Holiday Merch Ideas for Small Businesses
By The Merch Counter team · Updated · 2 min read
The holidays are when many local businesses sell the most merch, mostly to people buying gifts for someone who loves the place. It's the biggest shopping stretch of the year: the National Retail Federation forecasts $1.013 trillion in US retail sales for November and December 2026. To make the most of it, have your holiday designs live by early November, push gifts around Small Business Saturday, and give customers a clear "order by" date so presents arrive in time.
Plan backwards from the order-by date
With print on demand, each order is made after it's placed: on The Merch Counter, production usually takes 2–5 business days and US delivery another 3–6 days. So an order can take up to about two weeks to arrive.
That means your "order by" date for a gift to arrive before a holiday should be about two weeks before it, plus a few extra days of buffer for holiday shipping volumes. For scale, USPS's own 2026 holiday deadlines ask people to send Ground Advantage parcels by December 17 and Priority Mail by December 18 for delivery by Christmas, and your order has to be printed before it ships.
Starting now, in November?
There's still time, but go straight to it:
- This week: add two or three holiday products and order a sample of each.
- When samples arrive (about one to two weeks): check them, photograph them, and publish.
- Small Business Saturday (November 28 this year): your big in-store and online push.
- Early December: announce your order-by date and remind people of it twice.
- After the order-by date: sell any samples you have in person, and tell online shoppers their order will arrive after the holiday.
A holiday merch calendar, for next year
| When | What |
|---|---|
| September | Decide on holiday designs and products |
| October | Add holiday products; order samples |
| Early November | Launch the holiday collection |
| Small Business Saturday (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) | Big push: in-store and online |
| Early December | "Order by" reminders |
| After the order-by date | Sell any samples you have in person; tell online shoppers it'll arrive after the holiday |
| January | Take seasonal designs down; plan next year |
Holiday merch ideas
1. A winter version of your logo. Snow, lights or a seasonal color on your usual mark.
2. The gift set. A mug and a tote, a tee and a hat, suggested together.
3. Hoodies and beanies. The obvious cold-weather sellers.
4. A "local's gift" design. Your town or neighborhood name with your logo, for people sending a piece of home to someone who moved away.
5. Stickers as stocking stuffers. Cheap, cheerful, easy.
6. A Small Business Saturday design. Available only that weekend. American Express started Small Business Saturday in 2010, and it falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
7. Staff holiday shirts. Your team in festive merch sells the collection for you.
8. A "year in review" design. Your anniversary, your best-selling drink, your neighborhood.
Gift guide copy
Customers buying gifts want help. Group your products on social or in an email:
- For the regular: the logo mug or tote
- For the one who moved away: the neighborhood tee
- Under $20: stickers and mugs
- The big gift: the hoodie
In-store tips
- A holiday QR sign by the register: "Give the gift of [your shop]."
- Samples on display so people can see and feel them.
- Staff in the holiday shirt all season.
Related: How to Launch Your Merch · Merch Drops