German online retailers generated approximately 22.2 billion euros in sales during the 2025 holiday season—and anyone who wants to secure their share in 2026 needs to set the course now, in September. New content takes eight to ten weeks to become rankable in search results, suppliers need lead time, and technical changes should be made before the peak—not in the middle of it. The timeline from September to December.
At a Glance
- According to bevh, the 2025 online holiday season generated approximately €22.2 billion in revenue (+3.3% in nominal terms compared to the previous year).
- For many retailers, November and December are the highest-revenue months of the year.
- New gift categories and landing pages require about 8–10 weeks of lead time before they can rank—deadline: early October.
- A code freeze takes effect in mid-November: no more risky updates or changes until after the peak.
Why do preparations for the holiday shopping season begin in September?
Because three lead times are running simultaneously. First, search: Experience shows that new category and gift pages take eight to ten weeks to be indexed and rank consistently—anyone who publishes in November will be invisible during the peak. Second, purchasing: Delivery times, especially for imported goods, can easily extend into October; so reorders for bestsellers need to be placed in September. Third, the technical side: Updates and major site overhauls require a maintenance window with a buffer—well before the first promotional weekend. If you start in November, you’re just managing; if you start in September, you’re shaping the site.
What does the schedule look like from September through December?
| Time Period | Milestones |
|---|---|
| September | Analyze last year’s bestsellers, determine purchase quantities and reorder points, check delivery times, create a content plan for gift themes |
| October | Publish gift categories and landing pages online, update marketplace listings, perform update/maintenance windows, review carrier terms and conditions |
| November | Load testing; review payment and shipping methods by mid-month, followed by a code freeze; launch campaigns; Black Friday on November 27 |
| December | Communicate “Delivery by Christmas Eve” cut-offs, ensure support and warehouse staffing, monitoring; prepare the returns process |
What product range and inventory decisions need to be made now?
The basis is last year’s bestseller analysis: Which items drove sales in November and December 2025, and where did inventory run out? This information is used to determine purchase quantities and reorder points—including the risk of remaining inventory after the holidays. Equally important: request delivery times from suppliers in writing, as their capacities are also tight in Q4. Those seeking additional reach should now explore marketplaces as a second channel—listings and activations there also require weeks of lead time. Our article comparing marketplaces provides some context.
What content needs to be online by when?
All pages intended to rank during the holiday season should be live by early October: gift categories (“Gifts for…,” “Gifts under €50”), themed landing pages, and updated guides. Two best practices: Reactivate seasonal pages from the previous year instead of creating new ones—they carry over their ranking history—and link to the new pages internally so that crawlers can find them quickly. Accurate product data and images also help reduce the return rate after the holidays.
What should be included in the technical check before the peak season?
Schedule any changes to the system now—not in November. This includes upcoming store updates during a maintenance window with a fallback plan, a load test with realistic visitor numbers (caching, image sizes, hosting resources), test orders using all payment and shipping methods, and a review of monitoring and backups. Starting in mid-November, a code freeze is in effect: no more risky deployments—only content and prices.
How do retailers plan shipping, staffing, and service for December?
The most important date in December is your own order cutoff for “delivery by Christmas Eve”: the package service’s drop-off deadline minus your own processing time, plus a buffer—clearly communicated in the store, and better to err on the side of caution than to be overly optimistic. Add to that pickup and drop-off capacities, packaging materials, and staffing for warehousing and support during the peak weeks. Our Shipping & Delivery Guide summarizes which shipping and delivery time details should be accurately displayed in the store.
How XONIC Supports Retailers During the Holiday Season
With the XONIC Shop System, hosting, updates, and support come from a single source and are included in the fixed package prices starting at €149 per month—with 0% revenue share, so system costs remain the same even during the highest-revenue month. Newsletter and marketing automation are included to kick off your campaigns, and integrations with 17 marketplaces provide additional reach.
Frequently Asked Questions About Preparing for the Holiday Season
Sources
Stephan Dunger
Stephan Dunger is one of the brains behind the XONIC store system. He has been developing the platform together with the team since 2012 - from the database to the interfaces to the checkout.
A passionate programmer, technical mind and consultant at the same time: with his in-depth knowledge of store systems and e-commerce, Stephan combines the depth of a developer with an eye for the big picture. Together with the XONIC team, he shapes the technical direction, consistently thinks about functions from the retailer's perspective and advises on customized solutions.
The result is software with a face: customers don't get an anonymous provider, but a direct line to the people who develop XONIC. Pragmatic, fast and at eye level.
