Established Seasonal Sales Cycles & Weather Forecasts: How do they influence online shoppers? 

Savvy researchers investigate shopping cycles and trends to stay ahead and plan for the consumers’ most likely time to reach for their wallets. Marketing calendars highlight holidays to coordinate sales and specials. The pandemic came and blew many strategic plans out of the water as supply chain issues, a touch of panic buying, and changed habits all influenced shopping trends.  

 What can we look forward to in a typical calendar year? Are any reliable predictions related to the natural product consumer (check out this article by Happi about who the natural beauty consumer is and what they expect) and seasonal spending? Does the natural consumer show any differences compared with other demographics in shoppers? 

 Here’s what we found. 

Established Seasonal Sale Cycles

Most consumers are in-tune with traditional holiday sales cycles like these examples published by U.S. News. These price breaks are typically offered around post-holiday or end-of-season needs of retailers to move over-stocked or left-over goods.  

However, experienced e-commerce enablers and those selling online directly to consumers may also be able to share an inherent drop in overall sales as January resolutions fall behind, credit card consumers recover from holiday shopping, or perhaps as disposable income levels shrink closer to tax filing day. Whatever the reason, spending dips from January to April and the numbers must be heard. 

 One suggestion pulled from typical holiday sales cycle theory is to buy jewelry post-Valentine’s Day and seasonal clothing as the weather transitions to the next season. Most established sales cycle deals follow this type of trend.  

 The formula is:

1. Season is ending 
2. Shop discounted seasonal items
3. Snatch up deals

 The online shopper is anticipating these promotions mirrored in the e‑commerce marketplaces. Retailers may not feel the same compulsion as warehouse space can be vastly different than shelf or rack availability in a brick-and-mortar location. 

 Overall, the natural consumer doesn’t seem to fit into the commonly known or frequently published sales cycles associated with other products. 

How to Make the Sales Cycle Work for You 

Shoppers searching for natural beauty and personal care products are aware of their changing needs based on the seasons. For example, facial and body moisturizer sales and sunless tanning lotions increase as the cold weather approaches.  

Of course, no one wants to wait for these trends when the warehouse is full of seasonally related products. In this case, the right marketing strategy is key. 

 Sunless tanning lotion may experience a sales spike as the days are shorter and the temperature drops. Consider developing a campaign strategy to ensure sales remain stable throughout the year by highlighting the benefits around retaining optimal tan levels during the warmer months, making this product more desirable year-round.  

Key Takeaways 

• In general, shoppers know the basic seasonal retail sales cycle. 
• Online marketers can support a noticeable dip in consumer spending from January to April. 
• It is up to the seller to find ways to keep buyers interested in items considered “out of season.” 
• If your product does not fit into one of the known sales cycle categories, as with many natural products, consider it an advantage and create campaigns on your terms. 

Weather & Seasons 

Weather 

Pay attention to shifts in regional weather forecasts when scheduling flash sales or short-term special deals and offers. Rainy days, cooler days, and snowstorms typically indicate an uptick in online shopping, although the degree of difference varies by location (intentional pun). 

How the weather impacts sales can depend on geography. For example, regions that experience four seasons will inherently have consumers accustomed to changing needs based on seasonal temperatures. For the sake of this blog, we are separating quick changes in weather like storms or heat waves from winter, spring, summer, and fall. 

Before you rush off to design a campaign based on weather – Amazon advertising guidelines state the following:

Consider a unique strategy when addressing the shopper who is experiencing a longer-term shift in climate associated with seasonal change compared to a quick shift between a sunny and rainy day.