May starts off with long-awaited spring, and one of the biggest retail shopping days of the year – Mothers Day!
Are you ready to explore May possibilities?
If you need further inspiration, just go to Facebook and Instagram and search for posts with these hashtags or ones that were posted on these dates. You’re bound to find some graphics. You can also checkout FreePik.com
You can also get a more complete list of holidays from this site.
Brothers & Sisters Day – May 2
This day is dedicated to honoring bonds between brothers and sisters.
As this day grows in popularity we are seeing new emerging trends to let the other half know how much you love them.
The most common way to celebrate Brothers & Sisters Day is by taking them out to dinner or gifting them a gift. A new mod?
National Baby Day – May 2 (My Birthday!)
This day is about celebrating life. And me ;).
During spring we celebrate offsprings.
Marketers put a great focus on babies through the entire month. I really have no idea what you can do with babies and vaping but hey, you’re smart.
Kentucky Derby – May 4
Kentucky Derby is a horse race that is held annually. Don’t think it’s worth focusing on? You’d be surprised what a big deal it is to some people. They dress up and wear stupid hats and act like they care about horse racing for a minute. Literally one minute because that’s about how long the horse race lasts.
In 2018, we’ve seen a dip in viewership but as you can see the numbers seem to be consistent right around the 8million, therefore, you should certainly take and advantage of this event to boost your May sales.
- Come in wearing a silly hat and get a discount.
- Have a fake horserace (toy car racetrack?)
- Host a watch party (although the race lasts about 30 seconds)
- Serve virgin mint juleps
Star Wars Day – May 4
May the 4th be with you.
Today is known for a once-a-year celebration of Star Wars fans all around the world.
It’s a day to host Star Wars marathons, share the love on social media, and cook in Star Wars themed-clothing.
Ultimately, it’s a day of people who breathe, eat, and sleep Star Wars.
Each year, there are online and in-store deals of “Star Wars” apparel to celebrate this day.
Do a search on social and filter for May 4th for ideas on posts. Here’s one I found in about 30 seconds of searching
Cinco De Mayo – May 5
No, this is NOT Mexican Independence day. It has to do with the French-Mexican war or something. IDK, Google it.
Cinco de Mayo continues to be celebrated in Puebla and by Mexican – Americans north of the border.
It is very commercialized due to Mexican immigration to the US, and retailers that need a random holiday to get them through spring.
Jokingly it’s sometimes referred to as Drinko de Mayo…
At the very least it’s an opportunity for you to at least try something new, like:
- Wear a mustache – get a discount
- Host a mustache contest
- Offer mustache rides (don’t do this)
- Virgin Margaritas
- Try not to offend too many people.
This one is controversial because it can be seen as cultural appropriation and in some places.. racist. So long as your customer base is accepting of it and you keep it light hearted, I see no problem. Just be aware that it’s become a bit touchy in recent years.
National Nurses Day – May 6
International No Diets Day – May 6
On this day, we raise awareness of the roles nurses play in our society. We also remind the world that diets suck.
Ideas:
- offer free blood pressure tests
- Educate your customers on vaping
- Provide an anti-diet eating guide. Bacon burgers, Chicken and waffles, soda and ice cream. Yay America.
- Hire a sexy nurse to be in your shop for no reason (don’t do this)
National Teacher’s Day – May 7
The relationship between teachers and Vape Shops is probably dubious at best, but this day could be an opportunity to reach out to your local school board and offer an olive branch. This may not be a big sales day for you but it can be used to do some brand building.
Check out this interview I did with Stuart Egenberg, a shop owner from our Facebook Group. He reached out to his local school board and actually suggested that they install vape detection units in the bathrooms. It was a genius way to reach out to the community and build his brand.
Teachers play a crucial role in shaping our children’s future and furthermore developing the future leaders of our country.
According to www.wherelearningclicks.com, Almost 9 in 10 Americans surveyed said they had a teacher growing up who had a “significant, positive impact” on their life.
And nearly all Americans (98%) believe that a good teacher can change the course of a student’s life.
With that said, teachers prepare our kids to take on the world, they deserve all the appreciation they can get.
National Have A Coke Day – May 7
Offer free 6 oz cups of coke.
Mother’s Day – May 12
Americans look forward to splurging on their moms on Mother’s Day.
Typical purchases include; flowers, greeting cards, outings (dinners & movies), clothing, and clothing accessories.
Here’s a graph of a total amount spent on Mother’s Day in the United States from 2007 to 2018 in billion U.S. dollars, according to Statista.
Keep in mind, these statistics are just the U.S. alone.
Mother’s Day is a holiday that is celebrated internationally.
An increasing amount of Americans buy Mother’s Day gifts online – free shipping is the most persuasive tactic for customers to make the purchase.
According to the Insure.com 2017 Mother’s Day Index, “The various tasks mom perform at home would be worth $67,610 a year in the professional world.”
No wonder people go all out for Mother’s Day.
People plan to shop for moms, stepmoms, wifes, daughters, grandmothers, sisters, friends, and godmothers.
According to Google Trends and last year’s “Mother’s Day” searches people started their searches mid-March and spiked the week of May 6th.
Get a head start – look for inspiration early, design new artwork and promote in advance.
National Apple Pie Day – May 13
Discounts on dessert flavored e-liquid
National Waiters and Waitresses Day – May 21
Maybe you know that one friend that hustles to pay their bills – waiters or waitress.
And what waiter or waitress isn’t a current or former smoker?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2017 there were about 2,584,220 waiters and waitresses employed in the States.
That’s a large audience!
According to BLS, States that have the highest employment level in this occupation include – California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania.
National Wine Day – May 25
This one is for the casual drinkers and self-proclaimed alcoholics.
I’ve always been a proponent of doing a wine and vape pairing event. Perhaps you can try this out.
Although people are increasingly being interested in low-alcohol wine options, the wine market continues to prevail into the future.
Memorial Day – May 27
Memorial day is an unofficial start to the summer, and the day we celebrate our freedoms.
The holiday is closely associated with the start of the summer discounts across many departments including apparel.
To ensure your brand doesn’t get left behind, start your Memorial Day campaign as early as two weeks in advance.
Keep your marketing content relevant to your target audience and establish personal connections and see the numbers grow.
Extra discounts to military members and families seems like an obvious one here.
World No Tobacco Day – May 31
World No Tobacco Day is celebrated around the world to encourage a 24-hour period of no tobacco consumption.
It’s an opportunity to discuss the risks of tobacco use and talk about reduction of tobacco smoking.
What a perfect day for vaping! Check out this video about how to do an inexpensive quit smoking campaign for this amazing day.
[Video coming soon. 4.30.19]
Love vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com
Jesse is the Digital Marketing Director at VapeMentors and Chief Technology Mentor. He is an ecommerce and internet marketing expert with a background in business and technology.