Maximise Christmas Sales for Food or Drink Businesses

Some retailers do as much as 50% of their annual sales in November and December. Jo shares a comprehensive toolkit for food and drink producers looking to maximise Christmas sales across every channel. Whether you sell at events, run an online shop, or stock retail shelves, Christmas represents a period when consumers buy more of everything – and the brands that plan early are the ones that make the most of it.

From seasonalising your product range to working with other producers, Jo covers the full spectrum of tactics available to small food businesses in the run-up to the festive season. The webinar is structured around the key levers available to food producers and makes the case for a dedicated three-month Christmas plan – October through December – to supplement to your annual sales and marketing calendar.

Key Takeaways:

• Make the most of Christmas fairs and markets by staging your stand to show how your product fits festive eating occasions – and don’t overlook gifting as a separate purchase motivation.
• Give your online shop a festive refresh with seasonal photography and gift-ready presentation, incentivise early purchases or use money-off vouchers to bring customers back in January.
• Even non-seasonal products can be repositioned for Christmas: think stocking fillers, Boxing Day buffet staples, alternative Christmas Day puddings, or leftover recipe cards.
• Approach packaging changes carefully – a ribbon, gift tag, or peg label can elevate a product for gifting without committing to costly Christmas-specific stock you’ll be left with in January.
• Collaborate with complementary food producers to extend your reach online and in store, and run festive competitions to stay top of mind during the critical purchasing window.
• Never underestimate tastings – we’ve never known a tasting that didn’t increase sales. Make them a feature of every Christmas fair stand and in-store event you attend.
• Use email and social media more frequently in this period, but focus on being genuinely helpful – meal planning ideas, gifting guides, recipe inspiration – rather than just broadcasting offers.
• Build a dedicated three-month Christmas plan. It’s the key trading period for most retailers and producers, and it deserves its own focused strategy to maximise Christmas sales across every channel.

Notable Quotes:

• “Consumers buy more of everything in food and drink at Christmas.”
• “Food gifting is massive. Think about offers that are going to be attractive to buy for gifting.”
• “I’ve never ever known anybody do a tasting and not have increased sales of their product.”

Next Steps:

It is never too early to plan for the festive season, get in touch with Relish today and make sure you are ready to maximise Christmas sales.