17 essential Christmas tips for retailers

Laura Roberts, Laura’s Larder

1. I hope Christmas 2024 will be about going back to basics. And when I say this, I mean the opposite of every-flavour-mince-pies. Rather, I envision delicious, traditional mince pies, mulled wine, luxurious chocolates, classic panettone, and other favourites. This year, my buying focus is on high-quality items that bring joy and nostalgia, with some fun stocking fillers thrown in for good measure, while also considering that people are looking for that sense of familiarity and warmth, especially during the festive season. Think classic recipes, traditional sweets, and hearty foods that evoke a sense of home.

2. Cheese is a massive focus. Aim to cater for great gatherings, offering wonderful cheese platters and the opportunity for people to build their own, with a wide selection from the ever-popular Baron Bigod to Stichelton. Provide pairing ideas, building on the trend of people experimenting beyond the classic cheese and chutney combo. Encourage them to try cake, chocolate, smoked nuts, jams and more.

3. Christmas is the time for customisable hampers. Gone are the days of rigid, unchanging hampers. Customers now revel in choice and the ability to tailor gifts to their loved ones’ tastes. Ensure you have a diverse range of items to cater for all types of shoppers – from gourmet treats and fine wines, to artisanal condiments and festive snacks. Having a variety will allow customers to build the perfect hamper for their loved ones.

4. Many shoppers are seeking products with minimal packaging, and Christmas is a time when non-eco-friendly packaging can really go overboard. Including eco-friendly wrapping options and sustainable product choices could be a significant draw.

5. Experiential gifts are gaining popularity. Cater for that with vouchers for experiences like wine tasting sessions or other events you might host.

Powderham Farm Shop

6. Ensure all your displays are top notch. People generally don’t know what to buy for Christmas, so you need to give them a guiding hand with your displays. Also, ensure you have plenty of pick-me-up items near your till.

Stefano Cuomo, Macknade

7. Get stock out as soon as you can. Some of what we categorise as seasonal produce is simply new lines for our customers and so generates interest and new sales.

8. If you have space, consider product pop-ups. There may be some lines you don’t want to stock (esoteric, higher price point, niche) but which could provide good animation for the customer experience. Adopt a model whereby the producer can come in with stock, do tastings, sell through your tills, and then take away all remaining stock and invoice for what was sold. This helps with the customer experience, creates marketing opportunity, de-risks the shopkeeper by not having stock left on the shelf, gives valuable insight to the producer, builds a relationship.

Lawrie Chandler, Bison Hill

9. We encourage passers-by who are interested but not acting on their purchase to take a photo of an A-board where we have with the products displayed. It’s better than a business card because it’s on their photo reel, which may prompt them to visit and buy when they scroll through their photos. 

Nicole Ewer-Woodley, The Goat Shed

10. Make yourself aware of what your customers are experiencing during the Christmas period and understand the ways in which your business can appeal to them and use this across your messaging. They could, for example, be hosting Christmas and looking for a quick and easy way to make sure they have everything needed for Christmas Day lunch. Our solution is an order form which allows them to pre-order, avoid the busy supermarkets and collect with confidence knowing that they have everything that they need to host the most delicious Christmas.

11. Use your social accounts and create content that relates to your customers. Have fun during this time of year, showcasing your team and your seasonal offerings. We’re very proud of our social engagement and take a lot of inspiration from bigger chains such as M&S who create fun in-store content with their teams.

12. Customer service is key! We pride ourselves on our customer service, making sure that we greet the customers, take the time to listen to their needs, offer suggestions and educate them about the locality and stories behind produce. Let them sample products, and be sure that baskets and trollies are available through different pick-up points in the shop.

13. Make sure your shelves, counters and fridges are full. Customers are more likely to gravitate and buy from a full display.

14. Spend time on merchandising. Think about your customers and put together displays that sell an idea or a theme. Link products together to get the customer thinking, making sure that prices are clear. Support displays with point-of-sale materials. This may include an offer or give a backstory behind the product or range.

Mel Wythe, Secretts

15. Careful and meticulous planning is key. We start liaising with producers in June and we like to buy in early to avoid a last-minute rush. We buy in bigger/bulk products too so our customers can stock up on the core things without having to do repeat visits - an essential if you have a table of 20 to feed at Christmas!

16. We’re lucky in that we have a Christmas marquee set up from mid-November which transforms into a festive wonderland and houses a lot of our Christmas stock, freeing up space in the farm shop and allowing us to keep the flow un-cluttered and enjoyable for customers. 

17. A big event in the Secretts calendar is our annual Christmas preview evening in November when local producers come in, and we have a festive food offering and a glass or two of fizz. This always serves as a nice kick-off for Christmas and if it runs smoothly (which it always does) I know we’ve planned things well. It’s also a chance for the staff to get into the festive spirit. The run up to Christmas can be hard work so we’ll often get some festive biscuits in and don the Christmas jumpers – we try to make it an enjoyable time for everybody.