While summer is still in full swing outside, successful retailers are already planning their Christmas business. Those who select and order Christmas items early benefit from a wider product selection, greater planning security, and enough time to prepare sales areas, decorations, and marketing activities. In this article, resellers will learn why summer is the right time to purchase Christmas merchandise and which products are suitable for creating an attractive seasonal assortment.

Christmas may still seem a long way off in June, July, or August. Shops are focused on summer, holidays, and tourism, and when temperatures reach 25 degrees Celsius, very few consumers are already thinking about Santa Claus figures, Christmas gnomes, or nutcrackers. For retailers, souvenir shops, museum shops, gift stores, garden centres, and other resellers, however, the situation is very different: The Christmas season starts much earlier in purchasing than it does in retail sales.

Retailers who wait until October to think about their Christmas assortment often have to make decisions at short notice. Planning early, on the other hand, makes it possible to select products carefully, calculate quantities realistically, and prepare strategically for the Christmas season.

In B2B retail, it therefore makes sense to start planning for the upcoming Christmas season during the summer months. In the Christmas figures wholesale range from Euro Souvenirs, resellers will find a wide variety of Christmas figures and decorative items – from traditional Santa Claus figures and nutcrackers to Christmas gnomes and humorous animal figures.

Why Does Christmas Planning Start as Early as Summer?

Although Christmas sales in retail are mainly concentrated in the final weeks of the year, preparations require considerably more time.

Retailers not only have to decide which Christmas products they want to offer. Other important questions include:

• Which products sold particularly well last year?
• Which items are best suited to the target group?
• How much sales space is available?
• Which price ranges should be covered?
• Which items are suitable for impulse purchases?
• Which products should be used as eye-catchers?
• How should shop windows and sales areas be designed?
• What quantities will be required for the entire season?

Retailers who answer these questions early can structure their Christmas assortment much more effectively.

Summer offers one major advantage: there is still plenty of time before the actual Christmas season begins. Decisions can therefore be based on sales figures and previous experience rather than having to choose from whatever products happen to be available at short notice.

1. Ordering Early Means a Wider Selection

One of the most important reasons for ordering Christmas products early is the wider choice of products.

Christmas items are classic seasonal products. This means that demand is concentrated within a relatively short period. Attractive designs, popular figures, or particular sizes may therefore experience especially high demand as the season progresses.

Retailers who plan their assortment during the summer are therefore in a better position to include the products they really want.

At the same time, the assortment should not consist of just one Christmas theme. Different designs appeal to different customer groups.

Traditional motifs such as Santa Claus figures or nutcrackers can, for example, be combined with Christmas gnomes, gingerbread designs, and humorous animal figures. This creates a varied overall presentation that encourages customers to browse.

A traditional example is the Santa Claus with gifts made of polyresin, 12.5 × 8.5 × 23 cm . Traditional Christmas motifs like this can easily be integrated into a wide range of decorative concepts.

2. Christmas Business Can Be Calculated More Effectively

Early planning does not necessarily mean ordering the largest possible quantities. A realistic quantity plan is much more important.

The previous Christmas season provides a good starting point. Retailers can analyse questions such as:

• Which items sold out early?
• Which price ranges performed particularly well?
• Which products had to be discounted?
• Which motifs were frequently requested?
• Which product groups were often bought spontaneously?
• Which items worked particularly well as gifts?

Based on this information, retailers can define their core assortment, supplementary items, and eye-catching products.

A balanced Christmas range can include several price levels and product sizes. Smaller decorative items are ideal for spontaneous additional purchases, while larger figures can attract attention and serve as focal points on a display area.

This also allows the available purchasing budget to be distributed more effectively.

3. Different Price Levels Increase Sales Opportunities

Not every customer is looking for a large Christmas gift. Particularly in gift and souvenir retail, customers often buy small presents, decorative items, or spontaneous tokens of appreciation.

It therefore makes sense to combine different product sizes and price levels.

Compact Christmas figures can be displayed near the checkout or on smaller displays. Suitable examples include the Christmas gnome in a boot made of polyresin, 5.5 × 4 × 10.5 cm or the Christmas gnome in gingerbread design, 5 × 5 × 11 cm .

Larger products, on the other hand, can serve as eye-catchers while also conveying a higher perceived value. One example is the decorative nutcracker made of polyresin, 10 × 7.5 × 26.5 cm .

Combining different sizes makes it possible to appeal both to price-conscious customers and to shoppers who are deliberately looking for a decorative gift.

4. Combine Traditional Motifs with Modern Christmas Products

A good Christmas assortment should create a sense of familiarity while still offering something surprising.

Santa Claus, Christmas gnomes, and nutcrackers are motifs that customers immediately associate with Christmas. These traditional figures provide clear visual orientation on the sales floor.

At the same time, unusual or humorous products can create additional buying impulses.

Animal motifs are particularly suitable for this. One example from the Euro Souvenirs range is the dachshund with Christmas tree made of polyresin, 12 × 5 × 9 cm .

The advantage of such motifs is that they combine two emotional themes: a love of animals and Christmas. Gift items with a humorous or charming appearance can therefore appeal even to customers who are not specifically looking for traditional Christmas decorations.

Products with additional features can make the presentation even more eye-catching. The dachshund with sleigh and Christmas tree made of polyresin, 19 × 9 × 26 cm, with LED combines a decorative Christmas figure with an illuminated Christmas tree.

Products like these can be used as focal points on themed displays.

5. Early Planning Makes It Easier to Prepare the Sales Area

Successful Christmas retail is not only about choosing the right products. Product presentation is equally important.

Retailers who already know in summer which products they want to sell during autumn and winter can develop an appropriate presentation concept in good time.

Possible themed displays include:

Traditional Christmas

Santa Claus figures, nutcrackers, and red, green, and natural colours.

Christmas Gnome World

Different gnome figures, gingerbread designs, and smaller decorative items.

Animal Christmas

Christmas-themed animal figures and humorous gift ideas.

Natural Christmas

Figures in wood, brown, beige, and green tones.

One example of a product that combines a traditional Christmas motif with a natural decorative style is the decorative nutcracker ornament made of polyresin, 4 × 3 × 12.5 cm .

Christmas displays can also be introduced gradually before the main season. This means the entire shop does not have to be completely redecorated within just a few days.

6. Christmas Starts at the Point of Sale Before the First Sunday of Advent

Many retailers wait until shortly before Advent to set up their Christmas section. However, customers often start looking for Christmas decorations, Advent gifts, and small presents considerably earlier.

A gradual transition can therefore be beneficial.

Once the autumn season begins to come to an end, the first winter and Christmas products can be integrated into the assortment. The presentation can then be expanded step by step.

A possible schedule could look like this:

• May to June: Analyse the previous Christmas season and begin assortment planning.
• June to August: Select and order important Christmas products.
• September: Plan sales areas, shop windows, and marketing activities.
• October: Introduce the first seasonal products and winter decorations.
• November: Set up the complete Christmas department.
• November and December: Monitor stock levels, reorder successful products, and regularly refill displays.

This schedule naturally depends on the type and location of the business. A souvenir shop located near a tourist Christmas market may require different planning from a gift shop or garden centre.

The basic principle, however, remains the same: The earlier the planning starts, the fewer decisions have to be made under time pressure.

7. Use Small Christmas Products for Impulse Purchases

Small seasonal items can play an important role during the Christmas shopping period.

Customers are often looking for a small gift for colleagues, neighbours, friends, or family members. Others may spontaneously discover an item while shopping and decide to take it home as an additional decoration.

Small Christmas products can therefore be positioned:

• near the checkout,
• on themed tables,
• next to gift products,
• on shelves at eye and hand level,
• in small displays,
• in areas dedicated to small gifts and souvenirs.

Shelf-sitter figures can also be integrated creatively into a sales display. The Christmas gnome shelf sitter in gingerbread design made of polyresin, 9 × 5.5 × 13 cm can, for example, be placed on shelf edges, small platforms, or decorated themed displays.

A varied presentation often attracts more attention than a large quantity of identical figures.

8. Product Series and Collections Encourage Additional Sales

Products that visually complement one another offer another advantage during the Christmas season: they can be presented as small collections.

If a customer purchases one Christmas gnome, for example, a second figure in the same style may be an attractive addition. The same applies to nutcrackers or animal figures in different sizes.

This gives retailers an opportunity for cross-selling.

Instead of presenting each product separately, small themed product worlds can be created. A gingerbread gnome, for example, can be combined with the matching shelf sitter. A small dachshund with a Christmas tree can be displayed together with a larger illuminated version.

This automatically gives customers additional ideas and purchasing incentives.

9. Early Planning Creates More Time for Marketing

Another benefit of ordering in summer is often underestimated: retailers can prepare their Christmas marketing before business becomes more demanding in autumn.

Once the most important products have been selected, content can be prepared in advance for:

• newsletters,
• social media posts,
• shop window advertising,
• promotional displays,
• catalogues and brochures,
• gift idea campaigns,
• Advent promotions.

Product photography and decoration concepts can also be prepared in advance.

Retailers who wait until the beginning of December to decide which products they want to promote lose valuable selling time. If the assortment has already been planned, marketing and product presentation can be coordinated effectively.

10. Do Not Order Only Bestsellers – Create a Balanced Assortment

Proven Christmas classics should naturally have a permanent place in the assortment. However, relying exclusively on familiar bestsellers can make a sales area look interchangeable.

An attractive assortment should therefore combine several different functions:

• Core products provide reliable demand.
• Impulse products encourage spontaneous purchases.
• Eye-catching products attract attention to the sales area.
• Unusual designs help distinguish the assortment from competitors.
• Small gift items encourage additional purchases.

The Christmas figures from Euro Souvenirs offer a variety of styles and sizes for creating such an assortment.

Examples currently listed in the shop include:

• Santa Claus with gifts made of polyresin, 15.5 × 12.5 × 18,5 cm
• Dachshund with Christmas ball made of polyresin, 12 × 5 × 9 cm
• Dachshund with Christmas tree made of polyresin, 19 × 9 × 26 cm, with LED
• Decorative nutcracker ornament made of polyresin, 4 × 3 × 12.5 cm
• Decorative nutcracker made of polyresin, 10 × 9.5 × 30 cm
• Christmas mug with deer, 8 × 9.5 cm
• Christmas bear made of plush, 30 × 15 × 70 cm
• Christmas tree made of poly, Ø15,5 × 25 cm

Ordering Christmas Products in Summer: Think Ahead of the Season

For consumers, Christmas may not begin until the first Christmas markets open, gingerbread appears in supermarkets, or the first Sunday of Advent approaches. For professional resellers, however, Christmas begins much earlier.

Summer is therefore a good time to analyse sales figures, define budgets, select product groups, and prepare Christmas orders.

This does not mean decorating the shop for Christmas in July. Instead, it means creating the right conditions behind the scenes for a successful Christmas season well in advance.

Retailers who plan early can make decisions more calmly, put together their assortment more strategically, and prepare their Christmas presentation well ahead of time.

Conclusion: Christmas Is Prepared in Summer

A successful Christmas season does not begin in November. Assortment planning, order quantities, sales areas, and marketing should all be prepared several months in advance.

For resellers, it therefore pays to include Christmas products in purchasing plans at an early stage. A balanced combination of traditional figures, modern motifs, different sizes, and various price levels creates attractive purchasing incentives and makes it possible to design a varied sales presentation.

Euro Souvenirs supports business customers with a versatile B2B range of seasonal gifts and decorative items.

Discover our Christmas figures for resellers now and prepare your assortment for the upcoming Christmas season in good time.

Because even while the sun is still shining outside: in retail, a successful Christmas season begins in summer.