May is great. Not only is the weather mild and glorious pretty much across the country, there are holidays or celebrations nearly every week. That means party food!

With so many promotional opportunities this month, plan early to maximize May sales. Use the Q2 Promo Playbook to build end caps and displays based on SPINS natural products sales data to get the most bang for your buck, and remember to properly support your promotions via social media and in-store signage. Beginning as early as April, offer a Spring celebration planner in your prepared foods department to ensure that people have you in mind while planning social events this season.

Fiesta season kicks off with Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican celebration marking victory over French occupation of Mexico. Immigrants brought this holiday to the U.S., where the delicious food and spirit of fun have caught on widely. Cinco de Mayo promotions are a great way to use your holiday merchandising skills to appeal to a more diverse audience. Check out the Cinco de Mayo recipe collection and Pinterest page for tasty recipes to share.

Next up, Mother’s Day. People’s opinions about the best meal of the day vary, but there is a broad agreement about brunch. It’s awesome! Print and offer recipe cards in-store and share recipes from our Celebrate Mother’s Day recipe collection in support of fabulous brunchy displays of homemade baked goods, fresh squeezed O.J., pre-cut fruit, pancake mix, syrup and more.

Once the last pancake’s been eaten, pull out the stops for Memorial Day. In addition to remembering those we’ve lost in war or otherwise, most people remember their grill and how to use it on this holiday. Build that big charcoal display, get the condiments, grillables and paper plates rocking and offer a steady stream of great grilled recipes, especially fun and unique stuff like Co+op Kitchen’s Choosing Steak and How to Cook Great Steak, or The Fruit and Veggie Grilling Guide.

Investing time and energy into seasonal promotions pays increasing dividends over time. Not only do you boost one month’s sales, you establish your brand as being in tune with what’s happening and what people care about, now. Strive to become their go-to source for every major occasion!