International Women’s Day - 22 Marketing Ideas for your eCommerce store

International Women’s Day (and Women’s History Month - March) is one of the most culturally and historically significant days of the year in a Shopify store owner’s holiday marketing calendar.

As an eCommerce store owner, you can support the many contributions women have made to society. Build Women's Day campaigns based on your company policies and brand messaging. 

Furthermore, customize your online store for International Women’s Day to support the various communities and create a smooth shopping experience.

Here are some reasons why eCommerce stores should make the most of International Women’s Day 2023

1. Support women-owned businesses and encourage fair trade.
2. Put your brand on the map. Don’t just talk, but show through your actions.
3. Appreciate your female customers and offer an inclusive shopping experience.    
4. Keep the momentum going after a major holiday shopping event to keep your sales graph up. 

International Women's Day campaign theme for 2023

In 2023, International Women's Day is celebrating #EmbraceEquity, a way to focus on gender equity in every facet of society.  

The campaign aims to challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion. 

Your online store’s messaging should also not limit itself to forging gender equity for women. You should also focus on allies who are incredibly important for the social, economic, cultural, and political advancement of women.

Hashtags to use - #EmbraceEquity, #IWD2023

1. Plan for more than a day 

As International Women’s Day falls twenty-two days after Valentine’s Day, brands often struggle to establish momentum with their marketing promotions. Consider extending Women’s Day campaign for the whole week or even the whole month. This gives Shopify stores time to build a creative and impactful campaign.  

2. Start early 

International Women’s Day is often celebrated extensively by corporates and businesses to appreciate their female staff. These shoppers might start researching and deciding on what to buy as early as a month before. 

However, if you’re running other holiday campaigns, then they might consider other brands. To keep the interest alive, capture email IDs so they can be part of email journeys that provide information on discounts and promotions as early as possible.

Must read: 15 Stunning Email Examples for International Women's Day(eCommerce)

3. Build up excitement with email marketing campaigns 

Since you can’t overlap discounts and marketing with Valentine’s Day campaign, start your email marketing right after it ends and send emails leading up to International Women’s Day. 

Go simple and effective for this International Women’s Day email subject lines. For example:

Here's to women 🏆

Celebrating all women 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY SALE is still ON. Don’t miss it! 

Is one day *enough* for International Women's Day?

Our thanks to you on International Women's Day

Read more: 16 proven ideas for improving email conversion rate (+ examples)

4. Display warnings and shipping information 

A lot of shoppers would want to buy products to gift on the celebration day. Therefore, provide shipping and delivery information through a HelloBar on the homepage and product pages, and on the checkout page. 

For instance, your copy could read “Order by the specified date,” or “expect delivery before International Women’s Day.”

5. Categorize discounts based on the target audience  

As we said earlier, businesses and corporations celebrate International Women’s Day campaigns on a larger scale. This gives eCommerce stores a chance to experiment with discount categories. 

Offer different discounts and promotions for individuals, corporates, and bulk. On the product list page, let shoppers apply filters based on different discount categories.    

6. Plan smart bundles 

Product bundling allows Shopify stores to boost sales, grow revenue, and improve average order value (AOV). Since gifting is the most common reason shoppers are looking to buy products during this holiday, product bundling is the best option. 

Make sure to let shoppers edit or make their own bundles. This way, shoppers can gift these bundles as hampers during International Women’s Day campaigns.   

Explore: 15 product bundling examples that convert (& 10 proven ideas)

7. Highlight scarcity/urgency

Scarcity marketing is a technique where Shopify stores increase the value of a product by reducing the supply. Shoppers understand that if they don’t get that product at a particular time, it’s gone. 

During  International Women’s Day campaigns, consider implementing live notifications and discount timers on product images. Also, let product images carry urgency labels like ‘Going fast’, ‘Limited’, and ‘Exclusive’.

8. A chance to build a ‘community-driven’ landing page 

If you’re going big for International Women’s Day campaign, then create landing pages that talk about collaborations and the community. Join hands with organizations and local communities that will benefit from sales and exposure. 

Offer woman-empowered or woman-owned businesses a platform to sell their products or create a new line of products with them. You can also have the option to let shoppers donate to specific causes. 

9.  Launch a new product range  

In 2022, for International Women’s Day campaign, Barbie’s collab with Pat McGrath generated loads of positive news and boosted the brand value. New product ranges can make it easier to market for International Women’s Day and make an impact in a short time.    

10. Convert wish lists and abandoned carts

During International Women’s Day campaign, it'll be easier to convert from previous customers and get repeat sales. Send reminders through emails and notifications to let customers know which products in their wishlists or forgotten carts are eligible for discounts. Also, give early access to loyalty program members for exclusivity.    

11. Leverage your past IWD data  

Historical data can help you understand customers’ buying habits. Use this data to create categories such as ‘bestsellers’, ‘customer favorites’, and ‘popular in your area’. Let shoppers know which products are popular through nudges (for eg: live notifications). Furthermore, you can create International Women’s Day-specific categories and filters.   

12. Write International Women’s Day relevant copy

Copy is the best way to get organic traffic. But don’t just stuff keywords on the web pages. Write product titles and image alt-text with long-tailed and secondary keywords. As International Women’s Day is often a corporate celebration, you can create copies for individuals to buy for the day as well. 

Talk about women breaking barriers in context with the theme, role models, supporting and appreciating women in a shopper’s circle of family and friends, and more. 

13. Show inclusivity 

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Inclusive marketing has become a buzzword in the eCommerce world right now. Shopify brands can use this opportunity to ensure their products are accessible to everyone and are promoting diverse advertising. 

In your International Women’s Day campaign, use copy and images that show support for all those who identify as women across age, race, and any stereotypes.  

Explore: Inclusive Marketing: 22 eCommerce brands that do it right

14. Do more than free shipping

Free shipping is now a default option for all eCommerce brands and shoppers. While you can always experiment with how to display free shipping, it’s better to offer more than just free shipping during your International Women’s Day campaign. 

Let shoppers choose between different delivery dates. You can also offer curbside pickup and in-store pick-ups to make it convenient for shoppers.  

Free Shipping: Still a Conversion Driver in 2023? (+ Brands Nailing It)

15. Leverage ‘live’ shopping

Live chats are a necessary part of any Shopify store’s customer service. Shoppers usually buy gifts for International Women’s Day campaign. So, you can use live chat to help customers buy the right products. 

To smoothen the process, add a FAQ and product-specific size guide before customers talk to a customer service office. 

16. Offer to donate at checkout 

International Women’s Day is a good day to support your local communities and speak on a global level. Show your brand values in product pages and landing pages specific to the occasion. 

But don’t just talk the talk, show it through your actions as well by offering shoppers a chance to donate to relevant causes during checkout.  

17. Create exclusive gift cards 

Since gifting is the primary reason buyers are shopping during International Women’s Day campaign, it’s a good idea to promote a gift card program. Gift cards give the recipient the freedom to buy what they like and want rather than getting anything unnecessary. 

Furthermore, auto-apply IWD-specific discounts to certain products during checkout. 

18. Let shoppers order samples 

We all know why we love Costco. Samples. It’s a fan favorite and wins more shoppers every time. Since samples are great to let customers use and see if the products suit them. This way, you don’t overwhelm customers and offer them long-term benefits.     

19. Implement influencer marketing 

We all know influencer marketing has its benefits. Join hands with influencers and celebs who already stand for inclusivity and diversity and support the theme, that is a great way to reach new customers. 

You can also offer discounts and freebies to the influencer’s followers as a way to convert more sales during International Women’s Day campaigns.  

20. Accept different payment methods 

Since this day falls soon after Valentine’s Day, shoppers might like a more accessible payment method. 

During International Women’s Day campaigns, offer buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment methods on your checkout page to reduce hesitation and get more conversions.

Read more: Make your mobile payment page “conversion-friendly” (13 UX hacks)

21. Reach out through social proof  

Shoppers need to feel reassured about their purchases, especially when they are gifting them. Filter through product reviews specific to gifting or past women’s day purchases. 

Then, highlight these reviews on those specific product pages to get over any customer objections during International Women’s Day campaigns.    

22. Highlight returns policy  

As established earlier, most International Women’s Day purchases fall under gifting, eCommerce brands often don’t offer returns or apply a gifting returns policy. Leave no room for doubt and mention exceptions throughout the shopping journey. 

If you have a more accessible returns policy, try to extend the return policy period. You can also offer some portion of the return price by giving shoppers store discounts or credits for every return. This way, you can still get some sales down the road.

Explore: 14 Brilliant Examples of eCommerce Return Policy (+ Proven Tips)

Ready for it?  

Now, you know what to expect and have a clear idea of how to implement different marketing strategies on your Shopify store. So, get ready to ace it this International Women’s Day.