Every retailer knows that seasonal confectionery sells, but smart retailers know how to make it work all year long. From romantic Valentine’s Day chocolates to Halloween gummies and Christmas classics, seasonal sweets don’t just boost sales for a few weeks; they keep customers coming back, season after season.
At Appleton Sweets, we supply retailers across the UK with wholesale confectionery for every occasion. Our huge range of seasonal sweets, competitive bulk prices, and no minimum order policy make it easier than ever to plan, stock, and profit from every holiday.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to turn limited-edition treats and seasonal favourites into your store’s year-round sales strategy, plus the best sweets to stock for each major holiday.
The popularity of seasonal sweets
It will come as no surprise to learn that UK confectionery sales spike during certain holidays. Research published by Confectionery Production revealed that 64% of all confectionery sales take place during Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
Each holiday has a unique meaning, but they all share one thing in common: giving and receiving.
From couples buying each other romantic treats for Valentine’s Day, to Easter eggs and trick or treating during Halloween, confectionery plays a central role in the joy of each holiday.
Then we have the Christmas season, where everyone indulges in delicious treats before promising themselves to cut down when the New Year hits.
Confectionery brands understand the importance of seasonal events, with many offering limited edition versions of their most popular sweets, so it’s an important time for retailers to stock up and sell confectionery.
Popular sweets for every season
Before we reveal how to make the most of seasonal sweets, it’s important to consider which brands consistently sell during each holiday. These are the best options for increasing your seasonal sales, from creamy chocolates to gummy sweets and candy canes.
Valentine’s Day
Some people love Valentine’s Day, while others consider it a manufactured holiday…but we’d all love to receive a card and box of chocolates from that special someone.
The best confectionery for Valentine’s Day includes Opsy Chocolate Hearts, Whitaker’s Foiled Chocolate Hearts, and Love Hearts.
View Valentine’s Day Chocolates
Easter sweets
Every Easter, supermarkets come to life with Easter eggs, which fly off the shelves. But retailers should also focus on providing general treats for the season, including Speckled Mini Eggs, Foiled Chocolate Eggs, and Foam Fried Eggs.
Halloween sweets
It doesn’t matter how old we are, Halloween is still a favourite holiday. Children love filling trick-or-treat bags with delicious confectionery, while adults often host fun parties with large confectionery tables.
There are many Halloween sweets, including Dracula Teeth, Chocolate Skull Crushers, and Zombie Brain Sweets.
Christmas confectionery
If there’s ever been a perfect time to indulge, it’s Christmas. We all love filling up on treats during the festive season, and there are plenty to choose between.
Whether you want traditional Christmas treats like Peppermint Candy Canes, Walker’s Toffee, and Irish Cream Chocolates, or love snacking on Jelly Beans and Turkish Delight, you can offer your customers a wide selection of festive treats.
How to use seasonal sweets as your secret weapon
It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is; it can result in significant profits when you know how to use seasonal confectionery wisely. So, here are our top tips on using and promoting seasonal confectionery.
Impulse purchases
Sweets are perfect for fuelling impulse purchases, because they’re affordable and don’t require much consideration.
You’ll often see supermarkets leveraging impulse buying psychology wisely during seasonal events, with large displays of Halloween, Valentine’s, Easter, and Christmas sweets.
If you’re an online store, you can send your customers emails with discounts or create dedicated landing pages for seasonal confectionery.
Advertising on social media is also an excellent way to enhance your sales as it attracts more customers.
Plan in advance
Nobody likes to leave things to the last minute, and consumers often prefer to stock up on confectionery in advance.
Instead of waiting for the holiday rush, you can prepare your seasonal sweets a couple of months in advance, which gives people time to find amazing deals.
Offering discounts before the seasonal rush also ensures more prospective customers make purchases. Remember to plan your marketing campaigns and ensure they’re ready to launch in time for the event.
Consider stock levels
One of the biggest issues with confectionery stores is figuring out how much stock to order. Nobody wants to overstock, but at the same time, it’s essential not to run out. When you shop with Appleton Sweets, you can save money, as we offer bulk discounts.
However, while many wholesalers have minimum order amounts, we keep our products accessible for everyone. So, you can order a small amount of seasonal confectionery and see how it sells before placing a large order.
We also offer fast UK delivery, ensuring your customers won’t be waiting around.
Learn from each season
What’s the difference between a successful retailer and one struggling to survive? Customers. It’s a simple equation: when you keep your customers happy, they’ll make repeat purchases.
Every season should provide insights as to which confectionery brands your customers enjoy, and you can use this information to plan for the future.
For example, if you notice that traditional Christmas sweets like candy canes sell out quickly, but your general customer base doesn’t really spend much money on jelly beans, you can order more candy canes for the next season.
Final thoughts
Seasonal sweets are an excellent way for confectionery stores and general retailers to increase profitability and enjoy year-round success.
Once you understand your customers and choose the right sweets for their needs, you can build a thriving business.
Appleton Sweets is your go-to supplier if you’re looking for wholesale confectionery. We offer a range of seasonal products at excellent prices. Please feel free to shop today and enjoy free UK delivery on orders over £500.
Our customer service team is also on hand to offer support and advice. Just contact us with any questions.