National Day Day

National Walk Around Things Day.  National Dirty Dishes Day.  National Pizza With the Works Without Anchovies Day. (source)

If you follow any brand on Instagram, it's likely that you know just how truly bizarre the "national day of" celebrations can get. 

This came to mind today when, lo and behold, I scrolled through social media and saw that it was yet another holiday: National Drink Wine Day.  Now what's so special about February 18th for National Drink Wine Day? How about:

• March 3rd, National Mulled Wine Day
• April 17th, International Malbec Day
• April 24th, Sauvignon Blanc Day
• May 9th, National Moscato Day
• May 21st, National Chardonnay Day
• May 25th, National Wine Day
• June 11th, Rosé Day
• July 25th, National Wine and Cheese Day
• August 1st, National Albariño Day
• August 18th, National Pinot Noir Day
• September 3rd, International Cabernet Day
• September 18th, International Granache Day
• November 7th, International Merlot Day
• November 12th, International Tempranillo Day
• November 19th, National Zinfandel Day
• December 31st, National Champagne Day (source 1, 2)

The list goes on.  

We know that these kinds of holidays are so-called marketing ploys, often used to boost sales during off-season, "Hallmark-certified" holiday times.  But do they actually lead to an increase in sales? 

While there's very little published resource about lift attributed to national days, I did stumble across this article that somewhat recently (2015) studies cross-industry peak times in revenue.  No surprise -- traditional holidays still make up upwards of 30% of companies' annual revenues.   What's interesting, though, is how new e-commerce retailers are making changes in traditional consumers' shopping behaviors:

"But today’s most innovative online retailers—companies like Mizzen & Main, Harry’s, Plated, and more—build relationships with their customers throughout the year. They use subscription models to create regular purchase habits, build high-quality brands to nurture affinity, and use effective (but not always discount-based) retention marketing. Because of this, they’re less reliant on holiday shopping than traditional retailers." 

I wonder: can some of the more recent wine club startups (ex: Vinebox) contribute to more regular, repeat purchases?