Behind the Scenes: An Interview with Christmas.co.uk

As Christmas approaches, we've sat down with Christmas.co.uk, a multi-channel e-commerce start-up, to find out more about what retailers are doing, and can do, to make the most out of the holidays and to discover more about the company.

Daniel Brown has been working on e-commerce sites for over ten years, and he could see first hand the huge impact Christmas has on product sales. In 2017, the opportunity arose for him to purchase the Christmas.co.uk URL and he couldn’t resist. Dan said, “When the URL became available, I understood what a fantastic opportunity it presented to enter a very exciting marketplace. Myself and my partner turned the website into an e-commerce website that also produces Christmas related content.”

Even though Christmas.co.uk is only a new company, it has come a long way in the few years since it has started, but it’s still not where they know it will be 5 years from now. Dan said, “In my first year, I asked my warehouse to send me a single sample of each product we had received to my house – so I could work on the product listings over the weekend.  I had underestimated just how much stuff that represented, my kitchen looked like Santa’s Grotto.”

As Christmas 2019 gets ever closer, Dan and the team are looking to Christmas 2020 for new trends and insights. Dan explained what he foresees will be on-trend for next year, “From a sales point of view, I think e-commerce as a channel will continue to grow much faster than wider retails.  In terms of products, I think we’ll continue to see a growth in the premium side of the marketplace from more discerning buyers.”

Christmas is a really important time of year for retailers looking to take advantage of the festive spirit. Dan thinks the garden sector is really embracing it in the best way possible, “Last Christmas I visited a few garden centres around London. I think they’ve succeeded in using their space to create a very special retailing atmosphere. I saw some huge Christmas displays which were a perfect backdrop for platforms like Instagram. I was also in Fortnum and Mason a few weeks ago and they really get it right. They have become a destination store with great products and beautiful Christmas window displays.”

Christmas.co.uk come to Spring Fair every year because it has the largest number of potential UK Christmas suppliers. They are at the stage of growth where they are still adding a lot of new suppliers each year, so it is really efficient to have them all at one show. Dan said, “I think that the large Christmas suppliers like Premier, Festive and Kaemingk always put on a great show at Spring Fair. They work very hard to source fantastic products and it’s great to be able to see so many new products on each of their stands.”

Looking to meet Christmas.co.uk at this year’s Spring Fair? There is still time to apply for a stand and exhibit at the show. Alternatively, you can visit the show and become inspired for yourself.

Get your Free Ticket