As the autumn approaches, so does the busiest time of year for seasonal confectionery stock. Not only are there the big occasions of Halloween and Christmas, but cosy autumn nights in are also a great opportunity to increase your sales. From choosing the most appealing stock, to transitioning between seasonal lines and making sure customers see them, there are plenty of ways to boost your sales throughout the seasonal highlight of the year.
Get a Fast Start
With the amount of interest in seasonal stock throughout September and October, there is ample opportunity to begin reaping the rewards early on in the period. Shoppers are often so keen for Christmas in particular that up to 72% of them start their festive shopping in September! Catering for these customers will not only meet their needs, but it will help to spread the festive joy, too. Seasonal treats signal the start of the season and encourage more of those early purchases. Halloween is also worthy of focus, as it grew by 4% last year as trick or treating and other social events started to return to pre-pandemic levels.
There was a similar trend with Christmas sharing pouches, albeit much bigger at 27% increase, whilst the majority of the Christmas lines sold early on are self-eat. With a return to strength of on the go customers, there was a massive 56% increase in sales last year. This highlights the impact that a festive-themed impulse range can have on your bottom line! Snack-sized treats like Cadbury Puds and Maltesers Reindeer are an ideal way to catch the eye of shoppers in store!
Throughout the whole period, alongside Christmas and Halloween, the colder weather and dark evenings mean that people spend more time at home. What is better on a cosy evening than something sweet?! Sharing products are an area well worth attention, as they not only serve as a snack for a night in, but they are a great option for shoppers who trade up their impulse buys. By stocking sharing bags alongside impulse lines you can encourage the trade up to the more expensive option.
Combining your Halloween and early Christmas lines will effectively draw attention to both and get shoppers into the mood for the seasonal highlights. Keeping focus on Halloween and sharing products will help you achieve a successful start to your seasonal offering.
Excite Shoppers All the Way to Christmas Day
Once Halloween has come, your focus can switch entirely to Christmas throughout November and December. Getting your approach right can certainly pay dividends, as average basket spend is 38% bigger for those buying Christmas sweets and chocolates.
As you allocate more space to your festive line-up, you can maximise sales by focussing on trade-up options and Christmas bestsellers. Alongside your impulse and sharing lines, offer further trade-ups by working in festive gifting options. Much like sweets for trick or treating, there was an increase in the sales of popular cartons of 7.7%. Compiling a range of the most popular lines, such as Cadbury Heroes, Lindt Lindor and Ferrero Rocher, is a reliable way to meet shoppers’ needs.
According to research by Kantor, brand is the top reason for festive confectionery purchases in convenience stores. They also found that Cadbury was the most popular brand. So, it would be amiss not to include their festive offerings on your shelves. Last year, their Dairy Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar and Santa Chocolate Selection Box were both top sellers in their respective categories. Don’t ignore lines from other popular brands, as sharing options are also popular choices when shoppers are looking for Christmas gifts. Include sought-after brands like Galaxy and the Nestle family too, as these are popular sharing picks and stocking fillers.
Customers are more impulsive at Christmastime, so catching their attention is a key factor. Stocking the most popular products and featuring eye-catching displays is a brilliant way to turn store visits into sales. With temptation playing such a big role the sales of many different festive lines, putting time into your POS and displays will shine a light on your stock and lead to it ending up in baskets. Don’t purely focus your attention in store either – make the most of your online presence, too. Advertise your fantastic festive stock on your website and social media channels so shoppers know all about of the fantastic Christmas confectionery you offer.
As with any aspect of your store, thinking about what your customers want and the lines you offer can be the key to seasonal success. Here at Hancocks, we have fantastic festive stock to support your seasonal campaigns. From advent calendars and gifting options to Christmas pick n mix and so much more, you’ll find everything you need for a very merry Christmas in store!
