Traditional advent calendars were mainly aimed at children and contained religious images or chocolates, but the trend of non-traditional advents promise luxury gifts for adults and cover almost every type of product, from dog treats to gin, beauty products to socks. Advent calendar - self fill is a great way for those just testing the waters, where their products fit within the plastic tray inserts. If you are looking for plastic free advent calendars please click here

The luxury advent is the trend that seems set to stay, so why are calendars such a great idea for brands and e-commerce businesses?

Here we look at some of the reasons:

1. Capitalise on popularity:

The non-traditional calendar is a desirable product, so why not jump on the trend? People love buying these original gifts for themselves and for others. It’s a great way to add fun, excitement and a surprise gift as the festive season begins. (which is great for increasing your revenue and encouraging people to spend well before December)

2. Promoting your products to a new audience:

A gifted calendar can introduce you to new customers as well as increasing sales from existing customers. The key is to put your most desirable and popular products inside. The idea being that these will get the customer to fall in love with the brand, and seek you out to discover more about your products.

3. 24-day visibility:

The recipients will be reminded of your brand, for the whole of the festive period, what’s not to love about that. Make sure your packaging has an impact and you will be memorable!

4. #Advent Calendar:

There are over 1.1 million Instagram hashtags for advent calendars. This trend seems set to grow again this year. Did you know the luxury brands, from Yankee Candle to Harrods, launch their festive offerings early in the year!

Capitalise on the seventeen million millennials in the UK, 64% of which are using Instagram.  "Millennials are used to having chocolate ones as kids and now they are grown up they want adult ones”. states Catherine Shuttleworth, of shopping research consultancy Savvy. If you make your advent attractive or unique, then people will want to share with their followers on their social media platforms. This brings free advertising and promotion for your brand.

5. The margins:

It is all about perception with gift sets! When you package your products behind the windows of a beautifully packaged advent calendar, you can sell this gift at a higher price point than for the same product simply placed on a shelf.