What if we told you that September holds more untapped marketing opportunities than any other month in the retail calendar? 

The “Ber” months are officially upon us, do you feel it? The crisp air, the crunchy leaves? Or maybe you’re just getting ready to enter second summer (sigh). Either way, September's shift from summer to fall brings with it so many opportunities to connect with your customers. 

From the traditional Labor Day sales that kick off the month to the emerging trend of early holiday prep, now is the perfect time to acquire, educate, engage, and delight your subscribers, to build loyalty and prime them for the holiday season. 

Let's explore some key dates and opportunities that can help your brand stand out before the holiday rush. 

Pre-Holiday Season Preparation

September is your golden opportunity to get ready for the holiday rush. Use this month to gently prepare your audience for the busy season ahead. Think of Q3 as a launchpad for Cyber Week success. So where should you focus? 

The subscribers you acquire from June to November are 15% more valuable during Cyber Week.

• Growth. There’s a reason we’ve made this recommendation before. Taking the time to grow your list now helps you build momentum. More subscribers mean more potential customers who are ready to hear about your holiday deals and promotions. This also gives you the time to build personal connections and get to understand new subscribers’ messaging preferences. 
• Campaign sending. This is the key to building a strong and engaged audience. Top performers in November leveraged 18-23% more sends per subscriber in H2 than average brands. And September is the perfect time to test different types of content, subject lines, and offers. You can see what works best and refine your strategy before the holiday rush.
• Engagement ramp. The goal here is to avoid the holiday overload. Brands who spike their sends in Q4 without a steady ramp in volume over the summer see 30% lower ROIs in Q4. By gradually increasing your sends now, you can avoid the sudden deluge of emails that might turn them off. 

Ready to cozy up to your customers’ inboxes? Read on for some great examples of how you can strategize this September. 

‍

This Labor Day, leverage a strategy proven to drive results

Labor Day kicks off September with one last summer celebration and a major sales opportunity. We recommend sending four SMS campaigns. In 2024, Attentive brands who sent four campaigns saw 2x higher ROI than brands who only sent two. 

• Messaging Focus: End-of-summer sales, last chance for summer products
• Timing: Start campaigns the Wednesday before, peaking on Friday-Monday

Kick things off with early sales for VIPs. This can boost loyalty and drive revenue. Keep these messages short and sweet. Use sale first language, this immediately tells consumers why you’re reaching out and shows you value their attention. 

When you’re setting up your Labor Day messages, keep these three things in mind. 

• Educate. Send educational messages during the lead-up to a sale to keep your brand top of mind.
• Be conversational. Send conversational messages right before a sale to build hype and increase intent to buy.
• Create urgency. Send any last-chance messages as your sale is winding down to drive those final purchases.

‍

Branch out with these seasonal campaign examples 

The official start of fall provides a natural transition point for seasonal campaigns. September acts as this universal moment when consumers instinctively begin nesting, preparing, and shifting into their fall mindset.

• Messaging Focus: Balance, change, preparation, seasonal transition
• Campaign Types: Fall product launches, seasonal wellness routines, cozy home preparations
• Timing: Use as a pivot point between early September and October campaigns

September marketing holidays and examples:

• September 1: Labor Day for the US and Canada
• September 7: Father’s Day in Australia 
• Mid-September: Fall fashion week kicks off in NYC and London
• September 20: Oktoberfest celebrations
• September 21: International Day of Peace
• September 22: Autumnal Equinox, aka the first day of fall  
• September 25: National Cooking Day
• September 27: World Tourism Day 
• September 29: National Coffee Day
• Late September: Halloween prep begins

Stand up for the kickoff

September marks the start of football season. This year give your shoppers the home-field advantage with sitewide sales to kick things off. 

If your brand doesn’t fall into the sports apparel category, not to worry. Football season is all about gathering, whether it’s at a tailgate, the backyard, or living room, there are tons of opportunities for many brands to get in on the action. From game day recipes to home decor, the opportunities to message customers are plentiful. 

• Campaign Angles: “Sunday Ritual Essentials,” "The Ultimate Game Day Spread," "Game Day Hosting Made Easy," "Fall Sundays Done Right"

The key is to make your brand part of the football culture without trying to be a sports brand. Focus on the lifestyle, emotions, and practical needs that surround the sport rather than the game itself.

Fall fashion launches

If you’re in the apparel space, then you know September is the time to celebrate fashion. As Fall Fashion Week kicks off, share the inspiration behind your upcoming collections. From mood boards to design decisions, let your audience in on the behind-the-scenes magic that brings your designs to life.

Send an SMS message to encourage subscribers to shop a new collection. Follow up with an email that recommends new products based on past purchases or browsing behavior. When you can effectively identify your shoppers across their various emails, phone numbers, and devices, you can better orchestrate your campaigns across channels. 

Want to learn how? Check out this article.

Make SMS your VIP channel for Fashion Week by offering early access, additional incentives, and exclusive content to your most engaged subscribers.

Marleylilly hosted a fall sample sale on their website, first reaching out to subscribers via email. This allowed them to send image rich messages featuring the items included in the sale. They followed up via SMS with a “last chance” message showcasing the amazing deals they had for customers who shopped the sale. 

Cozy up with the new season

Game days. Snuggly nights. Play-dates. Study sessions, and everything in between. Fall is calling, and your shoppers deserve the warmest welcome. Cozy season prep is officially underway and shoppers are just looking for a reason to invest in a new throw, candles, warm beverages, and comfort food alike. 

• Campaign Angles: "Nesting Season," "Cozy Vibes," "Fall Refresh"

We don’t know about you, but crisp air begs for crisp sheets, or other layers of snuggly goodness. Cozy Earth uses an omnichannel approach to lean into the start of fall with the announcement of their newest arrivals.

Wellness & Self-Care Pivots

New seasons are always the perfect time to kick off new routines. Here are our recommendations if your brand falls in the wellness category or if you just want to lean into a seasonal reset. 

• Campaign Angles: "September Self-Care," "Wellness Reset," "Seasonal Glow"

Everyone loves a good play on words. Take a look at how Love Wellness keeps it relevant with their messaging during the back to school season while also staying true to their roots by suggesting a wellness reset. 

Farmacy Beauty takes a different approach, choosing to introduce their exclusive skincare kits during the new season. Using the changing seasons as a gateway to new products is a fun way to give your shoppers a reason to buy.

Food and beverage seasonal flavors

September is buzzing with fall flavors, get creative with your campaigns and lean in on National Cooking Day (September 25) and/or National Coffee Day (September 29) pumpkin spice, anyone? 

Grounds and Hounds Coffee Co. used National Coffee Day to promote “the best holiday of the year” as well as their sitewide sale. 

Want even more food holiday marketing inspiration? Browse our food holidays calendar. 

Or maybe you just want to inspire your subscribers to cook up a storm by sending them recipes to try out. Don't forget to include links to essential ingredients, cookware, table settings, or anything else they’ll need to make and enjoy their delicious meal.

Food52 has us falling all over their recipes. The brand does a fantastic job of enticing subscribers, the goal isn’t to immediately sell them on a product, but to get them to their website. They then optimize their recipe pages with links to their products, so subscribers can pick up any items they may need to recreate these delicious recipes. 

‍

‍

This month is a time to gather subscribers round new messages. We want to ramp up, get to know your new shoppers, and test new strategies. 

We know things can start to feel a little stressful this time of year. It’s why we created The Marketers Sanctuary. So if you’d like a low stress way to prep for another holiday season, give it a look. 

Check out our marketing campaign calendar to find more key dates for campaigns, orchestration tips across your channels, and SMS templates you can copy and paste. The key is choosing dates that align naturally with your products and brand values rather than forcing promotions on every possible occasion.