Plan seasonal promotions that pay off

Who this checklist is for

Retailers, restaurants, e-commerce shops, and service businesses whose year has peaks — holidays, back-to-school, summer, local events. If a big season is coming and your "plan" is a vague sale, this is for you.

What it takes

The promotions themselves can cost little — the real spend is inventory and any extra staff. Time is the scarce input: this checklist assumes you "Start planning eight weeks out," and most steps take a few hours each. The hardest part is discipline on margin — a promotion that moves volume but loses money isn't a win.

How the checklist flows

"Map your seasonal calendar" first, so the whole year's peaks are visible at once. "Set a goal per season" and "Design the offer" define what success means before you spend anything. "Stock up and staff up" handles the operational side, then the launch sequence: "Announce to your list first," schedule the social push, and dress the store and site. "Run a post-season review" is the step almost everyone skips — and it's what makes next year better.

Mistakes that sink first-timers

• Starting promotion planning two weeks out, after inventory lead times and ad calendars have already closed.
• Discounting so deep the season is busy but unprofitable — set the margin floor before designing the offer.
• Treating email as an afterthought when your existing list is the cheapest, warmest audience you have.

Real-world examples

• Small Business Saturday, created by American Express in 2010, falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and gives independent shops a ready-made national moment to plan around.
• Gift cards are a proven season-extender for retailers: sold before the holiday, redeemed in the slower weeks after, pulling customers back in.
• Many US retailers earn a disproportionate share of annual revenue in the November–December window, which is why eight-week lead times matter.

From a founder's point of view

Seasonal peaks reward the boring work done in October, not the heroics in December. Founders who write down one goal per season and review what actually happened afterward compound — each year's promotion starts from last year's notes instead of from scratch.

Your first milestone

One season executed off a written plan — goal set eight weeks out, offer launched to your list first, and a short review written when it ends.