The holiday season may still feel months away, but for retailers, holiday buying starts long before December.
At Ashbury BLOOM, we begin seeing wholesale interest in our holiday products during the summer, with ordering picking up in August and September. For retailers, this early planning creates an opportunity to get seasonal products onto shelves before the holiday rush begins — giving customers time to discover, consider, and purchase their gifts.
Our advice is simple: don’t wait until the last minute to stock your holiday collection.
Why Retailers Should Start Holiday Planning Early
Holiday shopping in Canada is becoming more deliberate, with shoppers researching, comparing products, and looking for meaningful gifts before the busiest part of the season.
For independent retailers, this creates an opportunity to introduce holiday products before December arrives. Getting seasonal products onto your shelves early gives customers time to discover new products, consider them as gifts, and return when they’re ready to purchase.
At Ashbury BLOOM, we begin seeing wholesale interest in our holiday products during the summer, with ordering increasing through August and September. Our recommendation is to place your first holiday order in September so you have enough time to receive your products, create an inviting display, and give your customers plenty of opportunity to shop the season.
Getting your holiday products in early gives shoppers a chance to see them, smell them, consider them as gifts, and come back when they’re ready to purchase.
When Should Retailers Order Holiday Products?
Based on our experience working with wholesale retailers, we recommend placing your first holiday wholesale order in September.
This gives you time to:
- Receive and organize your inventory
- Create holiday displays
- Photograph your products for social media
- Build gift bundles
- Introduce seasonal products to customers
- Allow shoppers to start their holiday shopping early
- Reorder products that begin selling quickly
At Ashbury BLOOM, wholesale orders typically have a 5–10 business day lead time, and our seasonal holiday products are available in limited quantities.
That last point is important.
Waiting until November or December can mean that some seasonal products may no longer be available.
Our recommended holiday wholesale timeline
| Timing | Retailer Focus |
|---|---|
| July–August | Begin planning your holiday assortment |
| August | Review seasonal products and determine quantities |
| September | Place your first wholesale order |
| September–October | Build displays and begin introducing holiday products |
| November | Reorder bestsellers and increase gift-focused merchandising |
| December | Focus on ready-to-gift products and last-minute shoppers |
You don’t necessarily need your entire holiday inventory on the shelves at once. The goal is to start early and build throughout the season.
Ashbury BLOOM’s Holiday Wholesale Collection
Our holiday collection is designed around something we believe is especially important during the holiday season: creating moments of calm.
The holidays can be exciting, but they can also be busy and stressful. We believe bath and body products can offer something different — a simple opportunity to slow down, light a candle, take a bath, enjoy a shower, or give someone a thoughtful moment of self-care.
Our limited seasonal holiday collection includes:
Peppermint Swirl Soap Bar
Our Peppermint Swirl Soap Bar has become a customer favourite for the holiday season.
In fact, this soap sold out last year, making it one of the products we recommend retailers consider when planning their seasonal assortment.
Season’s Greetings Soy Wax Candle
A seasonal candle designed to bring warmth and coziness to holiday displays and gift collections.
Wintermint Bath Salts
A giftable bath product that fits naturally into a winter wellness display or self-care collection.
New Winter Shower Steamer
A seasonal shower product that makes a simple addition to gift sets, wellness displays, and stocking-stuffer-style assortments.
Holiday Gift Box
For retailers looking for an easy, ready-to-gift option, our holiday gift box brings several Ashbury BLOOM products together into one thoughtful presentation.
Don’t Forget Your Winter Bestsellers
Holiday merchandising doesn’t have to consist entirely of products with Christmas names.
Some of our year-round products naturally transition into winter gifting.
For example:
Mint Mocha Soap Bar
A warm, comforting scent that fits beautifully into winter displays.
Breath Shower Steamer
A natural fit for wellness-focused shoppers looking for a refreshing shower ritual during the colder months.
This is one of our favourite approaches to seasonal merchandising: combine limited-edition holiday products with proven year-round products.
It gives retailers more flexibility and prevents the entire display from feeling like it can only be purchased during December.
What Should Different Retailers Stock?
Not every retail business needs the same holiday assortment.
Here are some of the ways we see Ashbury BLOOM products fitting different retail environments.
| Retailer Type | Products to Consider |
|---|---|
| Gift Shops | Soaps, candles, lip balms, bath bombs, bath salts, shower steamers and gift boxes |
| Boutiques | Smaller giftable products near the cash register or alongside other purchases |
| Spas | Shower steamers, candles and bath bombs |
| Wellness Centres | Shower steamers, candles and calming bath products |
| Florists | Bath bombs featuring botanicals such as lavender, rose or jasmine |
| Lifestyle Stores | Dishwashing bars, stain remover sticks, room sprays and shower steamers |
| Corporate Gifting | Gift boxes combining 3–4 products such as a soap, candle, bath bomb and lip balm |
Put Giftable Products Where Customers Can See Them
Holiday products shouldn’t be hidden at the back of the store.
Consider placing smaller giftable products:
- Near the cash register
- On a dedicated holiday table
- Beside complementary products
- In a wellness display
- Around seasonal décor
- Near other gift ideas
- In areas where customers naturally pause
For example, a florist could place botanical bath bombs alongside seasonal floral arrangements.
A spa could create a small “At-Home Relaxation” display featuring candles, bath bombs and shower steamers.
A lifestyle store could combine a candle with natural soap and other home products.
The goal is to help the customer see the gift before they have to think of it themselves.
Why Natural Ingredients Matter to Holiday Shoppers
One of the things we’ve noticed through our wholesale relationships is that retailers are hearing more questions about ingredients.
Customers want to know:
What’s in this?
For our natural handmade soaps, shoppers may look at the ingredients and ask whether the soap is scented with essential oils rather than synthetic fragrance or perfume.
Our bath and body products are created around our belief in the connection between nature and wellness.
We use ingredients such as plant-based oils, clays, botanicals and essential oils throughout our product line, and many of our products are made in Canada in small batches.
For retailers, this creates another story they can share with customers:
A gift can be beautiful, useful and thoughtfully made.
Made in Canada Matters
Canadian-made products can be particularly appealing during the holiday season.
For independent retailers, stocking Canadian-made products can give customers another reason to choose a local product rather than a mass-produced alternative.
At Ashbury BLOOM, we’re proudly Canadian-made, producing our bath and body products in small batches and sourcing ingredients through local suppliers, farmers and other Canadian connections where possible.
Don’t Assume Men Aren’t Shopping for Bath & Body Gifts
Here’s something we’ve noticed that retailers may not immediately expect:
Men buy our gift boxes and gift sets.
A thoughtfully assembled gift box removes much of the decision-making involved in choosing a gift.
Instead of asking:
“Which soap should I buy? Which candle? What else would go with it?”
the customer can simply choose a finished combination.
This is particularly useful during the holidays when customers are looking for thoughtful gifts but may not be familiar with bath and body products.
Why We Recommend Ordering Early
There is a difference between shopping early and finishing holiday shopping early.
A customer might discover your holiday display in October, buy one gift, return in November for another, and still be shopping in December.
That means putting holiday products out early doesn’t mean you’re expecting customers to buy everything immediately.
You’re simply giving them the opportunity to discover your products sooner.
Our Advice to Retailers: Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute
If there’s one thing we’d tell a retailer preparing for the holiday season, it’s this:
Get your holiday products in early. Don’t assume shoppers aren’t shopping early.
Your customers may be looking for gifts before December.
They may want to spread out their spending.
They may want to avoid the stress of last-minute shopping.
Or they may simply see something beautiful in October and think, “That would make a great gift.”
Give them the opportunity.
And give yourself enough time to create a display that feels intentional rather than rushed.
Holiday Gifting Should Still Feel Like Ashbury BLOOM
The holidays don’t have to be all about rushing from one thing to the next.
At Ashbury BLOOM, we believe the best gifts can create a small moment of calm.
A candle lit at the end of a busy day.
A warm bath.
A refreshing shower.
A beautifully made soap sitting beside the sink.
A thoughtful gift from someone who wanted you to slow down and take a moment for yourself.
That’s the feeling we want our holiday collection to create.
Warmth. Comfort. Wellness. And a little more time to enjoy the people and moments that matter.
Ready to Plan Your Holiday Wholesale Order?
Ashbury BLOOM’s limited-edition holiday products are available in limited quantities, so we encourage retailers to begin planning early.
Our wholesale orders typically have a 5–10 business day lead time, and retailers can mix products to create an assortment that works for their individual store.
Whether you’re a gift shop, boutique, spa, wellness centre, florist, lifestyle store or corporate gifting company, our goal is to make holiday gifting easy to merchandise and meaningful for your customers.
Start planning your holiday shelves early — your customers may already be shopping.
