July and August are the months when European and American clients are on holiday. Here's a practical guide for foreign trade professionals to follow up on the off-season! Attached is the 2025 European and American holiday schedule.

Every July and August, European and American customers enter their holiday season, leading to frequent delays in order response, communication gaps, and logistics bottlenecks. According to statistics from foreign trade platforms, over 60% of foreign trade companies experience a performance decline of over 30% during this period . However, the top 10% of salespeople manage to achieve growth despite this downturn through meticulous management and contingency planning. This article, drawing on the practical experience of veteran foreign trade professionals, will analyze the 2025 European and American holiday schedule and strategies for coping with it throughout the entire cycle.

1. 2025 Key Holiday Schedule and Business Impact in Europe and the United States

1. Holiday periods in European countries

• Germany : July to September, 4-5 weeks of rotation (peak period mid-to-late August)
• France : From the last week of July to the end of August, at least 2 weeks
• UK: Starts at the end of July or early August and lasts for one month
• Netherlands : June to August, two weeks to one month of rotation

  Belgium : mid-July to early August

• Italy: August 1 to September 3 (approximately 1 month)
• Spain: To avoid the peak, some people choose to take vacations at the end of June or September, shortening the duration to around 15 days.
• Portugal : July 14-27 (about half a month)
• Greece : early August to late August (1 month)
• Poland: Early July to late July (some start at the end of June), 2 weeks
• Czech Republic : Rotating holidays from early July to the end of August, with a concentrated period from July 12 to August 8
• Hungary : Early July to late August, 2 weeks to 1 month
• Slovenia : July 1 to the end of September
• Norway : Rotating holidays from the end of June/early July to early September, with a one-month concentrated holiday after Midsummer
• Denmark : The holiday is completed before the end of July, lasting about 3 weeks
• Sweden : Midsummer (June 22) to mid-to-late August, about 4 weeks
• Finland : Midsummer begins and lasts for 3-4 weeks (job shortages in July)
• Iceland : Early July to September (Parliament is also in recess)
• Switzerland : early to late July
• Austria : Longest paid leave (35 days), with spread out summer vacations
• Ireland : Northern Ireland starts in July, Scotland starts at the end of June

2. Vacation characteristics in North America

• United States : Although there is no unified long holiday, there are several short holiday peaks such as Juneteenth on June 19 , Independence Day on July 4 , and Labor Day on September 1 .
• Canada : The holiday season begins after National Day on July 1st, with mainly segmented holidays from July to August.

Insight from a seasoned foreign trader : Northern European countries (such as Sweden and Denmark) often start their holiday season in June, while Southern European countries have the most concentrated holiday season in August. Be sure to confirm your client's specific plans in early June .

Reference table of peak holiday periods in major European and American countries in 2025

2. Before the Client's Vacation: Four Core Preparations (Starting in June)

1. "Holiday Escort Plan" for Orders and Logistics

• Production advance : Confirm the last delivery date before the customer goes on vacation (for example, German customers usually close orders before July 10 ), and advance the delivery date by 2 weeks to avoid production delays.

• Logistics filing : Sign a "holiday space guarantee agreement" with the freight forwarder to lock in August space to avoid overbooking and cargo dumping after production resumes. A major Shenzhen seller was ordered to pay $120,000 in compensation in August 2024 due to a delay in booking space in advance.

2. Three-tiered confirmation method for customer communication

• Step 1 : Send the "Holiday Plan Confirmation Form" via email in June (the template includes vacation start and end dates, emergency contact person, and arrangements for the first day back to work)

• Step 2 : Additional phone confirmation for important customers, record the contact person's backup number (for example, German customers often use WhatsApp as an emergency channel)

• Step 3 : Update your CRM system (such as AB Customer CRM ) and set up automatic reminders: Push a "last order day" reminder 3 days before your vacation.

3. Emergency Authorization Mechanism

• Require customers to designate an on-the-job agent contact (such as a purchasing assistant or warehouse manager) to authorize in writing the handling of inspection/payment and other permissions

• Case: A clothing foreign trade company in Hangzhou completed the acceptance of three batches of rush orders during the holiday by obtaining inspection authorization from the customer's warehouse supervisor.

4. Marketing water storage: laying the hook for the resumption of work and the outbreak

• Create vacation-themed marketing materials : such as a "Summer Inspiration Booklet" (including return-to-work promotional codes) and new product preview videos

• Activate customers in the Southern Hemisphere: Develop customer groups in Brazil, Chile, Australia, etc. that do not take high-temperature holidays

3. On vacation: urgent matters and low-interference follow-up

1. Emergency Response Strategy

2. Lightweight customer maintenance skills

• Social media engagement : Like/comment on clients’ vacation updates (e.g., LinkedIn photos), maintain a presence without selling.

• Knowledge sharing push : Send excerpts of industry reports (with the full version provided after work resumes)

• Greetings on key days : Send customized greetings on French National Day (July 14) and local festivals

A bitter lesson : A salesperson asked a customer about the order progress when the customer was posting family beach photos, causing the customer to angrily cancel the order!

4. Golden follow-up strategy after customers resume work

1. First Week "Soft Launch" Strategy

• Day 1 : Send a personalized return-to-work email (no mention of orders, focus on greetings and information sharing)

• Day 3 : Send the "Backlog Processing List" for confirmation of priority (with Excel template)

• Day 5 : Hold a video conference to finalize Q3 plans and avoid directly asking for new orders

2. Review holiday data mining opportunities

• Analyze customer official websites/social media dynamics: if a customer releases a new product line, quickly match supplier resources

• Check logistics delay records: recommend the "shipping guarantee service" value-added solution to customers who have experienced delays

3. Launch a "Post-vacation bonus" promotion

• A 15-day limited storage subsidy or priority production scheduling privilege is offered to customers who have resumed work.

• Case: Dongguan electronics factory recovered 87% of orders put on hold due to vacation through the "free expedited shipping" policy for the first order after resuming work

5. Year-round Holiday Management Toolbox

1. Key U.S. Holiday Notes for 2025 :

   • June 19th Juneteenth → Confirm Black customers to participate in the event in advance

   • November 27th Thanksgiving → Beware of logistics congestion

2. CRM system calendar : Import European and American holidays (e.g. Shrovetide is a holiday only in Saxony)

"True foreign trade experts have already secured orders for after work resumes, even while their customers are sunbathing." By planning ahead in June, precisely reaching customers during the holiday break, and quickly closing the gap after work resumes, turning the off-season into a "peak season"—this is the ultimate strategy for consistently winning orders.