Making the most of Holiday Merchandise Photos courtesy of burton + BURTON
With the holiday season fast approaching once again, it's time to consider all of the extras that make the season merry. BY CAROLINE RATH
T
he opportunities to sell seasonal wares expand every year. From Back to School through New Year's, the fall
and winter season offers plenty of festivities to appeal to your customers. To get some insight on winning strategies, Specialty Coffee
Retailer has spoken with two entirely different coffee purveyors: Press Coffee, which has two cafes in the Phoenix area, and Starbucks, which has perfected the art of in-store merchandise across its thousands of locations worldwide. While it seems that holiday offerings in stores appear earlier
and earlier, it's usually easier to differentiate the fall and winter seasons in coffee shops. Fall is the time for drinks focusing on cinnamon, apples, pumpkin, nut and caramel flavors. Winter is heralded with peppermint, eggnog and gingerbread. Merchandise can likewise be divvied into fall and winter categories: Back to School, Halloween, and Thanksgiving for fall; Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's for winter. Starbucks begins its fall rollout in early September, with
holiday merchandise officially launching in early to mid- November. Timing can also be a matter of understanding your specific customers—and climate. "Coming into the holiday season for fall and winter, we will bring in our giſt sets and specialty items around the middle of
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October," says Arielle Benson, general manager of Press Coffee Roasters. "Halloween items have never done particularly well for us, but people in Phoenix really go for winter gear. My guess has always been that it reminds them of what the holidays should look like, but never do at a balmy 70 degrees."
STANDARD ISSUE Some items prove perennial favorites. Mugs and ornaments
are de rigueur, while giſt packs are easy upsells for customers looking for quick stocking stuffers or hostess giſts. Companies such as burton + BURTON (burtonandburton.com) offer a selection of wholesale mug options with yuletide themes: snowmen, Santas, Christmas trees. Be sure to check on return policies when ordering wholesale, however. Seasonal merchandise is oſten non-returnable. While one may not think of giſt cards as "merchandise," they
can account for some of the most profitable non-consumable items available in your store. "Though Starbucks offers Starbucks Cards year round, these are an especially popular part of our holiday merchandise lineup, as they make the perfect and easy- to-grab giſt for friends, family, neighbors and co-workers alike," explained a Starbucks company representative. If you already utilize giſt cards, emphasize promotion
