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Posted: Mon 26th Oct 2026
8 min read
Christmas music hasn’t started playing on the radio. Halloween decorations are still in the shops. But business owners are already preparing for Christmas.
It’s that time of year when you need to figure out promotions, order stock, recruit extra staff and sort your marketing calendar.
This article digs into the main areas and signposts useful resources. We’ve got you covered, whether you’re already knee-deep in tinsel or have just started planning.
One of the first considerations is how much stock you need. Order too little and you risk missing out.
Order too much, and you might tie up cash unnecessarily or even waste perishable goods.
Start by looking at any data you have on historical demand. What happened last year and what might make this year different?
Work out the year-on-year change in sales volumes in the past few months. Then apply that change to your numbers from Christmas 2025.
Dig into the performance of individual products and categories.
Think about the impact of any changes in the amount you're investing in advertising or the number of markets you’re taking part in.
Decide how much stock you want left at the end of December.
Be honest with yourself. Don’t just buy more of the products you love.
If you have a limited amount of data, ask other retailers about their experiences. Enterprise Nation’s Groups are a great way to meet other business owners, and there are sector-specific areas.
Veysel Oil founder James Binici says he has nearly twice as much stock as usual in preparation for the Christmas season.
James adds that he finds sales at markets are about 65% higher during the Christmas season. He’s also investing in online advertising and seasonal packaging.
Once you’ve decided what you’re going to order, you need to figure out when. You can work backwards from your normal lead time for ordering new stock.
James says Christmas preparation begins two to three months before the season starts, adding that he builds in a buffer for orders:
“My uncle’s factory, which is in a village in Italy, takes three to five days to bottle the olive oil. From there, it’s a maximum of 10 days to ship it to the UK by truck.
“But last year there was a horrendous snowstorm in Hungary before Christmas, which set us back two weeks, so there can be delays.”
You need to figure out how much support you need, find the right people and get them up to speed.
The Resilient Retail Club founder Catherine Erdly says that the search for temporary staff should start in August and September, but there’s still time.
She adds that it’s worth thinking about how you’re going to handle potential increases in demand and sickness:
“Most retailers really benefit from having an emergency backup. Someone you can call up if needed.
"Business owners are often surprised to find that there are people out there who are happy to be on call if needed.”
If you’re starting your recruitment process now, writing clear, targeted job descriptions will improve your chances of success:
use "seasonal" or "temporary" in the job title
include the start and end dates of the employment
describe typical tasks and the skills the person needs
mention hourly pay, any shift flexibility, and highlight employee perks
Make sure you set expectations. If it’s busy, say so. If they’ll be outside for long periods of time, it’s important to mention that too.
Past seasonal workers are normally the best place to start looking as they already know what they’re doing. Referrals, job platforms and local adverts can work too.
We’ve written a guide on how to hire seasonal staff in the UK, if you’re looking for more advice.
Christmas is an opportunity to get in front of new customers and give existing customers a reason to buy.
Catherine suggests building up your seasonal content through the Christmas period:
“It’s good to get a bit of early Christmas content out there to see how people react. Most people then go full Christmas after Bonfire Night.”
Alison Battisby, who founded social media agency Avocado Social, recommends ring-fencing a day for content creation. That way you can plan a list of photos and videos you need, and have time to decorate, get models in, etc.
Looking for ideas for Christmas content? Read our ultimate Christmas planning guide for social media, which includes 17 ideas from experts.
Social media coach Fin Wycherley has also written about planning your marketing and social media strategy for Christmas.
Use these dates in your marketing, including reminding people of when the last postage is available:
Black Friday: 27 November
Cyber Monday: 30 November
Small Business Saturday UK: 5 December
Royal Mail last posting date (2nd Class): 18 December
Royal Mail Tracked 48: Saturday 19 December
Royal Mail last posting date (1st Class): 21 December
Special Delivery Guaranteed: Wednesday 23 December
Dates are correct at the time of publishing and may change. You can check the Royal Mail postal dates here.
Catherine advises small business owners to think about whether discounting is the right approach:
“If it works for you, then fine. If it doesn’t, that’s okay too. Just don’t make a knee-jerk reaction.
“I’m also not a fan of the blanket discount. For the majority of people it won't have the impact you want – customers will come and buy what they were going to anyway.”
She adds that if you are going to offer discounts, they should support your goals:
“It’s about using the discount to shape customer behaviour.”
Hopefully, our introduction to Christmas planning has inspired you. We’ve included resources below, which go into more detail, and you can join the conversation about Christmas in the Groups section of our website.
Do you want to continue your learning journey? These articles will help you learn more about getting your business ready for Christmas:
The Resilient Retail Club founder Catherine Erdly is Enterprise Nation’s High Street and Retail Founders Hub Community Ambassador. Her website includes lots of articles and podcasts that can help with your planning:
