It’s not a religious holiday and it has no historical significance. Christmas in July is a marketing strategy that can boost sales during a summer slump and prepare you for a robust holiday season in the fourth quarter of the year. Christmas in July began to be used in department stores in the 1950s, and became a widespread marketing tool starting in the 1980s through Hallmark and QVC. Small businesses may want to jump in now to optimize Christmas in July. Why should you consider it? And what strategies should you employ?
Benefits of Christmas in July
Many retailers and service providers find that the summer is a slow time for sales. It can be a great time to:
- Connect with customers. If you’re slow, you probably have time on your hands that can be used to cultivate customer relations. Use email or social media to message customers about sales or other summer events, or just to stay in touch.
- Clear out inventory. Maybe your spring inventory is still sitting on your shelves. Sell what you can before you have to shift into the fall and winter seasons.
- Test holiday messaging. Experiment with gift bundling, free gift wrapping, and other strategies you might use in the upcoming holiday season. Solicit feedback from customers to see what resonates.
What to do?
You may have noted that Amazon held its Prime Day 2025 on July 8 through July 11. It offered four days of deals across 35 categories. These deals were exclusive to Prime Members.
Some ideas for in-store or online sales:
- Run 12 Days of Deals (a play on the 12 days of Christmas)
- Do early back-to-school sales
- Start layaways promotions for December
- Offer pre-orders on holiday-exclusive items
Other marketing strategies you can use at this time of year include:
- Holding in-store events. Conduct demonstrations to showcase your products, especially what’s new on your shelves. Run activities for children, such as art projects, to enable their parents to shop. Consider an after-hours party for with your customers; serve lemonade and have music. Use themes, such as snow in July, to bring in customers. The red and green color scheme associated with Christmas could work well for decorations with your Christmas in July.
- Use giveaways. Whether it’s coupons for future sales or token items (e.g., promotional things like a water bottle with your logo), customers may be drawn to visit you.
- Participate in local events. Gain visibility for your business by exhibiting at summer fairs.
Final thought
Christmas in July can be a revenue generator and marketing gem. Be sure to track your results so you can be prepared for your activities for the holiday season later this year and during Christmas in July 2026.
For more ideas concerning holiday marketing and sales, see this list of blogs.
