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The fall leaves have barely had time to change color and the thermometer still looks up to 20 degrees at times. But in several stores, Christmas balls and chocolate elves have already taken their place on the shelves. Although there are three months until Christmas.
In the Åhléns department store, Christmas has started earlier than usual.
– We have seen Fall and Advent comfort sales start a little earlier. The trend is that we start decorating the home for fall and Christmas earlier, says Monica Hultgren Andersson, press contact in Åhléns.
She continues:
– We have a sales start with this year’s Advent range in early October, and now we have started distributing the products as we need to prepare to be ready with the finished surfaces before our Advent sales start, therefore , products may have increased this week.
Possible Amazon and Corona factors
Per Andersson is a Senior Retail Analyst at HUI Research. He believes that for a long time there has been a trend for Christmas to approach the middle of summer.
– This is partly because December is the most important trading month and you want to extend it as much as possible and try to extend into weaker months like September and October, he says.
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But you also see a certain corona effect in fall retail.
– They want to boost sales and take the opportunity to boost Christmas purchases now, because we do not know what the situation of the crown will be like in November. We may be back to what it was in March. They may also want to get Christmas shopping early because we have pretty big entries into retail in the form of Amazon this fall, says Andersson.
Per Andersson is a Senior Retail Analyst at HUI Research. Photo: Private
Interest in celebrating Halloween is even weaker and the tradition is expected to not remain as strong as in normal years.
– There won’t be so many kids running around and wanting loose candy from strangers this year, I suspect, says Per Andersson.
On the other hand, Christmas is expected to be something that Swedes will prioritize, even if the celebration will be different.
– It is not certain that we will celebrate with relatives, but it will be a more individual Christmas, which means that we will buy, for example, more Christmas trees and Christmas decorations. We haven’t yet made a forecast for the Christmas trade, but there are many signs of a very strong grocery trade, he says.
Security in times of pandemic
Magnus Söderlund is a professor of marketing at the Stockholm School of Economics. He points out several reasons why Christmas decorations are increasingly marketed, in some cases earlier than classic Halloween accessories.
– Christmas has more roots than Halloween for most people. Perhaps it will be especially important in times of pandemic when we feel some form of security and stability in traditions that feel real and genuine. Retailers can’t get the same dividend on a Halloween bet that they can get on a Christmas bet, he says.
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There is also a clear psychological aspect, says Magnus Söderlund.
– People often talk about the phenomenon of priming, which means that there are signals from the outside world that give life to thoughts and behaviors in the brain that were already there, but that make them more urgent and important. For example, Mars candy has been shown to increase in sales almost every time the media reports on an expedition to Mars, although the two only have a semantic connection, he says.
Magnus Söderlund is a professor of marketing at the Stockholm School of Economics and, among other things, has researched customer service. Photo: Nicklas Gustafsson
Play with people’s Christmas anxiety
In other words, there is reason to believe that if you start Christmas decorations earlier, different thoughts about Christmas are activated in customers.
– The earlier you start Christmas signage and initiate these mechanisms, the more likely you are to make different purchasing decisions before Christmas, says Magnus Söderlund.
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But mostly marketing is about alleviating (and harnessing) customers’ Christmas anxiety, which according to Magnus Söderlund is often a combination of intensified gift giving and receiving.
– Giving gifts, which has a strong signal value, has been shown to be subject to quite a bit of anxiety in general. It is at its peak at Christmas when we will give and receive gifts from many people. If you extend the Christmas signage period, it will be a service for customers who get an extended commute distance and a chance to think a little better about decisions, he says.
Risks of early Christmas signage
But sneaking into Christmas earlier and earlier isn’t completely risk-free behavior on the part of retail.
– Some students did an experiment that showed that when you played Christmas music in a grocery store, people were less satisfied and bought less than when no music was played, says Magnus Söderlund.
In addition to one of our most genuine traditions, Christmas is also a source of tension and anxiety, he says.
– Not only customers are affected, but also those who work in stores and who are exposed to Christmas music and Christmas signage for a long period. It can spark negative thoughts about Christmas and make these people feel worse. Research shows that emotions are contagious, so if enough employees are negatively affected by Christmas signage, it can in turn spread to customers.
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