The Print Reseller’s Month-by-Month Christmas Prep Guide

Christmas is the most important commercial period in the calendar for print resellers. Whether you’re managing seasonal campaigns for long-term clients or launching your own range of festive products, success during Q4 rarely comes down to luck. It comes down to timing.

According to Deloitte, 47 percent of UK consumers begin their Christmas shopping before November. That means the resellers who start preparing in summer are often the ones fulfilling repeat orders and scaling up profitably come December.

This guide breaks down what to focus on between August and December. It’s designed for both traditional resellers and creative sellers. If you run a client-first business, you’ll find ways to stay ahead of briefs and build in additional value. If you sell products under your own brand, we’ll help you plan and promote them with confidence.

Whether you’re selling mugs or managing merchandise, offering stationery or fulfilling corporate gift orders, WTTB is here to help you print what you need, when you need it, with fast turnaround and flexible volumes.

August: Plan Ahead and Start the Conversation

August is the time to build your foundation. Not just with products, but with people. Reconnecting with existing clients or repeat buyers now means you can scope out their festive needs before everyone else is chasing deadlines.

For traditional resellers, this could mean checking in with key accounts, reviewing last year’s seasonal orders, or suggesting new products like calendars, branded packaging or team gifts. For creative sellers, this is the time to sketch out your festive product ideas and begin thinking about how you’ll position them for Q4.

Start mapping out key products now. Think wrapping paper, personalised gifts, greeting cards, stationery and accessories. Advent calendars are always in demand, and preparing for them in August allows for smoother production and delivery later on.

The goal this month is to act like a partner, not just a provider. Your value comes from being proactive before your competitors even send their first email.

September: Start Selling and Support Early Buying Decisions

September is when things start moving. For resellers working with clients, this is the moment to turn planning conversations into confirmed orders. Clients are beginning to focus on their festive campaigns, internal events, and end-of-year gifting. Now’s the time to offer support, solutions and certainty.

Check in with your regulars. Ask about their plans for team merchandise, branded gifts or wrapping and packaging needs. Offer to coordinate their print schedule for them, suggest practical timelines, and remind them that ordering now gives them more flexibility later.

For creative resellers, September is the perfect month to launch your seasonal range. Products like wrapping paper, mugs, tote bags and cards are already in demand and it’s easier to make sales now than compete in the crowded December market.

WTTB’s fast delivery and low minimum quantities allow you to test products, respond to demand and scale up quickly without holding excess stock. Whether you’re fulfilling a dozen individual orders or one client campaign, you can stay agile without compromising quality.

October: Market, Upsell and Add Value

By October, most buyers are actively engaged. For print resellers, this is a critical month. You’re either reinforcing the value you’ve already built or catching the attention of last-minute decision-makers.

It’s not just about offering products, it’s about offering solutions. Can you help a client create a ready-to-send gift package that includes a mug, coaster, and branded thank-you card? Could you suggest a low-cost item like a badge or notebook to include in a corporate campaign? For creative sellers, can you repurpose existing stock into a themed bundle?

October is also when your messaging matters most. Make sure you’re highlighting your ability to deliver quickly, adapt to changes and provide practical guidance. If you’re using tools like ChatGPT to speed up your content creation, now is the time to produce your gift guides, social posts and promotional emails.

This is also the point where the WTTB Rewards Scheme becomes a strategic advantage. As your order volumes grow, so do your savings. Cashback can be reinvested into sample stock or testing new product lines. Tiered rewards mean greater returns when you need them most.

The resellers who win in October are the ones who help their customers feel in control of the season. Your role is to simplify, support and suggest.

November: Fulfilment and Flexibility

November is about momentum. At this point in the season, your focus should be on efficient fulfilment, fast response times and making the most of what’s already working.

For traditional resellers, this could mean chasing final sign-off on long-running jobs, fulfilling late-stage branded gift orders or reordering products that are moving quickly. For product-based sellers, this is when traffic peaks and repeat orders begin.

Popular products this month include:

• Stationery for 2026 such as notebooks, mousemats, and diaries
• Branded merchandise and client gifting
• Wrapping paper and custom accessories
• Personalised mugs, coasters and tote bags
• Quick-to-produce items like badges and keyrings

Make sure your clients and customers know their order cut-offs. Be transparent about production windows and offer fast turnaround options wherever possible. WTTB’s next working day delivery and flexible quantities are perfect for keeping your service levels high without holding too much stock.

You can also use our markup guide to help with pricing strategies if you’re selling products directly or advising clients on retail pricing.

December: Deliver Fast and Look Ahead

The final weeks of the year are when expectations are highest and timelines are tightest. But that’s where the best resellers thrive. If you’ve planned well, December becomes a month of fulfilment and customer retention, not stress and scrambling.

At this stage, buyers are still looking for:

• Custom wrapping paper and gift tags
• Branded thank-you cards or event stationery
• Last-minute personalised gifts
• Stocking fillers and small items
• Gift solutions for people who are difficult to buy for

This is where speed becomes your edge. You’re not just fulfilling print, you’re solving a problem. Customers remember that.

But December isn’t only about closing out the year. It’s also the time to set up the next one.

Start planting the seed for 2026 by encouraging your clients to think about:

• Branded wall calendars
• Desk pads and stationery for internal teams
• January sales signage and promotions
• Print needs for onboarding or seasonal campaigns

Finishing strong means setting up early. And by this point, you’ll likely have unlocked a higher tier in the WTTB Rewards Scheme, giving you access to more cashback and additional print perk points, perfect for reinvesting in your business as the new year begins.

Final Thoughts: Stay Ready, Stay Rewarded

Christmas doesn’t reward the busiest reseller. It rewards the one who prepares best.

Whether you’re fulfilling high-volume orders for corporate clients or selling individual gifts online, your success depends on timing, reliability and relevance. That’s exactly what WTTB is built for.

From flexible print volumes and next-day delivery to our real-time Reward Scheme, we help you print, fulfil and scale with less pressure and more control.

So whether you're starting early, reacting quickly, or finishing strong, your print partner is ready when you are.

Explore our Christmas print range today and take the next step toward your best peak season yet.