By Becky Ackerman, founder of I Do Handmade
Q4 is the golden quarter for product sellers. October, November, December. The gifting season, the big spending moments, the time of year when customers are actively looking for exactly what you make.
But something I see every year sellers get wrong: they wait until October to start thinking about it.
By then, the best market spots are gone. The stockists have already filled their shelves. The gift guide submissions closed months ago. And the sellers who had a brilliant Q4? They started planning in the summer.
If you’re reading this mid 2026, you’re in exactly the right place. Here’s what you can be doing now.
Get your event calendar locked in
The most popular Christmas markets fill up fast, some as early as July. If you’ve been waiting for applications to open before thinking about which events you want to do, you’re already playing catch-up.
Spend time researching which markets are the right fit for your products and your price point. Not every busy market is a good market for every seller. Think about the audience, the footfall, the location, and whether the other stallholders complement what you sell. Pedddle, or The I Do Handmade Hub can be great places to find markets.
Once you’ve found your targets, set a reminder to check for applications opening. Follow the organisers on Instagram. Join their mailing lists. The sellers who get the best spots aren’t always the ones with the best products. They’re the ones who applied first.
Pitch to stockists now, before the buying windows close
Independent shops and gift retailers start placing their Christmas stock orders in late summer. Many of them are actively looking for new brands right now, in June and July, before they lock in their ranges for the season.
A well-timed pitch email sent now could land you in a shop just as the gifting season kicks off. The same email sent in October is likely to get a polite “maybe next year.”
Keep your pitch short: who you are, what you sell, why it fits their shop, your three bestsellers with prices, and a link to your products. That’s it. You’re not telling your whole story, you’re making it easy for them to say yes.
If you don’t hear back, follow up once, politely, about ten days later. Shop owners are busy. A gentle nudge is not pushy, it’s professional.
Submit to gift guides before the deadlines pass
This surprises most people: the gift guides you see in November and December magazines are put together in July and August. Journalists are compiling their lists right now.
A feature in the right publication can drive more sales than weeks of social media posting. And getting into one is more accessible than most sellers think.
Search for gift guide submission opportunities, look for #JournoRequest on X (formerly Twitter) where journalists post requests for products daily, and consider platforms like Press Loft which let you upload your products directly for media to discover. Or sign up to receive I Do Handmade’s PR alerts on The Hub. When you pitch, keep it simple: a short product description, your price, a web link, and a link to good quality product images.
One feature. That’s all it takes to change the trajectory of your Q4.
Sort your online shop before the rush
October and November are not the time to be fiddling with your website. Do it now, while things are quieter.
Check your product photos are strong. Good photography is one of the biggest factors in whether someone buys online or moves on. Make sure delivery costs and timescales are clearly visible, hidden delivery charges are one of the top reasons people abandon a checkout. And look at your product descriptions: do they explain not just what the product is, but why someone would want to give it as a gift?
Three numbers are worth knowing before Q4 hits: how many people visit your shop each month, what percentage of those actually buy, and how much the average customer spends per order. If you can improve all three even slightly before October, the impact on your Q4 revenue is significant.
Build your Christmas content plan now
Summer months is the time to start thinking about your Q4 content themes. Gift guides, behind the scenes of making, last order dates, customer testimonials, bestseller spotlights. Map out the key dates: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, last posting dates, Christmas Eve. Work backwards from those and you’ll have a content plan that doesn’t leave you panicking in December.
If Reels feel daunting, start now while the pressure is off. The first few are always the hardest. By the time Q4 arrives, you’ll have found your rhythm.
Create your gifting range before September
Think about how your products sit as gifts. Is there a bundle you could put together? A gift set that makes it easy for someone to buy for a friend without having to think too hard? A starter kit to introduce customers to your range, or a higher-priced option that acts as a premium gift?
The sellers who do well at Christmas are the ones who’ve made it easy to buy. A “gifts under £30” edit, a ribbon-tied duo, a beautifully packaged set. These things don’t take long to put together, but they can meaningfully increase your average order value across the whole quarter.
Ready to get started?
If you want more advice like this for product brands, Get Seen, Get Selling is my ebook for first-year UK product sellers, covering markets, stockists, online selling, pricing, and how to find the opportunities most sellers never know about. Everything you need to build a strong foundation before Q4 arrives. Grab your copy here.
And if you want a daily stream of market opportunities, stockist alerts, and PR leads straight to you throughout Q4 and beyond, search for the The I Do Handmade Hub. New opportunities are added every week.
Q4 is coming. The sellers who start now are the ones who’ll look back on it and smile.
About the writer
Becky Ackerman is the founder of I Do Handmade, who supports the growth of product-selling businesses helping them grow faster and sell more. Founded in 2013, she helps small independents flourish, through her latest book, a business boosting app, pop-ups in iconic locations and in-person and online networking events. Becky is on a mission to disrupt the retail industry, truly helping small businesses to succeed and thrive, showcasing a nation of talented creatives, makers and artists giving them the attention and recognition they deserve.
https://idohandmade.co.uk/pop-ups/
