Management Development Programme - 3 Sessions to Master Merchandising & Modern Festive Sales

Dates: Thursdays - 3rd, 10th & 17th September 2026
Venue: Online
Time: 6:30 - 9:30 pm

Objectives:

This Cork North, West & South LEO, three-session online MDP is designed to equip Irish small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) with actionable merchandising, stock management and omnichannel strategies for driving sales in the 2026 festive season.

Explore new approaches for connecting with customers, align physical and digital sales strategies and create a Christmas wonderland in your business. Join us on this online course for inspiration, how to guide peer discussions and expert feedback, this programme will help focusing on a consumer base that is increasingly intentional, price-conscious, and hybrid in their shopping habits.

This course is rooted in retail practice,

Session 1: The New Festive Mindset & Sales strategies for 2026

Focus: Understanding the 2026 Irish consumer and the

Shopping Phases & Customer Mindset

• General & local market trends
• Creating a sales strategy for peak
• Retail Trends 2026:
• Hybrid Shopping
• Value-Driven Consumer habits
• Embracing Irish
• Consumer trends for Christmas 2026
• Stock Control & Space Management:
• Stock building/capacity planning for peak
• Space Layout reviews
   

 Session 2: The Visual Narrative – Merchandising for Impact

Focus: Turning your physical space into a Christmas destination through branding and layout.

Expressing Business Character: How to visually express business character through local references, humour, warmth, and authentic storytelling.

• Visual Merchandising (VM) for Stock Builds:
• Gift Area Optimization
• Creating commercial & versatile instore hotspots.
• Sustainability in Display:
• Christmas best practice tips
• Window & Instore Christmas Décor
• Christmas activations that delight
• Questions and design troubleshooting

Session 3: The Connected Experience – Digital & Physical Activations

Focus: Bridging the gap between the shop floor and the screen.

• Bringing Christmas to the Website:
• Seamless
• Personalization: Use "agentic" web tools to show dynamic gift recommendations based on past browsing.
• In-store Activations & New Approaches:
• Gamification, Pops, Customer nights and more
• Omnichannel opportunities

Outcomes:

• Clients will be equipped with information to help them sell the right product at the right time
• Clients will receive industry best practice tips for driving customer engagement in new ways
• Clients will understand the benefits of creating an omnichannel plan to support mobile led shopping habits
• Clients will be provided with a trading calendar featuring prompts opportunities to personalise
• Clients will be empowered to create a personalised Christmas Strategy
• Clients will understand the commercial and design benefits of great Christmas Window Display
• Clients will be provided with green alternatives and suggestions to aid sustainable trading
• Clients will be provided with relevant supplier details
• Clients will be supported with one-to-one feedback during the day

This course will be delivered by Lisa McCarthy of Spectrum Display