What to run, and when, at a café, restaurant, barbershop or salon in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the Arab world, including the holidays that move every year.
Most small shops notice a holiday when the neighbour's window is already decorated. By then the good ideas are rushed: a discount nobody hears about, a gift card nobody printed, a Ramadan menu announced on the first evening of fasting. The shops that do well with seasons decide a few weeks earlier what they will offer, who it is for and how customers will find out.
This calendar walks through the year month by month for the three markets RevYoMe works in. For each moment you get when it falls, an idea a café, restaurant, barbershop or salon can actually run, and the RevYoMe tool that does the work. You will not need every moment. Pick four or five that fit your customers and do them properly.
Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the Prophet's Birthday follow the Islamic lunar calendar. Its year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian one, so each of these feasts arrives roughly eleven days earlier every year and travels through all the seasons over about 33 years. The exact start depends on the sighting of the new moon and is announced locally, so neighbouring countries can be a day apart. Plan with the expected date, then confirm the evening before.
Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, which puts it between 22 March and 25 April. Many dates hang on Easter: carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday 47 days before it, Ascension Day (Father's Day in Germany) is 39 days after it, and Pentecost follows ten days later. Orthodox Easter, celebrated by many Christians in Syria and the wider region, uses the Julian calendar and is often one to five weeks later.
Other moments are fixed but differ by country: Mother's Day is 21 March in most Arab countries, the second Sunday of May in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and usually the last Sunday of May in France. School holidays in Germany are set state by state. Write each date into your own calendar once a year and set a reminder four weeks ahead.
Each card says when the moment falls, one idea that works for a small shop, and how to set it up in RevYoMe.
From 2 January to the end of the month
January is slow almost everywhere: budgets are empty and people have good intentions. A café can push a light breakfast or a coffee bundle on weekday mornings; a barbershop or salon can fill gaps with a fresh-start offer on quiet weekdays instead of discounting the busy Saturday.
With RevYoMe: a coupon limited to Monday to Thursday, with an end date on the last day of January.
6 January (a public holiday in Austria and parts of Germany)
In France the galette des rois sells all month; in southern Germany and Austria it is a day off with families out. Bakeries and cafés can sell a whole cake for the table with coffee included, and give an extra stamp to whoever finds the bean.
With RevYoMe: an automatic deal on the cake bundle, and bonus stamps on the item itself.
14 February, every year
Restaurants and cafés sell a set menu or a dessert for two; barbershops and salons sell a grooming gift. The quiet winner is the gift card, bought in the days before by people who forgot, so have them ready from the start of February.
With RevYoMe: gift cards with their own code and PIN, and a coupon for two that runs from 7 to 14 February.
Carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday, 47 days before Easter; winter school holidays vary
In the Rhineland and southern Germany the carnival days bring crowds and costume nights; in France, Chandeleur on 2 February means crêpes and Mardi Gras means doughnuts. Where schools close, families eat out at lunchtime, so a children's menu or a family deal fills tables.
With RevYoMe: a family deal valid only between the start and end dates of the local holiday.
8 March (a public holiday in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania)
Widely marked in the Arab world and in France. A salon can offer a treatment to bring a friend along, a café a flower and a free drink with lunch. Keep it a gesture rather than a deep discount.
With RevYoMe: a one-day coupon, or a free extra on a booked service.
21 March
In Syria and most Arab countries Mother's Day is 21 March, the same day as Nowruz for Kurdish families and the first day of spring. Salons fill up with daughters booking their mothers in; cafés and sweet shops sell trays to take home. In Europe it is the week the terraces reopen.
With RevYoMe: gift cards for mothers, and online booking so the gifts turn into appointments.
Between 22 March and 25 April; Orthodox Easter is often later
Long weekends and family lunches. Restaurants take larger table orders for Easter Sunday; bakeries and cafés sell Easter breads and chocolate. Salons and barbers get busy the week before, so open extra slots rather than discounting.
With RevYoMe: a coupon with start and end dates around the holiday, and extra booking slots.
Second Sunday of May in DACH; usually the last Sunday of May in France
A brunch reservation, a manicure or a hair treatment for mum. If your customers have family in both worlds, remember the March date as well. Sell the gift two weeks ahead and leave room in the diary for the days after, when the gift is redeemed.
With RevYoMe: gift cards, plus a booking coupon for a free extra with a treatment.
Germany: Ascension Day, 39 days after Easter; France: third Sunday of June; many Arab countries: 21 June
The barbershop's best gift moment: a cut and beard trim as a present. Restaurants can run a grill plate or a family table offer; cafés a coffee and cake for two.
With RevYoMe: barbershop gift cards and a booking coupon for a free beard trim.
June and July; results days differ by country
Baccalauréat, Abitur and the secondary-school results in Syria and the region bring celebrations. Restaurants host group dinners; salons and barbers handle the photos-and-party rush. A congratulations offer for students is easy to explain.
With RevYoMe: a coupon code shared with your customers and capped per customer.
July and August; many French shops are quiet in August
Cold drinks and ice cream sell themselves; the problem is the empty hours. Families from the diaspora visit Syria and the wedding season peaks, so salons and barbers are fully booked in the region while European city shops slow down. Reward regulars who stay in town.
With RevYoMe: a deal on cold drinks valid in the afternoon, and bonus stamp hours on the slowest days.
Late August to September, depending on the country and state
La rentrée in France, the Einschulung in Germany and the new school year in Syria. Barbers and salons get the first-day haircuts; cafés win back their morning regulars after the holidays. A bring-a-friend offer works well now.
With RevYoMe: a first-order coupon for new customers, and booking slots for children's cuts.
International Coffee Day on 1 October; autumn menus from late September
Coffee Day is a cheap excuse for a café to get attention: a free extra shot, double stamps for the day. Autumn menus with pumpkin, chestnuts and hot drinks give regulars something new to try.
With RevYoMe: bonus stamps on the new seasonal drinks, so regulars try them.
31 October
Small in the Arab world, growing in France and Germany among younger customers. A themed drink or dessert, a costume discount in the evening, or a themed prize on the wheel your app customers can spin once a day.
With RevYoMe: an evening-only coupon, and a themed coupon added as a prize on the wheel.
The Friday after the fourth Thursday of November; Cyber Monday follows
Gulf countries call it White Friday. A small shop cannot win on discounts against big retailers, so sell value instead: gift cards bought now for Christmas, or a bundle that only exists this weekend.
With RevYoMe: gift cards for the season ahead, and a weekend deal with a total redemption cap.
Advent from the fourth Sunday before 25 December; Christmas is also a public holiday in Syria
Christmas markets in DACH, team dinners for restaurants, and gift cards everywhere. Salons and barbers are booked for parties, so protect your regulars with early booking. Gift cards are the gift people buy last, in the final days.
With RevYoMe: gift cards, a campaign to your app customers in early December, and online booking.
31 December
Silvester, réveillon or ras al-sana: restaurants run a set menu, salons and barbers are full during the day. Plan the quiet first days of January now and give every guest a reason to come back.
With RevYoMe: a coupon that starts on 2 January and is handed out on 31 December.
These follow the Islamic calendar and arrive about eleven days earlier each year. Check the expected dates when you plan the year, and confirm locally.
The ninth month of the Islamic year, 29 or 30 days
Daytime is quiet and the evening is everything. Restaurants and cafés run iftar menus at sunset and stay open late for suhoor; sweet shops sell trays for families. Salons and barbers move their busy hours to the evening. Many Muslim customers in Germany and France follow the same rhythm.
With RevYoMe: a coupon whose daily time window runs from sunset past midnight, with start and end dates for the month.
The end of Ramadan, usually two to three days
New clothes, fresh haircuts, family visits and sweets. The last week of Ramadan is the busiest of the year for barbers and salons, so open the booking diary early and let regulars book first. Cafés and patisseries sell maamoul and festive trays.
With RevYoMe: online booking for the Eid rush, and gift cards as Eid gifts.
The 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah, about 70 days after Eid al-Fitr
The Feast of Sacrifice brings family gatherings and large meals. Restaurants can take orders for family platters; barbers and salons see a second rush before the holiday.
With RevYoMe: a deal on family platters with a minimum spend.
The 12th of Rabi al-Awwal in many countries
In Syria and much of the region families buy sweets and gather in the evening. A sweet shop or café can offer a tray to share or a bundle for visitors.
With RevYoMe: a bundle deal with dates set for the evening and the day after.
Not every promotion needs a holiday. These three can be planned any month.
Germany 3 October, France 14 July, Saudi Arabia 23 September, the UAE 2 December
A national day is a day off and a mood. Use it for a themed dish or a colour-themed drink, never a political message. In the Gulf, national-day offers are expected and customers look for them.
With RevYoMe: a one-day coupon with the date as its start and end.
Every week, on your own slow days and hours
Look at when your shop is empty and price for it. A café can reward the mid-afternoon visit, a salon the Tuesday morning. Customers who learn the habit come back without any discount.
With RevYoMe: bonus stamp hours that multiply the stamps on till sales on the days and hours you pick.
Any time, especially around Ramadan and Christmas
Give a share of one product to a local cause, or run a collection with your neighbours. Tell customers exactly what goes where, and report the result afterwards.
With RevYoMe: a featured deal on your shop page explaining the cause.
Every idea above uses one of these RevYoMe features. They are set up in your owner console and appear in your shop app and web shop.
A percentage or fixed amount off, a free item or free delivery, with a code or applied automatically. Each deal can have start and end dates, chosen weekdays and a daily time window that may run past midnight, plus a minimum spend, first-order-only, per-customer and total caps. Public deals are listed on your shop's deals page, and one can be featured.
More about coupons and dealsMultiply the stamps a till sale earns on the weekdays and hours you choose, up to ten times. Single items or whole categories can also give extra stamps, which makes a new seasonal product easy to push.
More about the digital stamp cardEvery card has its own code and PIN, an amount and an optional expiry date. They are bought in your shop or by bank transfer, and the recipient adds them to their customer account. You redeem them at the till, in several visits if they like.
More about digital gift cardsCustomers with an account spin once a day for a prize. The prizes are your own coupons, you decide how often each one comes up, and you can cap how many are won per day.
Prizes are coupons: see dealsFor barbershops and salons: booking coupons give a percentage, a fixed amount or a free extra with a service, with the same dates and limits as order deals, and online booking turns a seasonal gift into an appointment.
More about online bookingSend an in-app message and a push notification to the customers who have an account in your shop app, now or at a time you schedule. Announce the Ramadan menu the day before it starts, not on the evening itself.
Pick the ones your customers actually celebrate, then write the dates for the coming year into your calendar, including the movable feasts.
Create the deal with its dates and limits, prepare gift cards and open extra booking slots, so nothing is built on the busy day.
Schedule a campaign to your app customers, feature the deal on your shop, and afterwards check how often it was used before you repeat it next year.
So the plan matches what RevYoMe does, here are the limits up front:
What shop owners ask when they plan the year.
Ramadan moves about eleven days earlier each year. Look up the expected date when you plan, set your deal to start the day after, and adjust it in the owner console once the start is announced in your country.
Yes. A deal can have a daily time window, and the window may run past midnight, for example from 18:00 to 03:00. You can also limit it to chosen weekdays and to start and end dates.
Set a total number of uses, a limit per customer, a daily limit or a budget, and if you want, a minimum spend or first orders only. When a limit is reached the coupon stops applying.
Each deal can be used online, at the till or both. Deals that reduce the delivery fee only work on delivery orders.
Yes, with a campaign to your app customers as an in-app message and a push notification, sent now or scheduled. RevYoMe does not send promotional SMS or WhatsApp messages.
About three to four weeks for most moments, and six weeks for Ramadan, Eid and Christmas, when gift cards and appointments sell out early.
Still have questions?
Contact SupportSet up deals, gift cards, bonus stamps and booking offers in your own shop, without commission.
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