Why Retailers Should Display Christmas Merchandise Before Halloween

Updated September 27, 2024

Why do retailers launch holiday promotions before the jack-o'-lanterns are carved? For the same reason back-to-school sales start mid-summer: savvy shoppers are always planning ahead.

It's that time of the year again ...

When social media feeds fill with Autumn aesthetics...

When farm-to-table harvest festivals pop up in every town...

When pumpkin spice becomes a personality trait...

And when the retail world gears up for the most extended, most lucrative season of all, beginning with Holiday Creep.

"I can't believe they already have Christmas stuff out, and it's not even Halloween."

Y-A-W-N.

Oh, excuse me, I suppose I should be in the camp that talks about "the good old days" from the movie A Christmas Story when shoppers would admire retailers' windows during the annual Christmas parade.

Or maybe I should extol Nordstrom again because they won't decorate until Thanksgiving Day.

Sorry, but there is one basic reason all retailers should do this. Wallets.

Most customers have a mental budget for the holidays: decorations, gifts for the family, teachers/coaches, and the office - the works.

The sooner those customers have spent money earmarked for gift-giving, the less they will spend at the traditional time to think about buying holiday gifts.

That's why I jokingly refer to this time as the Bitch But Buy season.

Customers may exclaim how much they hate to see it but they still buy it so they won't miss out.

And that's the opportunity for all merchants to put out the Christmas merchandise now.

This isn't new, but smaller retailers have resisted. I suggest they get on board, like Barnes & Noble, pictured above. They cleverly utilized a two-sided display rack to highlight Christmas items on one side and Halloween merchandise on the other. The photo was taken on September 30.

Catalogs with holiday items have arrived at your mailbox since August. They must know something...

I'm not saying holiday items must be in your main display windows or prime selling space.

Just like you incorporate holiday music slowly into your store playlist, you can put out more and more holiday items throughout November and into December. 

With new smartphones expected to take a larger amount out of moms' and dads' holiday budgets, what will be left over for any store will be smaller.

Smart merchants look at customer behavior when merchandising their stores and making their holiday preparations, not their own preferences of only seeing merchandise in stores after Thanksgiving.

Also read: 12 Secrets of a Successful Holiday Season for Retail Managers 

In Sum

Established merchants put out holiday merchandise because they understand having it on the floor beats having it in a distribution center or stockroom.

Whatever sells is a bonus.

When merchants have less staff, or there's a shortage of seasonal workers, it can take longer to get the merchandise out onto the floor.

And let's face it, Halloween doesn't have the breadth of merchandise across all categories as Christmas does.

So, if you are a retailer, find a way to get your seasonal items out there before a competitor steals your customers and gets them to open their wallets now - leaving you with lower retail holiday sales.

If you're not a retailer and feel incensed at the realities of holiday retailing, please avoid commenting on how awful it is for you. This blog is for merchants, not customers.