ts up to two-thirds of annual profits for some retailers. The importance of getting this right has never been more apparent.  During January, even February, many are making resolutions. For retailers, however, it should be a time to evaluate your processes after the busiest time of the year. For us, it’s a time to analyse what went well for our retail clients and how to improve, and indeed start planning for Christmas later in the year. It is an opportunity as a team to collate, reflect and learn.  Here are five recommendations to prioritise Christmas marketing and advertising activity: 1. Zoom out Before any planning can begin, it’s worth taking stock. We recommend first zooming out for a ‘Retailer Exploring’ session at the end of January. Here is a chance to gather all of the data available to offer some context. How did the Christmas trade period go? How did competitors fare? What elements could be improved? Review and align this data with insights from global retail intelligence to spot national, regional and international trends in a given sector.  After gathering and consolidating the data and insights, it’s time to analyse what they reveal. Use the data to explore opportunities by identifying any existing trends and map out any emerging trends that are worth monitoring.  With all the appropriate knowledge and insights in place, the task of setting clear measurable KPIs at a team, department and company-wide level can begin. Without intentional goal setting, it will be hard to know or picture what success will look like. There can be no improvement without measurement.  2. Team game Given the priority of the Christmas season as the focal point of the year, there will undoubtedly be many hands available to help with planning. The task then becomes ensuring that all are pulling the sleigh in the same direction.  A core team should be established composed of talent from each relevant department. This team will be meeting regularly to ensure Christmas planning is being implemented and core milestones are met. Marketing, operations, merchandise and buying, along with any external agencies, partners and suppliers, all need to understand what’s required from them. Christmas-only planning sessions will probably sit outside of business as usual. Facilitate a workshop with this team at the beginning of the year to identify what worked and what didn’t from the previous year. For franchise groups, harnessing the lessons from across the network is key to discovering insights that could apply to the entire group.   This is a time to discuss strategy and execution, plus an opportunity to find more efficient ways of working. Collaboration on a strategy that is mapped out for all is vital for organisational success. Communicating the plan and developing implementation guides are also critical to the success of executing the campaign. 3. Timing Timing is crucial. Identify milestones in your planning. Understanding your key deliverables for success will guide timeline planning, ensuring preparedness, flexibility and efficient execution.If Christmas is going to be launched in October, buyers would already be booking product orders from February to April. Photography production should be taking place in May/June, with roadshows for internal teams in July. Planning for your VIP activity with your franchise partners to reward loyal customers should be scheduled early. Consider logistics and timing efficiencies. Print production and delivery of POS displays should be all mapped out in the overall Christmas plan. Given the tight storage in most shops, consider innovative ways to create your Christmas theming; for example, flat packing die-cut Christmas trees along with easily storable end caps, POS displays and window dressing.   The impact of not getting this right will hit your bottom line. Anyone who leaves planning and buying too late risks incurring higher freight charges or worse, the ignominy of empty shelves. 4. Be agile  The current climate needs to be monitored, tracked and taken into consideration. Against a backdrop of record interest-rate rises and shrinking disposable income it’s been tough for consumers and retailers. We’re at the point where both are so fed up with the state of the economy being repeated across every news source, they’re attempting to lessen the impact of our current outlook by using softening phrases like ‘Cozzie Livs’ (read cost-of-living).  A year is a long time. Especially in retail. Much can, and hopefully will, change from a consumer confidence perspective, from February through to December. There will be opportunities to trial new initiatives and tactics earlier than Christmas during other key periods throughout the year, like Valentine’s Day, Easter and EOFY. Forward-planning retailers use these smaller sales events to test tactics ahead of the festive season. While milestones are important to recognise in your planning, it’s equally crucial to build in agility for potential pivots. Sticking rigidly to your plan at the start of the year may not translate successfully come the festive period. Incorporating trial and planning into the framework, along with agility, will help minimise headaches down the line. 5. Data-informed insights Data should underpin everything from a marketing perspective. Christmas 2024 will have the richest insights of how to do this best at scale. However, it’s the small signals throughout the year that can deliver a big impact come December.  This is where testing throughout the year can really support your Christmas efforts. Having clean, well-organised data that is updated in real-time allows every department to understand how to continually improve in its processes. It also provides valuable insights into customer behaviour and how they engage with a brand. Those that are able to collate the experiences throughout the year, stay agile, and feed the insight back into the overall plan for Christmas will do very well.  Opportunity awaits As many will attest, much of retailing is about planning and preparing to set yourself up for success. Understanding when and where customers will expect and benefit from your products will help you align and enhance their experience strategically.  And as with most things in life, clear communication is vital. Opportunities to improve happen daily. By always challenging what ‘better’ means for your business, you will develop new skills as a team and remain competitive no matter your industry.  Harnessing these insights will allow organisations to feel match-fit for the biggest retail event of the year. Those that learn these lessons from daily and seasonal events throughout the year will be best placed to succeed at the most important time, come September/October.