2027 Ecommerce Marketing Calendar: Dates for SMS and WhatsApp

This 2027 marketing calendar lists the dates that move sales for an online store selling in the United States: federal holidays, the days set by law (Mother's Day, Father's Day), the commercial peaks (Valentine's Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday) and the religious holidays shoppers buy for. Each date was checked on November 9, 2026 against a primary source: the Office of Personnel Management for federal holidays, the US Code for the days it sets, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2027 calendar for Easter and Hebcal for Hanukkah. Dates that no one has published yet, such as Prime Day, are marked as not announced, and dates computed from another one, such as Black Friday, are marked as computed.

For each date you will find a campaign to set up in Kanal, our Shopify app for SMS and WhatsApp marketing: the message, the customers to send it to and the follow-up. One rule shapes the whole calendar for a US store: WhatsApp does not currently deliver marketing templates to US phone numbers, so your US promotions go by text message, and WhatsApp carries them to your customers abroad.

The 2027 marketing calendar at a glance

Four types of dates make up this text messaging calendar:

• Federal holiday: listed by the Office of Personnel Management, with the observed day when the holiday falls on a weekend.
• Set by law: a day the US Code fixes by rule (Mother's Day, Father's Day, National Grandparents Day).
• Commercial: a retail peak with no official text (Valentine's Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day).
• Religious or cultural: a holiday shoppers buy for (Easter, Hanukkah, Halloween).

The month-by-month sections below give the source of each date and the full campaign. The segments named there (number of orders, orders between two dates, country of the phone number) are built in Kanal on the Scale plan, which also adds SMS, RCS and iMessage to WhatsApp.

Which channel for which customer: SMS in the US, WhatsApp abroad

Meta's per-user marketing limits page, re-read on November 9, 2026 (last updated June 17, 2026), states that WhatsApp does not currently deliver marketing template messages to users with United States phone numbers, meaning a +1 dialing code and a US area code. The same page says WhatsApp may limit how many marketing templates one person receives from all businesses, based on their recent engagement.

Source: Meta for Developers, per-user marketing template message limits, captured on November 6, 2026; text unchanged when re-read on November 9, 2026.

In practice, every date in this calendar splits in two:

• US customers: the promotion goes by SMS, and by RCS or iMessage where you want images and buttons. Order and shipping updates can still go on WhatsApp, since the US rule covers marketing templates.
• Customers abroad: the promotion goes on WhatsApp, with images, buttons and replies in the same thread.

In Kanal, both start from the same segment: filter it on the country of the phone number, send the SMS campaign to US numbers and the WhatsApp campaign to the others, on the same date. Our guide to WhatsApp marketing in the USA covers what WhatsApp can still do for US customers.

US federal holidays 2027 and their observed days

The Office of Personnel Management lists the 2027 federal holidays. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, most federal employees take the Friday before; on a Sunday, the Monday after. Three 2027 holidays move this way.

Source: OPM federal holidays, 2027 holiday schedule, read on November 9, 2026. OPM's 2028 schedule also lists New Year's Day 2028 on Friday, December 31, 2027.

Source: US Office of Personnel Management, federal holidays, 2027 tab, read on November 9, 2026.

For a store, 2027 reads in Monday and Friday holidays: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day fall on a Monday, Independence Day is observed on Monday, July 5, and Juneteenth and Christmas on a Friday. Check your carriers' holiday schedules for those weeks and put the real shipping date in your order notifications before the questions reach your support team.

January 2027

Friday, January 1: New Year's Day (federal holiday). The holiday weekend runs into Sunday, January 3. Rather than a greeting on the day, send one text on Monday, January 4: a winter sale, to the customers who ordered in December 2026, when gift buyers are still in a buying mood and returns are being exchanged.

Monday, January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (federal holiday). A Monday holiday with no gifting angle: put the real delivery dates in your order and shipping updates rather than adding a promotion.

February 2027

Sunday, February 14: Valentine's Day (commercial, fixed date).

• Message: a gift guide by budget, with one link to the collection, sent around February 1.
• Customers: those who ordered between February 1 and February 14, 2026, then your other subscribers.
• Follow-up: an order-by date for delivery before Sunday the 14th, then a digital gift card for late buyers. The abandoned cart reminders catch the carts left on the way.

Monday, February 15: Presidents' Day (federal holiday, listed by OPM as Washington's Birthday). It falls the day after Valentine's Day. If you run a long-weekend sale, announce it on Friday, February 12, and keep it apart from your Valentine's message so the order-by date stays clear.

March 2027

Wednesday, March 17: St. Patrick's Day (cultural, fixed date). Worth one text only for stores with a natural angle (food, drink, apparel in green): a limited edition, sent the week before.

Sunday, March 28: Easter (religious). The USCCB's 2027 liturgical calendar gives Easter Sunday on March 28, 2027.

• Message: the Easter selection (baskets, chocolate, decoration, kids' gifts) with the order-by date for delivery before the weekend.
• Customers: those who ordered between March 22 and April 5, 2026, the two weeks before Easter 2026.
• Follow-up: a reminder two days before the order-by date to those who have not ordered since.

April 2027

April has no federal holiday and no major gifting date: use it to prepare May. Grow your SMS subscriber list, register or check your US sender number (our 10DLC registration guide covers the steps), and write the two Mother's Day messages.

May 2027

Sunday, May 9: Mother's Day (set by law). Section 117 of title 36 of the US Code states that the second Sunday in May is Mother's Day, which gives Sunday, May 9, 2027.

Source: 36 U.S.C. 117, Cornell Legal Information Institute, read on November 9, 2026.

• Message: two texts, a gift guide around April 25, then "last day to order for delivery by Mother's Day".
• Customers: those who ordered between April 26 and May 10, 2026, the two weeks before Mother's Day 2026. If you sell abroad, filter on the country of the phone number: Mother's Day falls on another date in many countries.
• Follow-up: a digital gift card for late buyers, the abandoned cart reminders, and a back in stock alert on best-sellers that run out.

Monday, May 31: Memorial Day (federal holiday). The unofficial start of summer and a long weekend: a summer launch or a sale, announced on Thursday, May 27, with a reminder on Monday morning to those who have not ordered.

June 2027

Friday, June 18: Juneteenth, observed (federal holiday). Juneteenth falls on Saturday, June 19, so OPM lists the observed day on Friday, June 18. Treat it like the other Friday and Monday holidays: delivery dates in your order updates.

Sunday, June 20: Father's Day (set by law). Section 109 of title 36 of the US Code states that the third Sunday in June is Father's Day. Run the Mother's Day plan again with the customers who ordered between June 7 and June 21, 2026, the two weeks before Father's Day 2026, with the order-by date and the gift card for late buyers.

Prime Day 2027: not announced (commercial). Amazon has not published its 2027 dates. In 2026, Prime Day ran from June 23 to June 26, four days. Rather than matching Amazon's prices, send your own customers a perk Amazon cannot copy: a gift with purchase, early access to a new product, or free shipping on their next order.

July 2027

Monday, July 5: Independence Day, observed (federal holiday). July 4 is a Sunday, so the federal holiday moves to Monday, July 5, and the long weekend runs from Saturday to Monday.

• Message: a summer sale announced on Thursday, July 1, before customers leave for the weekend.
• Customers: those who ordered at least twice, then your other subscribers.
• Follow-up: a last-day reminder on Monday, July 5, to those who have not ordered since the launch. Quiet hours apply on the holiday too: US federal rules bar telephone solicitations, texts included, before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time (47 CFR 64.1200).

August 2027

August has no federal holiday. School starts on dates set district by district, so there is no single back-to-school day: look at when your own customers bought back-to-school products in August 2026, send your selection a week before that, and switch on back in stock alerts on the products that sold out last year.

September 2027

Monday, September 6: Labor Day (federal holiday). The end of summer: an end-of-season sale over the long weekend, or the launch of your fall collection, announced on Thursday, September 2.

Sunday, September 12: National Grandparents Day (set by law). Section 125 of title 36 of the US Code asks for the first Sunday in September after Labor Day to be designated National Grandparents Day, which gives September 12, 2027. One text is enough, the week before, to the customers who bought gifts for grandparents last year.

October 2027

Monday, October 11: Columbus Day (federal holiday). A Monday holiday in a quiet month: a good moment for a first holiday gift guide teaser to your best customers, before the November rush.

Sunday, October 31: Halloween (cultural, fixed date).

• Message: a limited edition or a costume and decoration selection, sent around October 24.
• Customers: those who ordered in October 2026, then your other subscribers.
• Follow-up: the abandoned cart reminders until your last delivery date.

This is also the month to prepare Black Friday: segments, messages and, for WhatsApp, templates submitted to Meta.

November 2027

Thursday, November 11: Veterans Day and Singles' Day (federal holiday and commercial). November 11 is a federal holiday, and also Singles' Day (11.11) for audiences who know it. Keep any offer short and the tone sober; a thank-you to veterans fits only if you already run a verified military discount.

Thursday, November 25: Thanksgiving (federal holiday). OPM lists Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, November 25, 2027. Use the day for early access: the customers who ordered at least twice receive the Black Friday link the evening before everyone else.

Friday, November 26: Black Friday (commercial, computed as the day after Thanksgiving).

• Message: a teaser a week before, early access on Thanksgiving for your best customers, then the launch on Friday morning, scheduled so it reaches every US time zone after 8 a.m.
• Customers: US numbers by SMS, numbers abroad by WhatsApp, from the same segment. On WhatsApp, Meta may limit the marketing messages one person receives from all businesses: favor the contacts who read your messages.
• Follow-up: abandoned cart reminders through the weekend, and a reminder on Saturday to those who have not ordered since the launch. Our Black Friday WhatsApp playbook has the day-by-day plan, with its US section on SMS and RCS.

Monday, November 29: Cyber Monday (commercial, computed as the Monday after Thanksgiving). The last day of the weekend: one text to the customers who have not ordered since Friday, leaving out everyone who has.

Tuesday, November 30: GivingTuesday (commercial, computed). On November 9, 2026, the GivingTuesday website listed only the 2026 date, December 1, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving 2026; the same pattern gives November 30 in 2027. If your brand supports a cause, a donation-matching message fits this day better than another discount.

December 2027

Friday, December 24, at sundown: Hanukkah begins (religious). Hebcal gives Hanukkah 5788 from sundown on Friday, December 24, 2027 to nightfall on Saturday, January 1, 2028, so it overlaps Christmas this year. A gift guide early in December serves both holidays.

Saturday, December 25: Christmas Day (federal holiday, observed Friday, December 24).

• Message: a gift guide in early December, then the last order-by date for delivery before Christmas, computed with your carriers, then the digital gift card.
• Customers: those who ordered between December 1 and December 24, 2026, then your other subscribers.
• Follow-up: abandoned cart reminders, and shipping and delivery notifications to reassure gift buyers. If your team takes time off, the AI agent answers delivery questions on WhatsApp and hands the rest to your shared inbox.

Friday, December 31: New Year's Eve (cultural, and the observed New Year's Day 2028 on OPM's 2028 schedule). A thank-you text, and the date of your January 2028 sale.

2027 dates still to be announced

• Prime Day 2027: dates published by Amazon on its newsroom.
• Carrier holiday shipping deadlines: published by carriers each fall; compute your order-by dates from them.
• GivingTuesday 2027: computed here as November 30, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, until its website lists the date.

How to prepare each date in Kanal

A calendar works only if consent, messages and segments are ready before the day. Here is the order we recommend in Kanal.

Consent before the date. A marketing text needs the customer's prior consent, and US carriers ask senders to obtain it: our guide to SMS opt-in rules covers what to collect. Shopify's checkout can show a text message sign-up box, but that consent is not imported into Kanal: add the consents you collected before the first send. On WhatsApp, Kanal records the opt-in from its widget, pop-ups, QR codes and links, and opt-outs are kept on each customer's profile.

Short texts. A standard SMS holds 160 characters, or 70 as soon as it contains an emoji or another character outside the GSM alphabet, and a longer text is billed as several. One idea, one link, your brand name and an opt-out mention: our SMS marketing examples give 20 texts to adapt.

Templates approved ahead of time. Outside a conversation the customer opened, WhatsApp only lets you send templates, which Meta reviews before the first send. Prepare two per date, the announcement and the last call, and submit them early enough to fix a rejection.

Segments that update themselves. In Kanal, a segment is built on the store's data: number of orders, orders placed between two dates, country of the phone number, and on WhatsApp the messages read, clicked or answered. Segments recompute automatically, and Klaviyo segments can be used through the Klaviyo integration.

Automations that run during the peak. Automations start from Shopify events (abandoned checkout, order created, shipping updated), by SMS or on WhatsApp, and back in stock alerts tell waiting customers when a product returns.

Which Kanal plan for your calendar? Kanal is a paid app, with no commitment:

• Pro, €89 a month: WhatsApp campaigns, abandoned cart recovery, chat widget and inbox.
• Scale, €149 a month: everything in Pro, plus segments, unlimited and advanced automations, the AI agent, integrations such as Klaviyo, and SMS, RCS and iMessage.
• Business, €350 a month: everything in Scale, plus flow setup and continuous optimization by our experts, and campaigns on demand.

The details are on the pricing page. Texts are billed on top of the plan, by destination country and number of segments, and Meta bills WhatsApp messages per delivered template.

Where to start

1. Note the first three dates of 2027: the winter sale text on Monday, January 4, Valentine's Day on Sunday, February 14, and Mother's Day on Sunday, May 9.
2. Grow your SMS and WhatsApp subscriber lists through Black Friday and Christmas 2026: they are your January recipients.
3. Register your US sender number and write your January messages in December, before the holiday break.

To see SMS and WhatsApp campaigns on your own store, start with the SMS campaigns and WhatsApp campaigns pages, or book a demo to plan your first date with our team. If you are choosing a tool, our comparison of SMS marketing platforms puts 12 of them side by side.

Sources

• Federal holidays, 2027 and 2028 schedules (US Office of Personnel Management)
• 36 U.S.C. 117, Mother's Day, 36 U.S.C. 109, Father's Day and 36 U.S.C. 125, National Grandparents Day (Cornell Legal Information Institute)
• 2027 liturgical calendar (US Conference of Catholic Bishops)
• Chanukah 2027 (Hebcal)
• Prime Day 2026 dates (About Amazon)
• 47 CFR 64.1200, telephone solicitation hours (eCFR)
• Per-user marketing template message limits (Meta for Developers)