consider adding an easy-to-find FAQ section to your website.

Notes 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.

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august 2014

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Notes 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.

Event: eTail East Philadelphia

SocialPrepare to launch back-to-school campaign postings, graphics and photos.

Holiday PrepTake 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.

Holiday PrepStart planning your holiday marketing promotions.

Holiday PrepCalculate advertising spending YTD and use those numbers to determine whether your planned holiday budget will be enough.

Paid SearchPrep your paid search keywords for Labor Day.

SocialSet up all your social properties and start testing keywords and measuring clicks.

Event: eTail East Philadelphia

Event: eTail East Philadelphia

Event: eTail East Philadelphia

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september 20141

Event: WWD Digital Forum New York

SocialLaunch Labor Day campaign postings and photos.

HolidayLabor Day

Notes 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.

Comparison ShoppingConsider re-introducing previously removed products.

Holiday PrepFinalize holiday Q4 planning.

Paid SearchPrepare Halloween keywords and ad copy.

Comparison ShoppingLock down products to be promoted throughout the holidays.

Event: Shop.org Annual SummitSeattle

Event: WWD Digital Forum New York

Event: Shop.org Annual SummitSeattle

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october 2014

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Notes 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

MarketplacesStart monitoring your top sellers and Amazon Order Defect Rate (ODR) through the ChannelAdvisor Amazon 360 dashboard.

MarketplacesMake sure you’re keeping your Amazon ODR under 1%.

Event: Luxury Interactive 2014 New York

HolidayColumbus Day

Event: Luxury Interactive 2014 New York

Event: Luxury Interactive 2014 New York

Paid SearchPrepare holiday keywords.

SocialCreate a calendar for your social media holiday coupons. Post short-lived coupons on Facebook and Twitter throughout the holiday season.

Holiday PrepGet a jump on Black Friday by planning a “week before Black Friday” sale.

WebstoresConfirm that you’ve added Facebook Like and Google +1 buttons to all your product pages.

Comparison ShoppingBegin sending holiday messaged data feeds to comparison shopping engines.

Holiday PrepTest social flash-sale strategy.

Paid SearchPause Halloween keywords and ad copy.

Event: eTail BrazilSao Paulo

Event: eTail BrazilSao Paulo

Event: WWD Apparel & Retail CEO SummitNew York

Event: eTail BrazilSao Paulo

Event: WWD Apparel & Retail CEO SummitNew York

SocialLaunch Halloween campaign postings and photos.

HolidayHalloween

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november 2014

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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.

Comparison ShoppingPriceGrabber rate changes usually occur this week.

Event: SEMA ShowLas Vegas

Paid SearchAdjust 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.

Event: SEMA ShowLas Vegas

Paid SearchStart bidding holiday keywords up slowly.

Event: SEMA ShowLas Vegas

Event: SEMA ShowLas Vegas

HolidayVeterans Day

Holiday PrepMake sure your social media plan is in place for the Cyber Five. Drive followers to your website with product videos, photos and links.

Comparison ShoppingShopping.com and Shopzilla rate changes usually occur this week.

Paid SearchUpload Black Friday ads as paused.

Paid SearchAdjust 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.

HolidayThanksgiving Day

Black Friday

Paid SearchWatch ad position and competitor ads; adjust as needed.

#2

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december 20141

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.

Event: Dealer ExpoChicago

MarketplacesUpdate shipping deadlines on your eBay Stores, e.g., “Order by X date in order to get shipping by X date.”Cyber Monday

Event: Dealer ExpoChicago

Event: Dealer ExpoChicago

Paid SearchLaunch “last ship date” ads/data feeds.

HolidayChristmas Day

HolidayBoxing Day

Year in ReviewCompare your final channel and sales metrics to your 2014 goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to see how you stacked up.

#1 #5

#3 #7 #6 #8 9#

#10 #4

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.