E-Commerce Sales Events 2026: Planning, Markets and Tips

Sales events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday or seasonal sales are a fixed part of the annual planning for many online retailers. The temptation to roll out successful German campaigns unchanged to other markets is significant. In international e-commerce, however, that is not enough.

Sales events do not work the same way everywhere. Buying behaviour, perception of discounts and expectations around shipping, pricing and service differ significantly from market to market.

This article shows how to prepare e-commerce sales events 2026/2027 strategically and market-by-market – and how to plan operational peaks for Switzerland, Austria and the UK more effectively.

Photo: Julio Lopez / Unsplash

TL;DR – the key points at a glance

• Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the Christmas season remain central revenue drivers, but need to be managed differently in each market.
• The UK is heavily sales-driven, Austria shows a pronounced smart-shopping behaviour, and in Switzerland trust, transparency and service carry particular weight.
• Instead of taking on as many sales events as possible, online retailers should prioritise by market, assortment, margin and operational feasibility.
• Preparation should start 3 to 6 months in advance – including marketing, forecasting, shipping, customs, returns and customer service.

E-commerce sales events 2026: Why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work

Many online retailers plan sales events with a standard, centralised setup: one campaign, one timing, one offer – rolled out across multiple markets.

What sounds efficient often costs performance in practice. A Black Friday deal can drive strong revenue spikes in the UK, but have a much weaker effect in Switzerland if shipping costs, duties or returns remain unclear. Austria, in turn, sits close to Germany – but is still not a copy-paste market.

A one-size-fits-all approach mainly overlooks four points:

• Different buying habits
• Diverging price and discount perception
• Varying expectations around shipping and returns
• Regulatory specifics (e.g. customs or taxes)

Anyone who wants to use sales events successfully across borders therefore does not need a longer list of dates – they need better market logic.

Which e-commerce sales events really matter in 2026 – international vs. market-specific

A look at a classic e-commerce calendar with international sales events answers the question of which events are out there in 2026.

The more important question is: which sales events are worth the effort in which market?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: High reach, but different impact

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fixtures in the peak-season strategy of many online retailers. Customers in several markets actively look for deals around these dates. According to DHL, 75% of online shoppers worldwide buy something around that weekend – but participation, trust in deals and purchase motivations vary by country.

In the United Kingdom, Black Friday is one of the strongest online shopping days of the year. According to Adobe Analytics, British shoppers spent around £3.8 billion across the weekend in 2025, a 4.6% increase year-on-year.

In Austria, demand is also high. At the same time, competition from international providers is intense, according to the Austrian Retail Association (Handelsverband).

In Switzerland, Black Friday should not be approached solely through discounts. Trust, delivery time and clean order processing play a greater role in the purchase decision. But the day clearly works: the University of St. Gallen reported that spending in Black Friday week 2025 increased by 49% compared to the previous week.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday should therefore be part of the plan in all three markets – but with different roles:

• In the UK, lean into offers and visibility.
• In Austria, factor in competition and price comparisons.
• In Switzerland, focus on the overall offer and transparency.

Reading tip: You can find more information on Black Friday in e-commerce and how to make the most of it in cross-border sales in our magazine.

Christmas season: The real revenue driver

For many shops, a large share of peak-season revenue is generated over several weeks during the Christmas season. Anyone who focuses planning too narrowly on Black Friday loses potential in the most important buying phase of the year.

In a cross-border context, cut-off dates are particularly critical: by when do orders need to come in so they arrive on time in Switzerland, Austria or the UK? In markets like the UK or Switzerland, VAT, customs, import processing and other duties additionally need to be considered cleanly and reviewed for each sales model.

For strong Christmas campaigns, online retailers should therefore define for each market by when orders will reliably arrive, which shipping options to promote and how to answer customer questions on customs, duties or returns.

Delivery times in particular (keyword: guaranteed delivery before Christmas) can be a conversion lever and should be clearly communicated.

Reading tip: What you need to consider when selling to the United Kingdom is covered in detail in our article “Cross-Border E-Commerce UK: Everything You Need to Know at a Glance”. More information on Switzerland is available in our article “Selling to Switzerland – what online retailers should consider”.

Singles Day: Test run rather than main revenue driver

Singles Day is gaining visibility in Europe but remains a complementary date for many online retailers. It is mainly suited to price-driven assortments, trend-oriented target groups and performance campaigns.

Its greatest value lies in preparing for the peak season. Offers, discount mechanics and markets can be tested under real conditions before the most revenue-intensive phase starts with Black Friday and Cyber Week.

Retailers can draw concrete learnings from this:

• Which products generate early demand?
• Which discount level works without putting unnecessary pressure on margins?
• Which markets respond more strongly than expected?

As a standalone revenue driver, Singles Day in Europe is mainly relevant for large international platforms.

Market-specific sales events: An underestimated revenue lever

Beyond international sales events, additional revenue opportunities arise from local peaks, seasonal purchase triggers and cultural specifics. This is where online retailers can stand out from the competition.

UK: Strong sales culture and additional peaks

The British market is highly sales-driven. Alongside Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the classic Christmas season, Boxing Day on 26 December has become particularly established. Adobe reported online spend of more than £500 million on Boxing Day 2025 in the UK.

A staggered strategy can therefore make sense:

• Black Friday for reach, new customers and strong deals
• Cyber Monday for online-affine assortments
• Christmas for gift purchases and clear delivery deadlines
• Boxing Day for clearance, bundles, retention or self-gifting

For these peaks to perform, VAT and customs processes, delivery times, tracking and returns need to work reliably. The purchase should feel as local as possible for British customers (see also our article on market entry into UK e-commerce with tips and checklist).

Austria: Similar to Germany – with its own nuances

Austria is an obvious next step for German and European online retailers because language, media logic and many purchase triggers are close to the German market. But precisely for that reason, campaigns are often under-localised.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are strong sales moments in Austria: according to the Austrian Retail Association, 98% of the Austrian population are familiar with Black Friday, 63% planned purchases around Black Friday or Cyber Monday in 2025, and 44% intended to shop exclusively online.

What’s also interesting: the Retail Association increasingly describes Austrian customers as smart shoppers – they compare prices, plan more deliberately and at the same time remain open to spontaneous deals. Younger target groups are particularly active: 81% of Gen Z and 77% of Millennials planned purchases around Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2025.

This results in three clear levers for Austrian campaigns:

• Make price logic transparent: Discounts should be easy to follow and not feel like fake offers.
• Optimise the total price: Shipping costs and delivery times need to enter the purchase decision early, not late in the checkout.
• Speak to younger target groups directly: Gen Z and Millennials use sales events particularly heavily.

Switzerland: Less discount focus, more emphasis on experience

Switzerland is also a high-spending market and sales events generate measurable demand. Even so, high discounts alone are often not enough. As in Austria, what counts is a trustworthy overall offer.

For conversion, transparent total costs including duties, reliable delivery times and clear returns processes matter most. Since shipments from abroad can in principle be subject to customs duties and VAT, costs and processing should be explained early in the customer journey – not only after checkout.

Local campaign windows you should additionally have on your radar:

• Dry January: Suitable for non-alcoholic drinks, wellness, fitness, healthy food. An awareness and demand campaign in January can work well here.
• Swiss National Day on 1 August: Suitable for outdoor, BBQ, summer, family, Switzerland-specific offers. An occasion-based campaign rather than a generic discount push can be the better fit here.

In summary: Which sales events are actually worth it?

Instead of taking on every sales event, retailers should prioritise for 2026. Five questions help with that:

• Is the sales event actively perceived in the target market?
• Does it fit the product, margin and target group?
• How strongly are competitors advertising in this market?
• Are shipping, customs, returns and support set up to handle peaks?
• Does the event bring in new customers or only one-off buyers?

Put briefly: successful online retailers do not plan as many sales events as possible. They specifically choose the dates that fit their market, assortment and operational capabilities – and focus there.

For Switzerland, Austria and the UK, this could look like the following:

When should online retailers start preparing for sales events?

Preparation for e-commerce sales events should start 3 to 6 months before the main peaks. The more international the setup, the more important the lead time becomes: campaigns, forecasts, stock levels, carriers, cut-off dates, returns and customer service all need to fit together.

6 months out: Prioritise markets and events

This phase is about prioritisation. Which markets should be actively addressed? Which events fit the assortment? Where is a big push worthwhile, where is a test the better call, and where do you deliberately skip a campaign?

The output of this phase can be a market-event matrix made up of:

• Relevant sales events
• Campaign role
• Assortment focus
• Revenue and margin targets
• Operational risks

This is the basis for the decision: push, test or pause.

An example: a fashion shop might plan Black Friday in the UK as a push, use Cyber Monday in Austria as a performance campaign and deliberately skip Dry January in Switzerland. A shop for non-alcoholic drinks, by contrast, would prioritise Dry January in Switzerland and only test Singles Day.

3 months out: Connect forecasts and operations plan

Now marketing and operations should build joint forecasts: expected orders per market, stock planning, carrier capacities, cut-off dates, returns assumptions and support scenarios.

If marketing creates more demand, operations needs to know what volume will realistically hit the processes. Otherwise, the campaign generates demand that cannot be cleanly fulfilled.

6 to 8 weeks out: Check shop, checkout and communication

By this phase, the campaign logic should be in place. Now it’s about implementation in the shop and along the customer journey.

Particularly important in cross-border e-commerce:

• Information on customs, taxes and duties
• Local payment options
• Realistic delivery deadlines before Christmas
• Returns information
• Tracking and shipping emails

2 to 4 weeks out: Lock down tests and responsibilities

Test orders from the target markets, finally aligned cut-off dates, customer service briefings, validated returns processes and clear responsibilities for peak days secure the execution shortly before launch.

How do marketing and operations work together during sales events?

Sales events are often planned from a marketing perspective: campaigns, discounts, newsletters, paid ads, landing pages. That is correct – but not enough on its own. What matters is whether the demand created can also be converted and fulfilled cleanly.

Good e-commerce peak season planning connects three levels:

• Demand: What demand are we creating? Via localised offers, fitting creatives, clear USPs and market-relevant messaging.
• Conversion: How does demand turn into revenue? Shop, checkout, payment, delivery time and cost transparency decide whether traffic converts.
• Fulfilment: Can we serve the demand? Warehouses, carriers, customs, taxes, returns and support need to carry the expected volume.

The key lever is bringing marketing promises and operational reality together early. If your newsletter says “delivery before Christmas”, that statement needs to hold up at the end.

How exporto supports online retailers in the peak season

International sales events in e-commerce only work reliably if campaign promises and operational processes match. Shipping, customs, taxes, tracking, returns and customer service need to interlock stably, even as order volumes grow during peak season.

Each market brings its own requirements:

• UK: VAT, customs processes, local carriers and fast delivery
• Switzerland: Transparent total costs, reliable order processing and a clear returns process
• Austria: Cleanly aligned setup for shipping, communication and customer expectations

exporto bundles these requirements into an integrated cross-border solution. Online retailers can open up several European markets through one central setup. Instead of building separate processes and service providers for each target market, international operations can be steered and scaled centrally.

That reduces complexity, increases process reliability and creates a customer journey that feels local in the target market. Retailers can focus on what matters during sales events: strong campaigns, relevant offers and sales in the right markets.

Conclusion: Use sales events deliberately rather than taking them all on

E-commerce sales events 2026 offer significant potential – if they are planned market by market and prepared cleanly on the operational side. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the Christmas season remain central revenue drivers. Discount logic, buying behaviour, shipping requirements and expectations around the customer journey, however, look different in markets like the UK, Austria and Switzerland.

The decisive factor is not taking on as many sales events as possible. Campaigns succeed when they fit the market, the assortment and the operational capacity.

Anyone who starts early, prioritises the relevant peaks and sets up cross-border processes properly can use international sales events specifically for growth – without rising order volumes becoming a stress test.

Get your cross-border processes ready now for the next sales events. We’re happy to advise you.