Category Festive
Deck the halls…
and the table With the festive period approaching in a matter of months, retailers have turned their attention towards category favourites. We highlight some options, along with hearing from key brands who deliver Christmas favourites to consumers…
Villeroy & Boch
Claudia Knaupp, executive vice president marketing dining & lifestyle and global branding When do you find buyers typically start to look at festive collections? Our customers typically start to look at festive collections at the Ambiente trade fair in early February. It represents the first opportunity of the year to engage with our customers in person and to inspire interest in our brand and innovations. We generally receive the first Christmas orders then either directly at the fair or shortly after. When do consumers really start to look for festive tabletop? The time at which consumers start to look for festive tableware is strongly influenced by their individual shopping behaviour and the sales channels they prefer. While we see first interest from online shoppers already
in August, offline shoppers usually start to look for festive tabletop in October. Is the festive tabletop category exempt from trends, in your opinion? The traditional festive tabletop category is largely immune to trends. At this time of year, consumers are looking for nostalgia, traditions and childhood memories. They are searching for classic colours and decors, such as stars, snowmen and rocking horses. However, trends such as tactile surfaces or new shapes can be carefully integrated.
What does a typical seasonal collection consist of? Is there anything included that would not normally be associated with a tabletop assortment? Seasonal collections should offer a broader range of items than for everyday use, as consumers tend to set the table more elaborately for such occasions. Even seemingly outdated items such as butter dishes, soup tureens and teapots with warmers are having a comeback. And finally, it shouldn’t be forgotten to include matching decorative accessories for both the table and the home. This extends from vases and candle holders to figurines, large centrepieces, and even matching ornaments for the Christmas tree. Do consumers tend to buy seasonal pieces year-round or does it really ramp up closer to the end of the year? When we look at our seasonal collections, we clearly see that there is a strong concentration in sales in the last quarter of the year. But there are consumers who actually buy Christmas and Easter products all year round, especially to extend or complete their existing festive tableware and
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ensure that they are well prepared for the upcoming holiday season. Many brands are now supplying linens/ add-on products – the festive category open itself up for development in this way. Do you agree? We fully confirm the trend of expanding seasonal tabletop collections with complementary products. In fact, we identified this development already several years ago and have been successfully responding to the demand ever since. A perfect example is our Toy’s Delight collection, when we launched it 15 years ago, it began as a small tableware series. Due to its remarkable success and continuous consumer demand, it has grown into an extensive festive collection including placemats, table runners, cushion covers, and even tea towels. In addition, we partnered with licensees to offer blankets and rugs featuring the Toy’s Delight décor, which sold out very quickly. This clearly proves that consumers are looking for more than just festive tableware: they seek coordinated decorative elements to create a cohesive and festive atmosphere throughout their home.