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As we dive into the busiest shopping season of the year, here are the top dates that drive Christmas sales – make sure to be prepared to catch those browsing your website in the Christmas shopping spirit! You can best prepare for this run of important dates by having campaigns and deals ready, making sure your site’s bandwidth can handle the load, and ensuring shipping options and delivery dates are prominently displayed in key places on your site. So in the run-up to Christmas, here are the dates that all e-commerce retailers should know and – handled effectively – come to love.

November 24:

Known as Grey Thursday because it’s the day before Black Friday, Grey Thursday lets you showcase deals in a calmer atmosphere – the day before things get crazy.

November 25:

Black Friday was a huge day for e-commerce in 2015, and we can only assume it will reach similar if not greater proportions in 2016. This is a huge global event.

November 28:

There was a 2015 sales uplift on Cyber Monday of over 60% – making this day a highly significant opportunity for online discounts and time-sensitive deals. Particularly on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s important to make sure your site is set up to handle the extra traffic.

November 29:

This is a new one, relatively speaking. Known as Retargeting Tuesday or Bounceback Tuesday, the goal is to retarget customers who visited recently but abandoned your site.

November 29

is also the date of Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving – the perfect time for charities to ask online visitors to make a donation, volunteer time, or even just to spread the word, at the start of the Christmas season.

December 1:

Unfortunately, all that impulse buying on Black Friday and Cyber Monday can lead to a lot of returns. December 1, known as Throwback Thursday, can be quite tough, as the returns tend to come in droves on that date. But the important point here is to make sure your returns process that day runs particularly quickly, and particularly effective.

December 12:

Getting close to Christmas, Green Monday marks a surge in online shopping sales. The significance? It’s the last date when consumers know that they can buy online without paying any extra shipping charges. Green Monday’s sales increased 15% last year (see BizReport’s stats) and it’s expected to increase this year, as well.

December 17:

Super Saturday is important because it’s the last Saturday before Christmas Day. It’s a great time for major one-day sales if you want to boost your revenue during the holiday season. Free shipping is a typical tactic to use on Super Saturday to encourage visitors to buy.

December 18:

Consider embracing this nugget on the e-commerce calendar – Free Shipping Day, giving consumers one last chance to make a purchase without paying shipping fees.

Don’t forget to hashtag those days. Let your social media followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter know what deals you’re going to be offering them, and give them some time before the craziness starts to plan their purchases.