Merchandising for Holiday Sales

A few weeks ago the Because of Marketing team spent the week analysing Christmas windows across major cities, and the data tells an interesting story about retail's future. With UK consumers set to spend £24.6 billion this Christmas (up 3.5% from last year according to PwC), the fight for attention has never been more critical. Here's what we discovered about the economics of festive visual merchandising: • Luxury Houses Lean Into Theatrical Retail Storytelling Dior and Burberry aren't just decorating windows, they're creating brand worlds. Dior transformed their entire building into a landmark experience whilst Burberry's "'Twas The Knight Before…" campaign featured their iconic Equestrian Knights in festive, British-themed scenes to merge heritage with humour. Other notable luxury windows included Mulberry's golden tree vignette and The White Company's serene displays offering understated elegance. When executed well, these theatrical displays drive: → A higher increase in foot traffic during peak festive weeks → Premium positioning that justifies luxury price points → Social media amplification potentially worth £millions in earned media Marketing takeaway: Investment in experience creates exponential returns through earned media. • High Street Brands Hold Back Several major retailers have scaled back or skipped festive windows entirely. This isn't cost-cutting , it’s a strategic bet that pre-purchase research happens online, making physical displays less critical to conversion. We found that Apple maintained their brand identity with minimalist touches whereas Primark creatively stacked shopping bags into a Christmas tree shape - proving creativity doesn't require massive budgets. The business insight: Some brands are betting digital discovery beats physical serendipity. Time will tell if they're right. • Disney’s Different Approach Disney and Selfridges partnership proves nostalgia remains the most powerful purchase driver. Each window takes shoppers through childhood memories - from 101 Dalmatians to Peter Pan to Lady and the Tramp. When you tap into these emotions, you're not selling products, you're selling feelings! Marketing lesson: Disney isn't spending more, they're spending smarter by investing in what they’re best known for; storytelling and emotion. As a founder building a marketing media brand, the different window displays fascinate me. In a £24.6 billion spending season, visual storytelling has evolved from seasonal tradition to strategic investment decisions with measurable ROI. It’s not always about those with the biggest budgets but the brands who understand their audience's emotional triggers and create shareable moments! Which brand has captured your attention while shopping this year? 🎄 - For more festive insights, read our complete A-Z analysis of this year's Christmas adverts: https://lnkd.in/ewp3iEzD

Santa just sent a memo: 🎅 “2025 holiday growth will be… meh.” Deloitte’s fresh forecast isn’t the shiny gift we wanted under the tree. Total US holiday sales are expected to rise only +2.9–3.4%, the slowest pace since the pandemic. Last year we had +4.2%, so yes, the punch bowl is a little emptier. But there’s still sparkle. Ecommerce is set to grow +7–9% while physical stores crawl along at +2–2.2%. Translation: Amazon, Walmart, Target and TikTok Shop are where the holiday magic still happens. Why it matters: 🎯 More elbows in the aisle → same shoppers, more brands fighting for share 🛒 Digital carts first → sloppy PDPs or weak SEO will cost you dearly 💸 Shoppers want deals → too much discounting will kill your margin faster than fruitcake 📦 Ops stress test → late cutoffs mean late gifts, and nobody wants that What to do before the rush: 🔍 Polish your hero SKUs with flawless keywords, images and A+ content 📊 Spend smarter, not bigger, by focusing ads on proven high converters 🎁 Use bundles and multipacks to hit price points without bleeding margin ⏱️ Stage promotions around peak weeks instead of one desperate push 🚚 Lock logistics early so cutoffs and returns are smooth and predictable This holiday season is not about surfing a demand wave. It is about execution while everyone else scrambles at checkout. So tell me, what’s your secret move to stay profitable in a slower Christmas? #Ecommerce #Marketplaces #HolidaySales #Amazon #TikTokShop #Walmart #ChannelMojo

Holiday spending is in – and the story is always as interesting as the numbers.   Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) just released its annual Retail Spend Monitor which offers a view of holiday retail spending in five different markets.    Specific to the U.S. report, preliminary data found that overall holiday retail spending increased 4.2% year over year. A few other things stood out to me:   🔹In-store remains very strong, but digital keeps accelerating. 73% of holiday spend still happened in physical stores, while e-commerce grew nearly 8% year over year, outpacing overall retail growth. Consumers want choice and they’re using it.   🔹AI is shaping the shopping experience. This year marked a turning point: AI helped consumers discover products, compare prices, and stretch discretionary dollars. Smarter shopping is here, and it is changing how retailers should engage.   Bottom line: We surface insights and others like them to help clients inform decisions, shape plans and unlock growth where momentum is already building. Commerce is becoming more connected, more intelligent, and more intentional. Retailers who embrace these shifts will be best positioned to deliver seamless experiences and capture growth.   Explore the full report for more trends and analysis at the link in comments.   #Retail #Ecommerce #HolidayShopping #Payments #AI #ConsumerTrends

As we head into the final weeks of the year, the early holiday retail results are painting a clear picture: consumer caution is the dominant theme. Black Friday week sales results tell a story of prioritization. While shoppers were out, their spending was selective, with sales declining nearly 3% in dollars and 5% in units compared to last year, according to Circana’s newly released Special Retail Update: Black Friday Traffic Jam. Interestingly, overall intent to spend is up 3%, suggesting that while consumers are cautious, they remain willing to invest in the right opportunities. So, what's the path forward for retailers and brands? 💰 Value is paramount: Consumers are balancing budgets carefully. They are seeking not just a good price, but products that offer genuine practicality and personal value. ✨ Discovery must breakthrough: The search for "newness" is driving online traffic. Retailers must bridge the gap between in-store discovery and online conversion. 💡 Strategy matters more than ever: Practicality is ruling consumer decisions. Retailers & brands need to clearly communicate the "why" behind their products & experiences [through engaging content] to earn a spot on the priority list. This isn't a time for business as usual. It's a moment that calls for courage & strategic innovation anchored against consumer needs. At Circana, we're working with our partners to navigate these realities & build winning strategies to responsibly win. What trends are you watching most closely to win the holiday? Let's discuss. #Retail #ConsumerBehavior #HolidayShopping #RetailTrends 

40 years of holiday data tell a simple story: how we shop changes, but why we shop doesn’t.     This year’s Deloitte 2025 Holiday Retail Survey (https://deloi.tt/3WJPpw1) shows consumers navigating uncertainty with a mix of caution, creativity, and connection. Prices may be higher, and spending slightly lower, but the spirit of celebration and the desire for value endures.     🟢 Financial well-being: Shoppers plan to spend an average of $1,595, down 10% from last year, and 77% expect higher prices. Many are trimming extras, not traditions.     🟢 Deals & value: Seven in ten consumers are engaging in value-seeking behaviors like shopping earlier, using loyalty points, and even hand-making gifts. This year, value means more than discounts; it’s about quality, trust, and meaningful connection.     🟢 Generational shifts: Gen Z is rewriting the playbook, as 95% are deal-seeking, 74% turn to social media and influencers, and 43% use AI for inspiration and discovery.     🟢 Retail takeaway: Winners this season will meet shoppers where they are (digitally, socially, and emotionally), offering value beyond price and experiences that feel worth the spend.     As decades of commercial holiday seasons have passed, the retail landscape looks different. But the holidays remain the same in one important way: they’re about people finding moments of joy, however they can.  

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘇𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 Retail Moment • December 12 Walk through almost any apparel retailer this holiday season and you’ll notice a clear shift: cozy is no longer a category; it’s a mood shaping entire floor sets. Gap, American Eagle, AS Revival, and Urban Outfitters are leaning in. Designers like Michael Kors, Miu Miu, and The Row have helped fuel what WWD calls the rise of “pajama dressing,” a blurring of lines between loungewear and everyday wear. And yesterday at Eddie Bauer at Ridgedale Center, I saw another wave of it. Why now? As Alex Ortiz of TrendVision wrote so well yesterday, people are feeling emotionally overloaded and overstimulated, and that sentiment is shaping how they dress, how they gift, and the comfort they look for during peak holiday weeks. Here is what I saw: • 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 Tables opened with flannels, henleys, fleece, and sleep pants, a clear nod to the pajama-dressing moment WWD is calling out. • 𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺 Oatmeal, muted greens, soft plum, and winter blues create an easy, grounded palette. • 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 Waffle knits, brushed flannel, and sherpa trims tell a tactile story that resonates this season. • 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 From sleep pants to stretch-down outerwear, everything is mix and match across lounging, layering, gifting, and winter weekends. The cozy trend continues to grow because it meets customers where they are, offering emotional relief, physical ease, and a sense of reset during one of the busiest seasons of the year. When retailers merchandise into that mindset with intentional texture, warmth, and clarity, the store becomes a place people want to linger. A random milestone: this marks the 138th retailer, brand, or designer I’ve written about. Every visit reinforces how much small shifts in product, palette, and presentation shape the in-store experience. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 I help retailers connect store design, space planning, visual merchandising, and product storytelling into experiences that feel intentional and drive results. If you're thinking about how your brand shows up in physical space, especially during key seasonal moments, I’d love to explore it with you. Eddie Bauer

As the holiday season approaches, brands planning in-store displays can benefit from findings from a study I conducted a while back. We used eye-tracking technology to analyze how hundreds of shoppers engaged with about 50-holiday display executions, and the results highlighted some critical insights for brands looking to stand out. The biggest lessons? 1) Simple, BOLD designs with 3D elements or die-cut shapes increased noticeability 2) Displays placed after produce between the bakery and meat sections saw the highest visibility, drawing attention more effectively than displays in other parts of the store. 3) Displays with curved lines captured shoppers' attention faster than straight lines. 4) Displays featuring unique colors like green and gold also performed better. Red displays often blended into the background during the holidays due to stores' abundance of holiday red. Tis the season to push creative boundaries for brands aiming to make an impact. Eye-tracking data has shown that going out with over-the-top designs isn’t just eye-catching—it’s necessary. Ensure your displays are innovative, simple to understand, and strategically placed to turn attention into sales. #ShopperInsights #HolidayMarketing #POSDesign #EyeTracking #RetailInnovation #GrowWithRich