Inside this brief, our team highlights all the important dates, trends and products that we’ll be featuring and, more importantly, customers will be searching for this Holiday season.
This year is a bit… different, and you’ll definitely see that difference in the way we’re celebrating the holidays on Society6. One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is that we’re kicking off our holiday season earlier than ever—October 1st!—to give customers enough time to shop for gifts and decor without worrying about possible shipping delays due to the uncertain environment. We’re also focusing a bit more on holiday home decor, as we anticipate customers are going to want to get super cozy and Christmas-y to revel in that sweet holiday positivity.
Calendar of Key Events
This season is full of opportunities to promote your business. Below we’ve outlined the main events and product launches that we’ll be focusing on through marketing and promotions.
October
New Products! Tech Accessories Launch
10/1 Holiday collections Launch on Society6
10/26 Strong Holiday Promos Begin
10/31 Halloween
Key Shopping Themes: Holiday starts now! This year the holiday season is staring early. Expect your customers to start looking for gifts as soon as late October.
November
New Product! Water Bottles Launch
11/1 Cyber Week Deals Begin
11/9 Holiday Catalog Hits Mailboxes!
11/26 Thanksgiving
11/27 Black Friday
11/28 Small Business Saturday
11/30 Cyber Monday
Key Shopping Themes: With customers shopping earlier, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will look a little different this year. We’ll be running our Cyber Week promos all throughout the month of November. Because of this, we suggest making sure your shop is ready by November 1 and to start promoting your shop on social as early as possible.
December
12/10 – 12/18 Hanukkah
12/25 Christmas
Key Shopping Themes: Last-minute shoppers will search for gifts and stocking stuffers with quick shipping timelines. Pay close attention to our shipping cut offs and keep up the momentum by promoting products that can ship quickly.
Holiday Trend Report
Your roundup of trending themes that customers can’t get enough of. Whether you are an illustrator, pattern designer or photographer, we can’t wait to see how you interpret these trends in your own unique style.
“We are approaching the end of the year, and it has been one wild ride. The trends we are looking forward to are filled with nostalgia, optimism, and lightness that will bring some much needed levity.”
– Meghan, Merchandising Manager
Trending Themes
Vintage Holiday: Quirky and bright colors with a touch of nostalgia are perfect for wrapping paper, cards and other gift-giving accessories.
Featured Art: Wiggle by Julia Walck
Light & Cozy: The holiday season is busy enough as is, airy and light designs offer a much needed break from the hustle and bustle.
Featured Art: Christmas Pattern by Alja Horvat
Modern Farmhouse: Dark neutrals contrast against bright pops of color to create a modern and cozy take on the holidays.
Featured Art: Field Quilt by Keaton Flowers
Motivational Typography: Who doesn’t need some words of encouragement every now and then? Having them on your wall, travel mug or even your face mask help keep the positive vibes flowing.
Featured Art: Cool To Be Kind by Rhianna Marie Chan
Bold Monochromatics: This bold and chic trend shines a spotlight on a classic duo, black and white.
Featured Art: Approach by Rose Beck
Winter Greens: Plants never go out of style, even in winter. Eucalyptus, sage, and pine in all forms are perfect for this time of year.
Featured Art: Rosemary Sketch Pattern by Lane and Lucia
Top 10 Search Terms
These are the terms that customers are searching for again and again. Consider adding these as tags to relevant artwork or use as inspiration to create something new.
1. Christmas
2. Ocean
3. Moon
4. Space
5. Beach
6. Mountains
7. Llama
8. Feminist
9. Floral
10. Cactus
Pro Tip: When tagging your designs, focus on your intent for the design and be precise with the tags you add. When possible use single word tags. If you do want to use more words, keep it to a maximum of 3 and use dashes (-) in between words instead of spaces.
Trending Search Terms
We took a deep dive into the numbers to bring you the biggest search-term movers this season.
Matisse
Line Art
Tiger
Rainbow
70s
Trending Products
Each month we’ll be focusing on a key list of products that have high-demand from customers. What this means is that we’ll be marketing and running promotions with the goal of driving sales in these categories throughout the holiday season—helping you decide what to promote and when.
“This season will be all about staying cozy and spreading cheer. Small gift-able items like mugs, stickers and acrylic boxes are perfect for sending in the mail. I love gifting our throw blankets as well, they are super soft and come in a variety of sizes. I usually end up keeping one for myself.”
– Meghan, Merchandising Manager
High-Demand Product Insights
These ten products have been picking up in popularity recently and we expect to see continued interest during the Holiday season.
Throw blankets / Comforters /Duvet Covers
Wrapping Paper
Stationery Cards
Leggings
Long Sleeve T-Shirts / Hoodies
Coffee Mugs / Travel Mugs
Phone Cases (iphone / android)
Art Prints (canvas / framed / regular / minis)
Welcome Mats
Hand / Bath Towels
Monthly Product Trends
Each month we’ll be focusing on a few key categories with our on site promotions. Consider adding these categories to your shop, enabling new work on these products, and promoting these category sales.
October
Wrapping Paper
Stationary Cards
Phone Cases
Tapestries
Serving Trays
Cutting Boards
Throw Pillows
Framed Prints
November
Throw Blankets
Wrapping Paper
Acrylic Boxes
Hoodies
Mini Framed Prints
Travel Mugs
Mugs
Welcome Mats
December
Canvas Prints
Comforters
Shower Curtains
Yoga Mats
Tote Bags
Duffle Bags
Travel Mugs
Phone Cases
Trending on Social
Plants, plants….and more plants!
We name them like pets and take care of them like our children. Houseplants aren’t anything new, but lately we’re seeing more and more people embrace their green thumbs. From the bathroom to the bedroom to the kitchen, if we can’t go outdoors we’re bringing them indoors. Who’s ready for Christmas trees, garlands and mistletoes?!
Photo by @thekwendyhome | "Sunflower Watercolor – Yellow & Black Palette" Art Print by Cat Coquilette (@catcoq)
Photo by @the.jones.life | Art by Madeline Martinez (@madelinekate_illustrates)
Coming Soon: Tech Accessories & Water Bottles
We’ve been working hard to launch 7 all-new products ahead of Holiday that we know your customers will love. We’ll be introducing a new line of tech accessories including wallet cases for iPhone and Android, Apple Watch straps, iPad cases, and card cases for iPhone and Android in October. Followed by water bottles in November. Check out a sneak peek of these products below and stay tuned for the official launch announcements!
Coming Soon: Wallet Cases, Apple Watch Straps, iPad Cases and Card Cases
Coming Soon: Waterbottles
Community Team Tips
Prepare for a busy season by refreshing your shop! Take some time ahead of the holiday rush to upload as much new artwork on as many products as you can before November 1st. Check out our tips for using the bulk-enable tool to make this easier than ever.
Holiday is the busiest season of the year. Make sure it is easy for customers to find your products by including your shop link in your Instagram bio. Make sure to include your affiliate link to earn an extra 10% on the sales you refer!
Review the titles of your designs to keep them as simple as possible and avoid hashtags. A short, but descriptive title is always best!
Build your own social media calendar around our list of key holidays. We offer our best promotions during the holiday season and we’ll be sharing with you in advance so you can let you fans and followers know that now is the time to shop!
And finally, only design for and promote the trends that feel relevant to you and your business. Authenticity is key!
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