We caught up with our network of retail experts to get the inside scoop on what this year’s festive season holds, from trending products to stand-out merchandising options. We also dug into our own data to unpack exactly what independent retailers are seeking out right now.
So whether you’ve still got gaps to fill in your assortment, or you’re looking for fresh display ideas, read on for our top trend predictions for 2024.
On this page:
- Retail experts share their 2024 Christmas predictions
- Sarah Manning's top tips for merchandising your Christmas stock
- The 10 most popular search terms on CREOATE right now
- That's a wrap: our 5 key trend takeaways
Experts share their Christmas 2024 predictions
To get a 360 view on what the months ahead hold, we reached out to our crack team of retail experts. Here’s what they had to say.
Therese Oertenblad, Small Business Collaborative
Therese Oertenblad has worked in the home and gift industry for over 16 years. She’s the founder of Small Business Collaborative, working with purpose-led, product-based businesses owners who want to grow the wholesale side of their business. Here’s what she has noted in the run-up to Christmas this year:
“For Christmas 2024, I’m predicting two standout trends in retail.
The first is all about fun, playful colours with a hint of glam. Think jewel tones like deep blues, greens, and rich reds, paired with a retro vibe—mid-century shapes and designs are making a comeback. It’s about bringing joy and sophistication to the holiday season, with a touch of nostalgia that feels both stylish and festive.
The second trend is a more relaxed take on the first, blending cottagecore and slow living. Earthy jewel tones meet soft textures and nature-inspired scents, creating a calm, cosy atmosphere.
There’s also a hint of fantasy, with whimsical details (mushrooms will still continue to be popular) adding a touch of magic to the everyday. This style resonates with those seeking comfort and simplicity, especially during the holidays.
Consumers are still focusing on purposeful spending, with transparency remaining a priority. They’re not expecting every product to be perfect, but they do want to see thoughtfulness behind what they buy—whether that’s sustainable materials, ethical production, or even just a meaningful story.”
Chris Workman, The Giftware Association
Chris is the Marketing and PR manager for The Giftware Association and runs the Gift of the Year competition, which whittles down hundreds of unique products every year into a shortlist of the most exciting items on the market right now. Here’s what Chris noted after recently wrapping up 2024’s competition:
“At The Giftware Association we see lots of trends from our members as well as through our Gift of the Year awards — but something that we see a lot of and hear a lot of is adding experience to product offerings or the high street.
We introduced a Health and Wellbeing category to our awards last year and the products we got were amazing; Braille Christmas Cards, Notes of Positivity stationery sets, and books for handling life’s challenges.
These products make fantastic gifts, and they also sell really well because of the story behind the brand; that’s where the ‘experience’ element comes in. The world can be a scary place at times and these brands and their products are trying to make it better one gift at a time.
In terms of offering experience with your retail space, it’s always great to see shops that really care about how their products are displayed, and creating ranges which keep customers browsing for longer, and make the shopping experience much more pleasant.
Garden centres are very good at this, and have fast become the destination point of choice for many at the weekend. They have built areas for Halloween, Christmas and food and beverages with exciting new brands, moving away from their more traditional roots.”
Kristin Fisher, The Buyerside Chat Podcast
Kristin Fisher is a product strategy educator and mentor for gift brands and independent retailers, and host of The Buyerside Chat Podcast. Here’s why she’s excited for this year’s festive season:
“I am very excited for what's trending this gifting season. In prior years, the trends have felt very "cookie cutter".
What I'm seeing this year is a shift to "found objects", eclectic, vintage or vintage-inspired being the gifting trend. Things like hand-painted ceramics and trinket trays, brushed and antiqued metal finishes on objects such as make-up compacts, beautiful combs, advent calendars, etc.
This gives a more personable touch to the gift as it evokes a feeling of personalisation without quite literally being personalised. I find this trend to be more fun for both the gift-giver as well as the gift-recipient.
This trend could translate to your brand or shop through packaging such as adding unique gift tags with ribbon, interesting visual merchandising displays that give your customer the feeling of discovery, and even through your marketing.”
Sarah Manning's top tips for merchandising your Christmas stock
As both Chris and Kristin alluded to, having the right stock is only one piece of the Christmas puzzle: how you merchandise your shop can have as much of an impact on your seasonal sales as the products themselves.
And few people know this better than Sarah Manning, a highly experienced visual merchandising consultant and lecturer. We caught up with Sarah to get her advice on how to decorate and merchandise your retail store for this festive season:
1. Go all-in on a theme
“Creating theatre and atmosphere within your Christmas shop will engage your customers, and create that magical Christmas experience all shoppers are looking for.
Take inspiration from some of London’s top department stores, who create magical theatre within their displays by using lighting, graphics and props.
Start by creating a strong theme which your customer can follow and engage with throughout their journey within your store. Incorporate your theme consistently within your POS, windows, in-store displays, and digital content.”
📚 Bookmark for later: What is Visual Merchandising? A Crash Course for Indie Retailers
2. Draw interest with different heights and props
“Next, create height and visual impact with your displays by using Christmas-themed props,
textures and innovatively hanging merchandise. Liberty London is a great example of a store that implements this effectively every year within their atrium space.
Use the key visual merchandising principles: symmetrical, asymmetrical, repetition, or alternation compositions to create an eye-catching impact.
Props such as coloured hat boxes or empty wrapped boxes, which can be tied with ribbon, are perfect for creating height within displays, as well as adding to that Christmas theatre.”
📚 Bookmark for later: How to Nail the Fundamentals of Visual Merchandising, with Sarah Manning
3. Create a Christmas ‘hot spot’
“Finally, a Christmas-themed hot spot or focal area positioned near to the main entrance of your store creates customer interest, showcases the Christmas merchandise, and continues the theme showcased within your window.
I’d advise you to change up this area approximately every four weeks leading up to the Christmas period. Refreshing this space regularly will help to maintain your customers’ interest.”
4. Show Christmas decorations in action
“When merchandising Christmas decorations, styling Christmas trees in a full range of co-ordinated decorations can help to inspire the customer to recreate this theme at home.
Create that “see it, like it, buy it” concept by merchandising and positioning the full package of decorations next to the styled tree. Colour-themed and lifestyle dressing can help to inspire the customer as they shop, and lead to additional sales.”
📚 Bookmark for later: 10 Christmas Window Display Ideas for Your Store
The 10 most popular searches on CREOATE right now
With thousands of independent retailers browsing and sourcing wholesale stock through CREOATE, we have a unique insight into what’s going to be popular for the season ahead.
Wondering what other retailers are searching for in advance of Christmas? From the seasonal to the spiritual, here’s a breakdown of the most popular search terms on CREOATE from the last month:
1. Christmas
Unsurprisingly, Christmas is the most searched term on our platform right now. Remember that Christmas decorations and cards will be purchased by customers well in advance of the day itself, and used throughout December, so it’s worth stocking up on these items earlier than general gifts.
2. Spiritual
From witchy wares to wellbeing and calming candles, ‘spiritual’ is never far from the top of our most-searched terms, and this month has been no exception!
3. Christmas candles
Candles are a year-round wholesale staple, but Christmas sees an uptick in demand for candles with festive fragrances (think: spruce, cinnamon, etc), as well as candles with a festive design — whether they come in Christmassy colours, or even Christmassy shapes.
4. Soap
Bars of soap make great sustainable stocking fillers or ‘little somethings’ for friends and family, so it’s no surprise to see a surge of searches for this classic item throughout autumn.
5. Advent calendar
Like Christmas cards and decorations, advent calendars are another item that you need to stock up on ahead of December, ready to be purchased in November and used at the start of Christmas month. This is one product to make sure you stock up on early!
Expand your assortment beyond the classic advent calendars with reusable options or quirky alternatives, like this 'tea advent calendar' from Victoria Mae Designs
6. Yoga
Whether it’s for Christmas gifting or the new years resolutions push, now’s a great time to stock up on all things yoga — from mats and accessories, to activewear, and more.
7. Witch
Keeping with the spiritual theme we touched on earlier, ‘witch’ continues to climb the CREOATE search charts. From spell kits to mugs and trinket dishes, discover gifting options for those looking to tap into their inner sorcerer. The New York Times claimed we’d hit ‘peak witch’ back in 2019, our data disagrees; this is a trend that’s not showing any sign of slowing down.
8. Gothic
Keeping with the witchy aesthetic, look out for stock with a gothic vibe. And gothic doesn’t just mean black; it’s everything from jewellery with celestial symbols, to clothing with Victorian gothic influence (think: lace and velvet details), and even slogan gothic mugs… it all counts!
9. Chocolate
A firm festive favourite, it’s no surprise to see chocolate making an appearance in our top ten. Whether it’s chocolate decorations to hang from the tree, gourmet chocolate to gift, or indulgent hot chocolate products to enjoy all through the winter months, chocolate and Christmas go absolutely hand in hand. Vegan chocolate products remain a very sought after option.
10. Tarot cards
Tarot cards may have existed since the 1400s, but they’ve experienced something of a modern-day renaissance, and have well and truly entered the mainstream. Whether they’re a serious pastime or a fun party piece, tarot cards make the perfect quirky stocking filler, and come in a whole range of modern and traditional styles. Look out for tarot cards with empowerment and self care angles, which we’ve noticed is a trending style.
You've heard of tarot cards, but how about tarot greeting cards? Tap into the tarot aesthetic with these cards from Sister Paper Co.
That’s a wrap: our 5 key trend takeaways
That’s a wrap on Christmas trends from 2024! Here are our five key trend takeaways:
1. Retro glamour and vintage looks
Therese noted a trend towards products with a nostalgic glamour, with jewel tones, mid-century silhouettes. Kristin has also picked up on a trend towards “found objects” — whether vintage, vintage-inspired, or just generally eclectic.
2. Cottagecore, well-being, and slow living
Chris reported on the popularity of the new Health and Wellbeing category at the Gift of the Year awards. Meanwhile, yoga is currently one of the most searched terms on CREOATE. Therese also observed a continuing product trend towards the ‘cottagecore’ aesthetic.
3. Spiritual and whimsical
Spiritual and otherworldly terms are currently dominating our search bar, with ‘spiritual’, ‘gothic’, ‘witch’ and ‘tarot cards’ all making an appearance. Therese also noticed whimsical details, such as mushrooms, continuing into the festive season.
4. Story and sustainability
There’s a continuing appetite for products made with care, and with a story behind them — this is something that Therese, Sarah and Chris all picked up on. As Therese pointed out, “[consumers are] not expecting every product to be perfect, but they do want to see thoughtfulness behind what they buy”.
5. Theatre and experience
Whether it’s the story behind a product, or the layout of a store, ‘experience’ is a word that appears again and again. Sarah offered some tips for taking lessons in merchandising theatre from prominent department stores, while Chris recommended looking to garden centres for great examples of building different ‘zones’ in your store.
Stock your store with trending products, no matter the season. Head to CREOATE to buy unique stock directly from over 6,500 independent brands.
