St. Patrick’s Day Marketing Ideas to Boost Online Sales

St. Patrick’s Day is a big holiday for the Irish diaspora in many countries, particularly in the United States, where many people have Irish ancestry. On this day, people wear green clothes, buy food, and use decor for the lucky holiday.

Lots of eCommerce brands view this holiday as an opportunity to launch special promotions and boost their online sales during the lucky period. To help you do it right, we will provide you with useful St. Patrick’s Day tips and marketing ideas to help your business sell more.

Table of Contents:

1. When is St. Patrick’s Day 2025?
2. St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Statistics
3. Consumer Behaviour and Spendings During St. Patrick’s Day
4. Where Do Consumers Shop For St. Patrick’s Day?
5. Tips On How To Prepare Your St. Patrick’s Day Promotions
6. St. Patrick’s Day Marketing Ideas To Get Inspired

When is St. Patrick’s Day 2025

Every year, March 17th marks the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Despite its steadfast date on the calendar, the day of the week on which St. Patrick’s Day lands varies annually. In 2025, it falls on Monday.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Statistics

Before diving into St. Patrick’s Day marketing ideas and tips, let’s take a look at some interesting stats.

The Celtic Fringe: The Irish diaspora

The global Irish community is about 70 million people all over the world. Most concentrated in the US, Europe, Canada, and other countries. The biggest Irish community is located in the US.

National Retail Federation Research Insights

According to data provided by the National Retail Federation, as of 2024, St. Patrick’s Day celebration plans were as follows:

• 82% wear green
• 29% make a special dinner
• 26% decorate home or office
• 27% attend a party at a bar or restaurant
• 16% attend a private party
• 15% attend a parade
• 12% host a party

Consumer Behaviour and Spendings During St. Patrick’s Day

NRF: Annual St. Patrick’s Day spending survey 2024

In 2024, on St. Patrick’s Day, total US consumer spending amounted to 7.2 billion dollars and ran an average of $44.40 per person.

In general, men tend to spend significantly more than women during the St. Patrick’s Day holidays, with their purchases averaging nearly $10 higher. Besides, while about half of consumers without children take part in the celebrations, participation jumps among those with kids. Non-parents focus primarily on food, whereas families go all out, adding extra excitement with festive apparel, decorations, and candy.

Let’s dive deeper into each consumer preference as observed in 2023.

• Food. St. Patrick’s Day is known for food and drink. 50% of consumers buy food to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Consumers often seek out recipes and products that evoke the flavors and traditions of Ireland. 
• Beverages. It’s the second preference to purchase, with 41% of consumers. Based on the MikMak Shopping Index, whiskey is becoming a popular item that shoppers add to their baskets.     
• Apparel or accessories. 29% of consumers gravitate towards dressing in green attire and accessorizing with shamrock-themed items to showcase their Irish spirit and enjoy the festive atmosphere. 
• Decorations. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations’ hallmark is about decorating homes, offices, and public spaces into festive havens. 26% of consumers embrace various decorative elements, including green banners, shamrock garlands, leprechaun figurines, and themed tableware. 
• Candy. During St. Patrick’s Day, 18% of consumers indulged in a wide array of themed confections, from green-tinted candies and chocolates to shamrock-shaped lollipops and rainbow-colored sweets. Revenue and unit sales for this category increased by 60%.
• Greeting cards. Sending heartfelt messages of luck and goodwill is a cherished tradition during St. Patrick’s Day. 9% of consumers purchase greeting cards with Irish blessings and whimsical illustrations. 
• Gifts. With 5% of consumers who embrace the spirit of generosity during St. Patrick’s Day by exchanging gifts, St. Patrick’s Day becomes more than just a traditional holiday. 

Where Do Consumers Shop For St. Patrick’s Day?

According to NRF, in 2024, the top 5 places for shopping on St.Patrick’s Day were grocery stores, discount stores, department stores, bars/restaurants, and via the Internet.

Moreover, St. Patrick’s Day is a major sales driver for Amazon retailers. For example, in 2022, sellers of Shamrock decorations made nearly $600,000 in Amazon sales between March 1 and March 8.

But what about other St. Patrick’s Day-themed products? Let’s take a look at how they performed in the lead-up to the holiday.

Does it sound impressive? Despite not having the highest share of online sales, businesses can drive growth due to the expanding consumer interest in digitalization. 

These stats can help you better understand your audience and arrange your promotions utilizing the best St. Patrick’s Day marketing ideas.

Tips On How To Prepare Your St. Patrick’s Day Promotions

Think of creating a promotion (offering a discount, selling green merchandise or eco-friendly green products, providing giveaways, launching social media contests or limited-time special offers) and advertising it on your website and social media pages. Follow these steps to be prepared well in advance and make the biggest impact on your consumers.

• Develop a comprehensive strategy  

Identify your target audience, outline clear goals, and conduct comprehensive research. Determine online channels that best reach your audience. 

• Create themed content 

Incorporate engaging content marketing ideas for your website and blog. Boost your social media post with catchy must-have images, green logo, and seasonal hashtags. Enhance email marketing with St. Patrick’s Day email subject lines. The goal is to resonate with the spirit of the holiday.

• Use relevant keywords

Conduct thorough St. Patrick’s Day-themed keyword research to identify the best phrases that align with your promotion. Integrate keywords strategically into your website, blog posts, social media captions, and advertising campaigns to improve your visibility in search engine results and attract relevant traffic.  

• Optimize your ads 

Ensure your advertisements are visually appealing, on-brand, and tailored to the preferences of your target audience. You may consider experimenting with different ad formats (static images, videos, carousel ads, etc.) to define the best one for your audience. Remember to use targeting options advertising platforms provide to reach your audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. 

• Measure performance 

Continuously monitor and analyze your digital activities’ performance to refine the approach, maximize ROI, and grow sales. Don’t forget to utilize best practices and collect data at every stage of the shopping journey. 

Expanding upon each point provides more actionable insights and guidance for preparing your online promotions for St.Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day Marketing Ideas To Get Inspired

St. Patrick’s Day marketing from Guinness

The company has gone above and beyond preparing for St. Patrick’s Day. Their extensive efforts encompass a variety of initiatives, such as tailoring their website with dedicated pages for a holiday, crafting emotive commercial advertisements that resonate with the diligent American populace, and providing Irish culinary delights and beverage recipes through their mobile application. Guinness stands out as a frontrunner among all the companies vying for attention on St. Patrick’s Day.

McDonald‘s for St. Patrick’s Day promotions

The brand goes all out when it comes to promoting its Shamrock Shake. You can find them across various platforms, including their active presence on social media channels and their pervasive television and radio commercials. As St. Patrick’s Day draws near, McDonald’s intensifies its marketing efforts, employing a full-court press strategy to ensure the Shamrock Shake captures consumers’ attention everywhere. 

Coca-Cola and St. Patrick’s Day advertising

The lucky theme with special edition packaging or limited-time products tied to St. Patrick’s Day. This could include green-colored packaging, special labels featuring Irish-themed imagery, or even special flavors. 

Which one of these St. Patrick’s Day marketing ideas excites you the most?

Ready to boost your online sales? Contact VIDEN to invoke luck for your St. Patrick’s Day promotions.