Gifts: when to dress to impress this Christmas Fresh research shows how to co-ordinate retail shelves and consumer buying patterns in the run-up to Yuletide. Sarah Hardcastle reports With Christmas on the horizon, Kraft Foods has new data on how and when consumers buy gift confectionery during this peak selling period. Trading controller Doug McGowan says the research, based on its Christmas 1999 sales, will enable retailers to tweak their displays to match consumer buying patterns. In October consumers begin stocking up with confectionery to offer seasonal visitors or to take to parties, boosting sales of take to share' gifts such as after dinner mints, and informal sharing' lines such as Celebrations and Terry's Chocolate Orange Mini Segments, McGowan says. Then in mid-November, serious shopping begins and consumers buy safe gifts' that everyone enjoys, such as Roses and Terry's All Gold Milk. Early December is the start of the party season, when take to share' confectionery sales rise again. Safe shopping continues to the middle of the month, then fades, says McGowan. From mid-December to Christmas Eve last minute shoppers emerge for frenzied, panic-stricken shopping trips and buy more expensive gifts to show the recipient they care. As a result, sales of impress' or luxury confectionery, such as Suchard Sélection and Ferrero Rocher, rise sharply to become the highest shopped category by Christmas. In the fortnight before Christmas, sales of personalised gifts ­ chosen because they are favourites of the recipient, such as Terry's All Gold Dark or Just Brazils ­ take off. Impress' and personalised' buys account for 40% of sales in this period as consumers search for stocking-fillers and top-up gifts for family and friends. Safe gift sales (the least bought category immediately before Christmas) account for 29%, while take to share' and a third of informal share' take 36% in the period because they were bought earlier in the shopping season. "The findings compare with what retailers intuitively know," says McGowan. "Offer a range of confectionery gifts from all categories from October onwards, and consider upping the volume of informal and take-to-share gifts in October. "Then emphasise safe gifts from mid-November and, finally, extend the space given to impress gifts from the beginning of December." - Kraft says consumers are increasingly buying continental chocolates when choosing confectionery to impress. Sales were up 9.6% last Christmas, bucking the trend in inlaid assortments. The company has launched a new continental range under its Swiss Suchard brand. Suchard Sélection is an assortment of milk, plain and white chocolates in two box sizes. Suchard Truffles come in a pouch-style bag with golden cord carry handle. Suchard Tablets are packaged in high quality cartons to add to their gift-worthiness. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}