January in the storeroom
The Christmas shop closes, the reduced sale ends, and the team packs what is left into boxes: a lot of one colour theme, most of a range of large figures, and a surprising number of one style of lights. The buyer's notes say the woodland theme sold out by the second week of December and the traditional red was gone by the first weekend of the month. That was noticed at the time, but the reorder window had closed months before.
The next buying trip is only weeks away. The buyer opens the EPOS reports and finds sales by department: tree decorations, lights, figures, gifts. Themes and colours are not there, because products were set up in a hurry in the summer and nobody tagged them.
Why the Christmas buy repeats its mistakes
Christmas is a buying decision made a year ahead with poor information. The sales detail exists in the EPOS, but not in the shape the buyer thinks in, which is themes, colours, price points and suppliers.
- Products are not tagged by theme or colour when set up.
- Sell-through by week is not reported, only totals.
- Carryover stock is boxed without being counted against the range.
- Markdowns in the reduced sale are not linked back to the lines.
- Early sell-outs are noted on paper and forgotten.
What carryover stock costs
Carryover ties up money and storage for a year, and some of it will look dated next Christmas. Deep markdowns in January reduce the margin of the whole Christmas shop. Meanwhile, the themes that sold out early were under-bought, which is lost trade at the most valuable time of year.
The reduced sale adds its own confusion. Once the Christmas shop is marked down in stages, it becomes hard to tell whether a theme sold because customers wanted it or because it was half price on the twenty seventh. Without separating the two, the buyer can easily read a clearance as a success.
The buyer also loses time before each trade show trying to reconstruct what happened from memory and reports that do not answer the question.
A Christmas shop view built for buying
- We tag your Christmas products by theme, colour, product type, price band and supplier, using a quick review screen and your buying records.
- Weekly sell-through by tag is calculated from EPOS sales and opening stock, so the view shows which themes sold out and when.
- Markdown sales in the reduced period are shown separately, so full price sell-through is clear.
- A January carryover count, done on a phone as boxes are packed, records what was left by line.
- Before the buying trip, a summary shows each theme's sell-through, sell-out week, markdown depth and carryover, next to last year.
- New season products are tagged at setup, using the buyer's order sheets, so the view is ready from the day the Christmas shop opens.
| Measure | What it tells the buyer |
|---|---|
| Sell-out week by theme | Where you under-bought |
| Full price sell-through | What customers wanted at your prices |
| Markdown depth | What needed help to clear |
| January carryover | What you are starting next season with |
| Supplier comparison | Which suppliers' ranges performed |
The buyer still chooses the range. The view gives evidence about what sold; it does not predict trends, which stay a matter of judgement.
Going to the trade show with evidence
The buyer walks into the trade show knowing which themes sold out early, which needed heavy markdowns and how much carryover is already in the storeroom. Orders are shaped by that, with more depth in themes that worked and caution on those that did not.
During the season, the same view shows early sell-outs as they happen, which helps decide whether any repeat orders are still possible and how to merchandise the remaining stock.
Does your Christmas shop leave too much behind?
- Some themes sell out early while others are boxed up in January.
- EPOS reports show departments, not themes or colours.
- Carryover is packed away without being counted by line.
- Markdown results are not linked to the lines.
- Buying decisions rely on memory and notes.