Newcasions are where it’s at, Clintons

Analysis from Clintons flags up the rise of ‘newcasions’. Until recently, special events tended to be confined to religious festivals, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day etc, but with the advent of social media and fan forums, thousands of newer occasions – from Star Wars Day to Ed Balls Day - have started to develop their own history and heritage.

Newcasions in May alone number in the hundreds, including National Egg Month, National Hamburger Month, World Tuna Day, International Respect for Chickens Day, World Naked Gardening Day, World Laughter Day, Root Canal Appreciation Day, World Belly Dance Day, Crouton Day and Houmous Day. And, no, we’re not making these up…

This is leading to changes in the offering at Clintons. May the 4th, now a fixture in sci fi fans’ calendar for its punning association with Star Wars, has led to an expanded range of Star Wars merchandise on sale at the retailer. Nicola Miller, Head of Cards at Clintons, says: “Traditional occasions are always extremely popular, and our Christmas Card range alone extends to more than 1,000 different cards. What we’re also seeing, though, is strong sales in blank cards, matched with higher levels of browsing time in the blank cards section as customers look for an appropriate card.”

“We’re closely monitoring hashtags on Twitter to get a sense of the moments and offbeat occasions that people are choosing to celebrate. It makes perfect sense for us to think about the possibility of cards and gifts to reflect this enthusiasm and that’s why, as a trial, we are ramping up our stocks of Star Wars merchandise in anticipation of May the Fourth.”

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