The holidays may still feel a few months away, but for retailers, the selling season has already begun.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) has consistently reported that holiday shopping is starting earlier. In fact, approximately two out of every five holiday shoppers begin browsing and buying before November. Consumers cite spreading out their budgets, avoiding crowds and reducing last-minute stress among the reasons they get an early start.
For sexual wellness and intimate care retailers, that creates an opportunity to think beyond Black Friday and December gifting. Preparing now can help stores capture early shoppers, increase average transactions and make products that can sometimes feel difficult to gift easier—and more fun—to buy.
Here are six ways to get holiday ready.
1. Start Earlier Than You Think
Waiting until Thanksgiving to introduce holiday merchandising means missing consumers who have already started shopping.
Begin introducing gifting language, displays and digital content in October. That doesn’t mean turning your entire store into a winter wonderland overnight. Instead, gradually introduce messages such as “Great for Gifting,” “Something for Someone Special” or “A Little Something for Yourself.”
Holiday shopping is no longer confined to a few weeks. Your merchandising calendar shouldn’t be either.
2. Merchandise by Price Point
Value matters.
During the 2025 holiday season, NRF found consumers planned to spend an average of approximately $890 on gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal purchases. NRF also described shoppers as increasingly focused on promotions and getting the right gifts at prices that worked for their budgets.
Help customers make those decisions.
Create clear gifting collections such as:
- Under $25
- Under $50
- Splurge-Worthy Gifts
A key tip here is to merchandise across categories instead of simply grouping similar products together. Lubricants, pleasure products, accessories, books, massage products and even body accessories can all become part of the same gifting story. Price-point merchandising reduces decision fatigue while encouraging discovery.
3. Create Gifts, Not Just Products
A shopper may not immediately envision a bottle of lubricant, massage oil or intimate moisturizer as a holiday gift. Your merchandising can change that.
Bundle complementary products into ready-to-give combinations. Think:
- Date-night kits
- Self-care collections
- Couples’ gifts
- Stocking stuffers
- “New Year, New Experiences” packages
- + More
Presentation matters, too. Gift bags, tissue, boxes, ribbons and discreet wrapping can transform an individual product into something that feels intentional and special.
4. Make Gift Cards Impossible to Miss
Gift cards deserve much more attention during the holidays. In fact, NRF reported that gift cards were the second-most popular gift choice during the 2025 holiday season, with 43% of shoppers planning to purchase at least one and projected spending reaching $29 billion.
For intimate wellness, adult novelty and like-minded retailers, gift cards can solve another challenge: Customers may want to give someone something fun or personal without choosing the exact product for them. The gift itself is seeing where that gift card is to… which can also lead to some exciting anticipation.
Promote gift cards at checkout, online, in email marketing and on social media. Consider an incentive such as Buy a $100 gift card, receive a $10 card for yourself to encourage both gifting and a future visit. Plus, don’t overlook having your store associates ask every customer who is checking out if they need a gift card for a gift idea.
5. Don’t Forget the Last-Minute Shopper
Early shopping is growing, but procrastination certainly isn’t disappearing.
NRF estimated that nearly 159 million consumers planned to shop on “Super Saturday,” the final Saturday before Christmas, in 2025.
Prepare for them.
Create a highly visible last-minute gift area with proven sellers, pre-wrapped options, stocking stuffers and gift cards. Train associates to ask simple questions: “What’s your budget?” “Are you shopping for a partner, friend or yourself?” “Do you want something fun, romantic or wellness-focused?”
Three questions can turn an overwhelmed shopper into a confident buyer.
6. Use the Holidays to Create a January Customer
The transaction shouldn’t end when the gift leaves the store.
Include a January bounce-back offer with holiday purchases. Invite customers to join your loyalty program. Capture email or SMS permission. Promote January events, education or product launches.
Even gift cards create an opportunity to introduce a new customer to your store after the holidays.
The holiday season represents roughly 19% of annual retail sales on average, according to NRF, although the percentage can be considerably higher for individual retailers. That’s too important an opportunity to approach with promotions alone.
The strongest holiday strategy combines value, convenience, discovery and experience.
Start early. Make shopping easy. Give customers reasons to explore.
And remember: You’re not simply preparing for holiday sales. You’re creating opportunities to turn seasonal shoppers into customers who return throughout 2027.
