For many Americans, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. As a federal holiday and a long weekend, it’s a three-day stretch filled with backyard barbecues, retail deals, and road trips. But for small business owners, it’s much more than that—it’s a golden opportunity to boost visibility, increase revenue, and bring in a wave of new customers. Memorial Day is also a great time for marketing initiatives.

According to the National Retail Federation, over 60% of U.S. consumers plan to shop during Memorial Day weekend. Many consumers eagerly anticipate Memorial Day sales, and the long weekend is a great opportunity for businesses to attract customers who spend money on food, drinks, gifts, entertainment, and more.

With Memorial Day approaching, now is the perfect time for small business owners to plan their marketing campaigns.

The key question is: Will they spend it with you?

Let’s dive into five proven strategies you can use this Memorial Day to get more foot traffic, generate buzz, and turn holiday browsers into loyal customers. We’ll also show you how tools from Velocity Merchant Services (VMS) and Clover POS can help you execute each idea flawlessly.

1. Host a Memorial Day Event (Even a Simple One)

People are itching to get out of the house during Memorial Day weekend—and they’re more likely to visit businesses that offer an “experience,” not just a product.

Here’s what you can do:

Food trucks or local vendor pop-ups: Invite nearby small vendors to set up outside your store.
Live music or DJs: A little background music turns a regular day of shopping into a festive outing.
Family-friendly activities: Think cornhole, sidewalk chalk art contests, or patriotic photo booths. Hand out branded water bottles as event swag to keep guests refreshed and engaged.
Incorporate the American flag: Use the American flag in your event decor or organize a patriotic relay or activity featuring the flag to highlight national pride.
Honor service members, military veterans, and veterans: Host a moment of silence or make a special announcement during your event to honor the sacrifices of service members, military veterans, and veterans. Consider inviting local veterans as special guests or featuring their stories to show appreciation.

**VMS Tie-In:**Make your event hassle-free by offering contactless payments using Clover POS devices for small businesses. Customers love the speed and ease of tapping their cards or phones—especially when they’re in event mode. Plus, quick lines = more happy customers.

Bonus tip: Use your Clover system to track sales during the event. You can compare results year-over-year and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.

2. Launch a Holiday-Themed Loyalty Program

Want to turn a one-time Memorial Day customer into a regular? Reward them for coming back.

Create a time-sensitive loyalty campaign:

Offer double loyalty points over Memorial Day weekend.
Run a “Visit 3 Times, Get a $10 Gift Card” promotion.
Start a “Red, White & You” punch card program just for the week.
Give your most loyal customers exclusive early access to Memorial Day promotions.

Not only do loyalty programs keep customers coming back, but they also provide valuable insights into shopping behavior and preferences.

**VMS Tie-In:**Clover’s built-in loyalty app integrations make setting up and managing reward programs ridiculously easy. Everything syncs with your POS, so you’re not fumbling with paper cards or spreadsheets. You can also use Clover to send exclusive loyalty offers to your SMS subscribers, increasing engagement and driving more visits.

Pro tip: Customize your loyalty branding using Clover’s apps to reflect your Memorial Day theme—red, white, and boom!

3. Sell (and Promote) Digital Gift Cards

Gift cards are one of the most overlooked marketing tools for small businesses—especially during holidays. Why? Because they don’t just bring in money upfront, they guarantee a repeat visit and often lead to customers spending more than the card’s value.

How to promote Memorial Day gift cards:

Offer a bonus: “Buy a $50 gift card, get $10 free!”
Create themed digital gift cards with patriotic designs.
Encourage customers to buy for teachers, grads, or Father’s Day (which is right around the corner).

**VMS Tie-In:**With VMS and Clover, you can offer custom-branded digital and physical gift cards right from your POS. Plus, you can sell them online and in person—so whether someone’s at the beach or in your store, they can still support your business. Customers can conveniently buy online and purchase gift cards from anywhere, making it easy to shop even during busy holiday weekends. Consider including promo codes with gift card purchases as an extra incentive to encourage more sales.

Gift cards also make great upsell material for employees during slower sales moments over the weekend.

4. Run a Limited-Time “Freedom Sale” with Smart Discounts

Nothing draws in holiday shoppers like a good deal, especially during a major sale. But small business owners have to be strategic—slashing prices across the board isn’t always feasible. Memorial Day is a key retail event and a great opportunity to boost sales with targeted promotions.

Instead, create targeted, limited-time offers:

“Spend $40, get 15% off your next visit.”
“Freedom Flash Sale: 2–4 PM, 20% off all red-tagged items.”
“Buy One, Gift One”: Encourage social gifting.
Highlight a time sensitive offer with messaging like “Shop immediately—these deals end soon!” to create urgency and prompt quick purchases.

Use urgency to your advantage: Make it clear the deal ends Monday night, the last day of your Memorial Day sale. Clearly communicating the last day helps drive final engagement and encourages customers to act before the sale is over.

**VMS Tie-In:**With Clover’s smart inventory and pricing tools, you can set up automated discounts and manage them right from the POS. Easily offer discounts, schedule the start and end times, manage time sensitive offers, apply discounts to select items, and track performance in real-time.

Even better, you can see which products flew off the shelves—so you’ll know exactly what to highlight in your next promotion.

5. Partner with Other Local Businesses

One small business is great. A small business squad is even better.

Teaming up with other entrepreneurs in your neighborhood can create synergy, cross-promotion opportunities, and a sense of community that Memorial Day is all about. Partnering with other businesses also helps you reach potential customers who may not have discovered your store otherwise.

Ideas to try:

Shared sidewalk sale: Combine foot traffic by setting up a shared outdoor event. For example, a sporting goods store could collaborate with a local apparel shop to host a Memorial Day sidewalk sale, attracting families and outdoor enthusiasts.
Co-branded promo: “Show a receipt from Joe’s BBQ and get 10% off here!”
Joint giveaways: Offer a prize bundle from multiple local shops.

**VMS Tie-In:**Use your Clover POS to track referral sources and see where your Memorial Day customers are coming from. This helps you figure out which partner efforts are working and refine them for next time.

If you’re already using email marketing or digital receipt marketing via VMS, you can even include links to your partners’ deals—building goodwill and strengthening your community brand.

Look to local partnerships for inspiration when planning your Memorial Day marketing ideas.

Memorial Day Marketing = Long-Term Gains

Let’s be real: Memorial Day is one of those weekends where small businesses either show up or get overlooked. For many businesses, it also marks the start of the summer season, making it a prime opportunity to launch seasonal marketing campaigns and connect with customers around summer activities.

But here’s the secret sauce—it’s not just about holiday revenue. It’s about creating moments with new customers that lead to long-term loyalty.

By hosting an event, running a creative promo, and offering modern perks like digital gift cards and contactless payments, you give your business a competitive edge while honoring the spirit of the holiday.

And the best part? You don’t have to do it alone. After Memorial Day, keep customers engaged throughout the summer season by sending text messages with exclusive offers or updates to maintain momentum.

Why Small Business Owners Trust VMS (Especially on Holidays)

At Velocity Merchant Services, we don’t just set you up with a credit card machine and wish you luck. We help small businesses thrive by providing:

Modern Clover POS systems (including portable Flex, countertop Mini, and full-service Duo)
Secure, easy-to-use contactless payments
Custom gift card programs
Integrated loyalty apps
Real-time reporting and analytics
Full support before, during, and after big sales weekends

We believe in small business because we are one—founded in a basement over 26 years ago and now helping thousands of merchants nationwide, as showcased in our small business success stories.

Whether you’re a café, a salon, a retail shop, or a food truck, Memorial Day weekend is your moment. And VMS has your back.

Take Action: Your Memorial Day Marketing Checklist

Choose at least one promo strategy (event, loyalty, gift cards, etc.)
Set up tools in Clover (discounts, gift cards, loyalty program)
Promote your event/offers via email and social media
Make sure your staff is trained and your POS is updated
Analyze your results—and celebrate your wins!

Memorial Day weekend is your chance to stand out from the crowd. Show your customers that you’re not just a place to buy things—you’re part of the community, and you’re investing in them.

With smart tools from VMS and a bit of creativity, you can turn this holiday into one of your most profitable weekends yet.

So go ahead—fire up the grill, blast your best patriotic playlist, and make this Memorial Day weekend one to remember for your business.

For more insights like this, keep up with the VMS blog—where small business meets big tech without the fluff.

Measuring Your Memorial Day Marketing Success (and Optimizing for Next Time)

After the excitement of Memorial Day weekend winds down, it’s time to turn your attention to what matters most for long-term growth: measuring your results and learning how to make your next Memorial Day sale or promotion even more successful.

Start by tracking the essentials: Dive into your sales data to see how your Memorial Day promotions performed. Look at total sales, average order value, and which products or services were most popular during the holiday weekend. If you ran a sidewalk sale, special discount, or offered a free gift, compare those numbers to a typical weekend to see the real impact.

Don’t forget your digital presence. Use analytics tools to monitor your online store’s traffic, conversion rates, and which Memorial Day marketing ideas drove the most engagement. Did your Memorial Day discount code get used? Which social media posts or email campaigns brought in the most customers? These insights will help you understand what resonates with your target audience—whether it’s military families, loyal customers, or new shoppers discovering your brand for the first time.

Gather feedback directly from your customers. A quick survey or a simple question on social media can reveal what your shoppers loved (or didn’t) about your Memorial Day promotions. This is a thoughtful way to show you care about their experience and to collect ideas for next year’s campaign.