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Every year, we can almost set our clocks by it. Come September, our phones start buzzing with the same question:
“We’ve got a spring event coming up — what’s everyone else ordering right now?”
Then, just as quickly, the tone shifts in late November:
“We need Christmas gifts. They’ve got to feel special, and they need to arrive before the shutdown.”
For us, these two seasons — Spring and Christmas—aren’t just busy, they’re the backbone of the promo calendar. Both keep our warehouse humming, but the reasons behind the orders are completely different. One is about reach, the other is about retention.
Here’s what we’ve seen, heard, and learned from years of handling these two very different rushes.
Our Spring Rush
Spring is when things come back to life. After winter, people want fresh, colourful, practical merchandise they can use outdoors. Clients often tell us: “We don’t need anything fancy — we just want our brand everywhere.”
And that’s exactly what happens. From our side of the warehouse, September through November looks like this:
- September: AFL finals, school fairs, and spring racing push orders for caps, sunscreen, drink bottles, and custom tote bags. These are light, easy to carry, and seen by thousands.
- October: Expo season kicks in across Sydney and Melbourne. We’re packing pallets of lanyards, notebooks, polos, and compendiums bound for convention centres.
- November (early): Before the Christmas chaos, companies squeeze in launch events and client functions. We see lots of eco cups, reusable straws, and mid-range gifts that feel polished but not premium.
From what we hear, spring merchandise isn’t about gifting. It’s about visibility. A client once told us, “Our tote bags were everywhere at that fair — it was like walking past a sea of our logo.” That’s ROI you can literally see moving around.
Our Christmas Frenzy
By late November, the floor looks completely different. We’re no longer stacking lightweight cartons of caps and bags — instead, we’re building pallets of mugs in gift boxes, folding branded jackets, and wrapping bundles that feel more like presents.
Clients are very clear with us this time of year: “This has to feel thoughtful.” The big movers in December are always:
- Drinkware: mugs, double-walled bottles, and glassware in premium boxes.
- Apparel: embroidered polos, caps, or jackets.
- Tech: Bluetooth speakers, wireless chargers, headphones.
- Hampers & bundles: merch packs that combine custom mugs, notebooks, and treats.
These aren’t trade show giveaways. These are relationship pieces — products that tell staff and clients: “We value you.” One client summed it up perfectly to us last year: “Spring helps us get noticed. Christmas helps us get remembered.”
The Crunch Month We Dread (and Love)
November is where the two collide, and honestly, it’s mayhem. On one loading dock, we’ll be dispatching tote bags for a uni open day, and on the other, premium mugs packed into gift sets for a corporate Christmas party. Couriers come in and out all day, sometimes picking up pallets every hour. We also hear the same regret every November: “We should have ordered earlier.”
The reality is:
- Stock runs out faster than people expect.
- Print slots get booked solid.
- Couriers are stretched thin.
If you’re ordering in November, you’re competing with everyone else. Our advice, based on what we see year after year: order in October, or risk rolling the dice.
ROI: How We Explain It to Clients
When people ask us whether Spring or Christmas gives better ROI, we answer honestly: “It depends on what you want.”
- Spring = Reach
- You can get your brand in front of thousands at once.
- Products travel — a tote bag or cap gets carried for weeks.
- ROI here is measured in impressions.
- Christmas = Retention
- You’re gifting fewer people, but at a higher value.
- Products stay on desks and in kitchens long after December.
- ROI is measured in relationships and loyalty.
What We Hear From Clients, Year After Year
Certain lines repeat like clockwork:
- “Spring is cheaper per impression.” — A $5 water bottle at an outdoor event can reach hundreds of people.
- “Christmas gifts last longer.” — A good mug or hoodie gets used daily for years.
- “We didn’t realise how quickly stock disappears.” — The November panic is real.
- “Spring fills the funnel, Christmas closes it.” — This one came from a long-term client, and we’ve repeated it often.
What We See on the Warehouse Floor
Sometimes the best insights aren’t in spreadsheets, but in what we’re physically packing:
- Spring shelves fill up. Dozens of medium orders, with a wide variety of items: custom bags, caps, and bottles. High turnover, smaller average order values.
- Christmas shelves empty out. Fewer orders, but each one bigger in spend. Premium stock — mugs, hampers, apparel — flies out by the pallet.
Our Final Word
Spring and Christmas aren’t in competition. They’re complementary.
- Spring giveaways put your brand into circulation — at fairs, stadiums, expos, and community events.
- Christmas gifts deepen relationships — thoughtful items that sit on a desk, in a kitchen, or get worn weekly.
So when clients ask us which season delivers better ROI, we say: “It depends. Do you want reach, or do you want retention?” The smartest brands don’t pick one over the other. They plan for both. That’s what we see on our warehouse floor year after year—and it’s what we’ve learned from listening to our clients.