The Bike Shop Email Calendar: What to Send and When All Year

Email marketing for a bike shop has a natural rhythm — the riding season has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and your emails should reflect it. Shops that send random campaigns whenever they remember are leaving money on the table. Shops that plan ahead own their customer relationships year-round.

This is a full 12-month email calendar built specifically for independent bike and outdoor shops. Use it as a starting point and adapt to your specific market and inventory.

Before the calendar matters, the list has to exist. If you don’t have an email opt-in on your website and you’re not collecting addresses at the register, start there first.

January — New Year, New Gear

• Campaign: ‘New Year, New Goals’ — feature goal-oriented products, training gear, commuter bikes
• Campaign: Service push — ‘Get your bike ready before spring rush, book now’
• Automation to set up: Welcome series if you don’t have one

February — The Pre-Season Window

• Campaign: Spring preview — new models arriving, feature pre-orders if applicable
• Campaign: Valentine’s Day gift guide — accessories, apparel, gift cards
• This is one of the most important months for service booking — send a ‘reserve your spring tune-up spot’ email

March/April — Riding Season Kickoff

• Campaign: Riding season is here — featured bikes, seasonal accessories, local events
• Campaign: Spring sale if relevant, or a new arrivals spotlight
• Local angle: ‘First group ride of the season’ or local trail conditions update
• Automation to set up: Abandoned cart if you don’t have one

May — Peak Buying Season

• Campaign: Mother’s Day gift guide — bikes for beginners, comfort accessories, helmets
• Campaign: Featured bikes — highest margin inventory for the season
• Automated: Post-purchase follow-up for spring bike buyers

June — Summer Stretch

• Campaign: Father’s Day gift guide — performance gear, bike accessories, gift cards
• Campaign: Summer riding essentials — hydration, sun protection, trail accessories
• Newsletter angle: Local summer events, group rides, shop events

July/August — Mid-Season Maintenance

• Campaign: Mid-season service reminder — ‘Your bike has been working hard. Time for a check-up.’
• Campaign: Summer clearance — move seasonal inventory before fall arrives
• Newsletter angle: Summer trail conditions, staff picks, shop life

September — The Fall Pivot

• Campaign: Fall riding — feature trail bikes, fat bikes if relevant, fall apparel
• Campaign: Clearance push — bikes and summer gear
• Campaign: Back to school / commuter push

October — Shoulder Season

• Campaign: End-of-season service — ‘Store your bike right for winter’ or ‘Ride through fall with the right gear’
• Campaign: Pre-holiday preview — gift guide teaser
• Automation: Re-engagement campaign for subscribers who haven’t opened in 90+ days

November — Holiday Season

• Campaign: Holiday gift guide — bikes for beginners, accessories, helmets, gift cards
• Campaign: Black Friday or Small Business Saturday promotion if you’re running one
• Campaign: Gift card push — your highest-margin, easiest gift
• Note: gift cards are consistently undermarketed by bike shops and consistently over-perform when featured

December — Year-End Close

• Campaign: Last-minute gifts — accessories and gift cards for quick shipping
• Campaign: Year in review — a genuine shop note, not a promotional email. This one builds loyalty.
• Campaign: ‘See you in the new year’ — upcoming events, spring preview, thank you

Automations That Run Year-Round (Set Once, Run Forever)

• Welcome series — 2 to 3 emails when someone joins your list
• Abandoned cart — 1 to 2 emails when someone doesn’t complete checkout
• Post-purchase — thank you and follow-up for every transaction
• Service reminder — 90 days after a bike purchase or service visit
• Re-engagement — for subscribers inactive for 90+ days

What to Track

Open rate (goal: 25%+ for independent retail), click rate (goal: 2–3%+), and revenue attributed to email. Most email platforms show revenue attribution. If yours doesn’t, set up UTM tracking on your campaign links. Know what your email list is worth so you can justify investing in it.

Sound familiar? If your shop is running one of these platforms and the online side isn’t keeping up with the shop floor, that’s exactly what Upline works on. No pitch, no pressure — just a straight conversation about what’s going on and whether we can help. Need Help with your Email Calendar? Contact the Upline