While we are still nine days out from Christmas, the season this year is already quite different to recent Christmas seasons.
My experience and the experience of folks I have spoken with in a range of situations is that people are shopping sooner and they are spending happily.
Purchases are across the board: cards, ornaments and decorations, gifts as well as everyday items.
One newsagent in regional Queensland contacted me yesterday with the news that their gifts are top 48% off a terrific base and cards are top 12%, also off a good base.
I know of several newsagents who purchased large, expensive, centrepieces for Christmas window displays only to have them purchased by customers in a day or two.
While I don’t want to jinx trading between now and next Saturday, I’d say we are having a good Christmas in retail.
Christmas is a season when the maxim – we make our own success – is true. For this season, making our own success means thoughtful buying, in-store storytelling, in-store basket depth driving tactics, out of store marketing and keeping it fresh, every day. It is hard work, starting from the end of the first quarter. The results are worth it.
What I love them most about Christmas is that we see many new faces and each is an opportunity to pitch a return visit after Christmas. A good Christmas is one step, of many, to a good following year.
From an SA and gift orientated store, I am seeing the opposite to the above. A slow start to the season with cards underperforming to date. Gift sales finally kicked off this week and looking like a back ended spend with customers leaving it until the last 2 weeks.
Worryingly several of our gift competitors are already discounting larger Christmas decorative items, 40% in 2 cases.
Agree Colin, very slow start in SA, seems to be across the board going by reps comments
Reps in Qld are reporting a slow start to the season around the ridges. We are in a neighbourhood strip and things are about 1% down on last year for Christmas oriented stock.
Still slow in SA. Christmas cards are up on last year but that’s about it. Toys are way down and other gifts just starting to catch up a bit but still down – and there’s not enough time to catch up.