Special occasion days like Mother’s Day, Lunar New Year and World Chocolate Day are becoming powerful sales drivers for confectionery brands.
With minimal investment and no need for reformulation, these one-day events offer a smart way to repackage existing products, tap into shopper sentiment, and boost seasonal sales. As they grow in impact, they’re starting to rival the five major confectionery seasons – Valentine’s, Easter, Halloween, Christmas and summer. Here are five worth exploring.
1. Mother’s Day
With a recent YouGov poll finding that one in five UK consumers choose a sweet treat as their gift for Mother’s Day, it likely brought a welcome boost to confectionery sales on Mothering Sunday which fell on March 30, 2025.
Personalisation is one way to appeal to consumers looking for high-end experiential confectionery for Mothering Sunday. Ferrero-owned UK firm Thorntons (above) leant into this trend with truffles topped with letters of the alphabet to spell a personalised messages and chocolate hearts with space for a hand-iced note.
2. Ramadan
Muslims worldwide celebrated Eid al-Fitr over the last weekend of March, marking the end of the religious festival, Ramadan. Sweet treats are important during this time, signifying a time for families and friends to come together and break their fast.
Sales of sugary sweets have increased during Ramadan, Africa News reports. Indulgent confectionery remains popular with shoppers, with sales of traditional Arabic sweets containing nut and fruit ingredients like almonds, coconut, orange blossom water and rosewater peaking during the festival.
Gifting also offers an opportunity with Lindt, for example issuing an Eid tin for customers to fill with an indulgent truffle pick and mix.
3. Father’s Day
It’s not only Mother’s Day that proves a big marketing hit for consumer packaged goods brands. Father’s Day also attracts confectionery purchases, with the UK’s Hodge Bank reporting a £800m ($1bn) spend on Father’s Day 2024.
In 2024, research by Global Data indicated that to make the most out of the celebratory occasion, UK retailers need to promote specific products that consumers connect with, such as sharing chocolate. In addition, the data also suggests that retailers and confectioners should start promoting Father’s Day as early as Mother’s Day preparations begin to maximise sales.
For Mars-owned M&Ms its personalisation initiative is evergreen, but promoted around key dates in the calendar such as Father’s Day and which allows customers to print bespoke candy with their dad’s face or name printed on them.
4. The Lunar New Year
Globally, the Lunar New Year attracts scores of consumers to the supermarket shelves. Confectionery plays a vital role in the annual celebrations, with sweet candy treats, often called ‘fortune candies’, representing good fortune and a pleasant start to the year ahead.
Brands such as Italian Ferrero Rocher and US Almond Rocha are growing in popularity, with shoppers seeking exquisite, gold packaging synonymous with a premium feel during the Spring Festival. Us-based Sugarfina meanwhile has launched the Year of the Snake Zodiac Candy Tasting Collection (above).
5. World Chocolate Day
The annual day dedicated to celebrating chocolate is held on July 7. While its history is rooted in the understanding that this was the day that chocolate was first introduced in Europe some 500 years ago in 1550, it’s also a savvy move for confectioners who typically experience a slump in sales in the warmer months.
World Chocolate Day provides brands with a focal sales and promotional point, drawing shoppers to new brand interactions on social media, in-person tasting events, new at-home consumer chocolate-making kits, new flavour combinations and new chocolate releases.