Some new data from Faire shows Advent calendars are core to independent retailers’ assortments. Wholesale orders are up 63% year over year, and retailers are spending nearly 4x as much to keep calendars stocked on shelves and online. The global Advent calendar market is projected to reach $2.47 billion by 2033.
What Independent Retailers are Buying:
- Toys & squishies: the breakout category: Orders are up nearly 10,000%, making it the most in-demand segment on the platform that barely existed a year ago
- Halloween countdown calendars are up 8x this year, extending the format beyond the December holiday season
- Chocolate and candy Advent calendars decline in demand, making up less than 1% of the category spend
- Tea & coffee and cookies & snacks Advent calendars are also in the top four categories
In an interview with Retail Insider, Faire Trend Expert Hannah Wall talks about the rise of Advent calendars as an adult staple and how it ties into “treat culture,” with 57% of Gen Z treating themselves weekly; how Gen Z trends are moving the needle for independent retailers and what they should stock for Q4.
What is driving the surge in Advent calendar demand among independent retailers, with wholesale orders up 63% year over year, and how has consumer behaviour around the category changed?
Advent calendars used to be a kids’ chocolate countdown, but as the ‘kidult’ consumer increases their spending, brands are responding with increasingly fun, whimsical calendar options. Shoppers buy them for themselves, for hosts, and as gifts. Spend on Faire is nearly four times last year’s, orders have more than doubled, and more than twice as many retailers carry them. Retailers are also spending 63% more per order, and brands are keeping up, with 34% more making Advent calendars and 39% increase in listings. Retailers are also stocking them earlier, by the end of September they had already spent more than in all of last season, which tells me that Advent and countdown calendars are becoming a core part of their holiday assortment, rather than an add-on.
How are Gen Z consumers influencing the evolution of Advent calendars beyond traditional chocolate and candy offerings, and what does this reveal about the growing trend of “treat culture”?
The Advent calendar has grown up with Gen Z, and the assortment reflects this year’s hottest trends overall. Squishies and fidget toys are leading the way, and they’re a hit with kids and adults alike. Behind them, we are seeing rising interest in calendars across other categories, including tea, snacks, beauty, pets, and hobbies like crafts and books, the same ones we see Gen Z gravitating toward most. In a nutshell, it’s treat culture, a shift toward small daily indulgences over a bigger-ticket purchase.
What is behind the nearly 10,000% increase in wholesale orders for toy and squishy Advent calendars, and how sustainable do you expect this demand to be?
Toy calendars, led by squishies and fidget toys, which barely existed a year ago to more than half of all Advent calendar spend. That’s a new product riding the squishy boom, and part of the jump is just a low starting point, so I wouldn’t expect growth like that to repeat. How long it lasts depends on the squishy trend itself. I’d treat toys as a strong category this year and watch reorder rates before going big next year.
With Halloween countdown calendars up eightfold and tea, coffee, cookies and snacks among the leading categories, how are independent retailers expanding their seasonal assortments to capitalize on demand for countdown products?
The countdown format is expanding. Halloween calendars are up 8x in spend and orders nearly tripled. We are also seeing growing demand for Hanukkah and cookie calendars. They’re also widening what goes inside: tea and coffee are up nearly 6x, cookies and snacks 3.7x, and beauty, bath and candle calendars have tripled. Pet, crafts, pins, puzzles and book calendars are growing more modestly. In each case, retailers are filling the countdown with what their customers already buy from them. It wouldn’t surprise me to see countdown calendars for more holidays launch in 2027.
What specific products, merchandising strategies and inventory planning approaches should independent retailers prioritize for the fourth quarter to maximize sales while managing the risks of seasonal overstock?
Independent retailers know their customers better than anyone, and that’s the best advantage heading into the holiday shopping season. Advent calendars now span so many categories that there’s likely one that fits what your shoppers already buy from you, so start there. Buying into demand you can already see is also the best protection against overstock. Order conservatively up front, reorder into what’s selling, and merchandise calendars alongside the category they belong to. Timing matters, since retailers were buying early this year and calendars are hard to move once December passes. On Faire, the first week of November is likely your last window to reorder for Holiday ‘26.
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