Make your merchandising count this Christmas

The magic is in the detail during the festive season, and while your year-round toolbox of merchandising tricks is ripe for reuse, in 2025 customers are expecting that little bit more pizzazz. Sounds and smells are just as important as the sight your audience beholds as they step through your doors, experts say, but the old adages still count – cater to your unique audience, stay true to the philosophies they know and love you for, and don’t over-invest. This may be the busiest, and most valuable, time of the year for retail, but you don’t want to spend all your profits before they hit your coffers.

“Speciality retailers’ efforts are always elevated compared to the multiples, but by putting more time and energy into it for Christmas it should help to sustain them right through to the next key season,” says Emma Hunt, head of marketing at Cotswold Fayre. 

Indeed, as Elinor Tyler of Storm Communications says, “The Bank of England calculates that the UK spends 22% more on food in December than in other months of the year. Combine this knowledge with the fact that 40% of shoppers start their festive shopping before Halloween, and it’s clear that the run up to Christmas provides a golden opportunity for speciality food retailers to delight customers, showcase unique products and, all-importantly, boost sales.”

As a speciality retailer, your customers undoubtedly expect to be offered a cornucopia of delicious and indulgent food and drink to help them see out the festive season in style – but equally they need to know that you have their best interests at heart. “Especially around Christmas, retailers need to turn their attention to solutions – customers expect independents to do the right thing, not just try to upsell their most expensive items. Now is the time to ensure that customers are trusting that you are providing the right kind of products and thinking about how to give them the solutions they need.”

Time your stock strategically

“Take advantage of ‘Christmas creep’ by introducing festive lines from October,” says Elinor. “The nights are drawing in, temperatures are dropping, and shoppers are looking to get ahead, so lean into this and ensure your shop is positioned as a destination for seasonal indulgence, through traditional festive staples as well as luxury alternatives for those customers looking to trade up.”

While getting into the Christmas spirit in plenty of time is important, remember that the theme has a clear timescale so it might be worthwhile investing in communications about winter – think ‘winter warmers’ – as opposed to straight-up Christmas for anything and everything. “Quite often, stocking fillers aren’t overtly Christmassy, so this is something you can be creative about – for example, stocking products which have removable festive sleeves.”

The gifting season starts earlier than you might think, according to Elinor. “Premium and giftable items should be stocked early, targeting those shoppers who plan ahead and are looking for indulgent gifts. Self-treat products can sell steadily from October through to end December, whereas smaller novelty items, ideal as stocking fillers or impulse buys, are best introduced much closer to Christmas, capitalising on last-minute shoppers.”

Think like a time-poor shopper. “Everyone remembers the turkey, the hams and the potatoes, but a lot of people forget important elements like the gravy so this is the kind of item to display clearer as the big day nears.”

It makes sense to get Christmas stock out early to catch those early bird shoppers, but planning out your display themes ahead of time can really reap rewards. “A couple of weeks ahead of the big day, clearly display the real essentials in one place – stuffing, bread sauce, cranberries and chutneys – just so it’s as easy as possible for customers to stock up last-minute.” Theme your displays around shoppers’ culinary calendars, for example, Christmas Day brunch, using up leftovers and planning for parties.

Leverage novelty and exclusivity

“Speciality retailers are ideally placed to offer unique and innovative products that set them apart from the more standard festive products found in the multiples,” Elinor explains. “Limited edition items tap into consumer curiosity and help drive sales spikes, as well as being ideal gifts or stocking fillers. Novelty items, such as festive selection packs or branded merchandise, can also help increase sales.”

It’s not only overtly festive items that can benefit from a little extra merchandising attention, says Stefano Cuomo, CEO of Macknade. “The effective use of labelling and language is vital – you don’t want to share information for information’s sake, but it’s a vital part of educating customers and driving sales.”

Stefano recommends keeping the intel on displays relatively brief – focusing on the headlines that you know will land with your audience and justify the product’s price point – and following through with more detailed information on your other platforms. “Your narrative needs to be continuous across your social media, newsletters and website so that when people visit in-store your efforts are converted into a sale.”

Curate festive cheese and pairing displays

Your cheese offering can be a last-minute goldmine, says Elinor. “If you stock cheese, Christmas is the time to let it shine! Unlike other purchases, while shoppers may plan their cheeseboard ahead of time, they are more likely to buy it closer to the big day. Cheeseboards are central to Christmas entertaining, and merchandising cheeses alongside complementary products – gourmet crackers, artisanal breads, chutneys, dried fruit and nuts, wine and port – can encourage incremental sales. Highlight pairings and create thematic displays to inspire customers and help them envisage the perfect spread.”

“Make it as easy as possible for your customers by making links clear,” says Emma. “This not only gives them the solution they’re looking for, but also ups basket spend easily.”

Time is at a premium for all of us, all year round, but at Christmas – with more events to plan for, gifts to buy, and people to feed, giving customers what they’re looking for within a minimal timescale is crucial. This means that now is the time to optimise your signage. “Signage really comes into its own at Christmas because people need to see at a glance where the stocking fillers are or where the dinner essentials are,” she adds.

It’s not just a case of making things pretty, says Stefano, it’s making them proactive. “If people are walking past a beautifully curated display and it’s not telling a story or offering a solution, it’s pointless. It’s lovely to create a wonderful-looking display, but you need to also approach it strategically to make it work for you.”

Make it an immersive experience

Smells and sounds are also an important pieces of the festive merchandising puzzle, says Stefano. “We’re increasingly seeing experience being a core part of our offer, and merchandising lends itself to that first initial sensuality that drives sales. With food and drink we tend to think about taste first, whereas it’s actually the last sense we use when making a purchase. How things look, smell and feel is all part of the shopping experience so need to play a key role in merchandising. 

“Play Christmas music, have festive scents in-store and offer your customers a chance to sample food and drink in an immersive environment,” says Elinor. “Sampling is a powerful tool year-round, but consumers are typically more receptive to try new products at Christmas. Offer tastings of cheese with pairings; seasonal desserts with accompaniments, and morsels of chocolates and sweets to whet your customers’ appetites. Well placed signage should enhance the experience by highlighting bestsellers, giftable products and new arrivals.”

Seasonal changes

Emma Cyrus from WBC shares tips on how independent fine food retailers should approach festive merchandising differently from year-round campaigns

- Good spatial conceptualisation, clear signage and a festive atmosphere are all crucial, so plan your store layout and countertop displays well in advance.

- Research consumer buying trends before you start – they’ll give you insight into what people want.

- Create a sense of urgency with “limited deals” that drive impulse buys. Whether consumers are shopping ahead of the rush or making last-minute purchases, building up some time-related pressure is an effective motivator.

- Offer bespoke gifting solutions alongside your product mix (like wicker hampers or branded wine boxes). Not only do they contribute to impactful countertop displays, but they also save consumers time, which in turn breeds brand loyalty.

Retailer insight

Bruno Zoccola, owner of Valentina Deli, shares his dos and don’ts of festive merchandising

At Valentina, Christmas is all about more is more – but done in a way that makes our delicatessens feel inviting rather than overwhelming. With so much stock arriving in a short time, our approach is all about mixing tradition with a bit of trial-and-error as we try new things and see what works best. Here are some of our tried and tested top tips:

Do create a showstopper window display or area

We always start with a dramatic window. We stack our panettone and pandoro from floor to ceiling. Our huge range of these traditional Italian cakes will this year include our most in-demand flavour, Dubai Chocolate, and we make sure we cater for all tastes and dietary requirements. 

The panettone window always looks really impressive and often stops passers-by in their tracks as they walk past.  We also group other Italian Christmas treats together such as torroni, panforti and luxury chocolates which really helps build a sense of discovery. 

Ultimately, we’ve found that keeping things simple, bold and generous makes the biggest impact.

Do use height and drama for impact

Our lower-priced panettoni hang from the ceiling, adding visual drama while making the most of every inch of space. This vertical display also draws customers deeper into the store. 

Do give individual brands their moment

We think some products deserve a spotlight of their own.  Cartwright & Butler, for example, always gets its own dedicated section: it’s a really popular range for us, the packaging is eye-catching, and it almost creates a ready-made display that customers are immediately drawn to. 

Do balance tradition with new-ness, or trend-led products

Customers love returning for the classics, but they’re also looking for something they haven’t tried before. Each year we introduce a handful of new or trend-led products, whether that’s an unexpected panettone flavour, such as this year’s Dubai Chocolate Panettone, or a fun foodie present, like our range by Dolce & Gabbana.  Not only does this keep the exciting, but it gives regular customers another reason to explore and discover something new.

Don’t be afraid to move things around

From the start of November to all the way through December, we’re constantly tweaking and reshuffling. Festive merchandising isn’t static - products sell through at different rates, and displays need refreshing to keep them looking full and tempting.  We also want to remind regular customers and passersby of how much we have on offer and encourage them to come back in again and again.

Don’t overcrowd the shelves

Yes, Christmas is about ‘fitting it all in’, but balance is key.  By displaying things together in similar categories and maintaining some structure, it’s possible to keep the sense of abundance whilst avoiding chaos or overwhelm!

 

Ultimately, our festive merchandising is about celebrating Italian tradition while keeping the shop buzzing with energy. It’s organised – but with enough flexibility to adapt as the season unfolds.  And if you pop in in late December, you might even spot Bruno dressed up as Father Christmas!

Pullquote “Our festive merchandising is about celebrating Italian tradition while keeping the shop buzzing with energy”