Chapter 01.

What is the Golden Quarter? Loqate's Golden Quarter Guide 2022

With the end of summer comes the all-important transition to autumn and winter for online retailers, and with it the start of what has become known as the ‘Golden Quarter’ – a time when large uplifts in retail site visitors and revenue can occur due to known sales periods such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas period. Spanning October to December, the Golden Quarter has never been more important to retail businesses, especially in the wake of the Covid pandemic which has seen more consumers switch to online shopping.

What does the Golden Quarter mean for retailers?

Previously, retailers would tend to put most of their focus on the December peak season or Christmas period, with the expectation that this period would be by far the busiest time of year for retail traffic. While this is still the case, the growing popularity of online shopping and increased awareness of the previously US-specific sales, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, has caused a pattern of increased spending across the entire fourth quarter. The concept of the Golden Quarter reflects a general trend towards preparing further in advance for the busy end of year, a prudent strategy given research showing 29% of UK consumers will plan for winter holidays at least a month in advance.

With advanced consumer planning comes increased expectations on retailers and supply chains to ensure every aspect of their online sales experience meets the increased demand. To help you meet the challenge, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the Golden Quarter 2022, starting with predictions for how the crucial sales period may look this year, before detailing the varied strategic aspects that must be considered to ensure success, from checkout to delivery optimisation through to database management and address validation.