The sun might be shining, and the weather might be sweet but here at Gallium we’re already thinking about eggnog, latkes and all the holiday gift guides. That’s because it’s Christmas in July! The time when all major publications, including Wired, Stylist and GQ, start pulling together their gift guide features for print.
“But Christmas is SO far away!” we hear you say.
Why yes it is, but preparing for the holidays starts early for many journalists, retailers and those avid shoppers. All the big retailers open their holiday departments in July; Harrods, Selfridges and Amazon (US, UK and all over the world) and it is no different for journalists on the hunt for the best products to feature in their printed publications in time for holiday shopping.
Often, startups have incredible products that journalists would love to feature but they miss the boat to get into the gift guides further in the year.
It’s frustrating for all involved, but deadlines are deadlines. Especially in print. Gift guides are published at the start of November, catching those early birds. In fact, as of early November, 55% of people in the US start their holiday gift shopping according to the National Retail Federation.
More and more consumers are researching before they buy, so gift guides prove to be useful resources. Deloitte’s 2018 holiday survey found over half of Europeans (51%) research and plan the specific gifts they are buying for loved ones, whilst 30% choose which product category they will be buying from. Statistics like this show it’s even more important to get in front of people early on – especially as Deloitte found early European shoppers are likely to spend 28% more than late shoppers!
So our advice to you is to plan ahead, be prepared and get in front of journalists in July to avoid disappointment as the holidays approach. If you need some advice or some help, get in touch with us – drop us an email to .
