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What to sell in the summer in an online store and how to avoid losses in trade?
Demand for goods and services drops in the summer. In order not to lose money, sell in the store those goods that people will not spare money for during the hot season. The main task of an entrepreneur is not just to stay afloat, but also to make a profit + 100% return on investment in advertising.

Why demand for goods falls in summer

• Summer is a vacation period. More than 70% of the population saves money for travel and recreation, so they are in no hurry to say goodbye to their savings at this time. For the same reason, the number of potential customers who come to the store after seeing an advertisement is decreasing.
• The situation is similar after a vacation. People have spent their savings and it will take 4-6 weeks before they are ready for planned or spontaneous purchases again.
• Children are no longer attending kindergartens and educational institutions are closed, so clothing, stationery and related products are not needed for now.
• Familiar food products are in low demand because appetite decreases during the heat wave.
• Customers spend time walking, relaxing in summer cottages or resorts, so there is no time to sit at the computer.
• Big sales are held in the fall or winter.

Keep in mind that not all online stores are idle in the summer. Those who sell beachwear and accessories, tourist equipment, soft drinks and food, and ready-made fruit sets can claim a stable and even 100% profit. If the store works with the premium segment, it is also unlikely to be affected by the seasonal crisis.

How to prepare for a sales slump in summer

• Be prepared to make radical decisions in the summer - sales have to be revitalized not only with one-time discounts, but also with the introduction of new products that have never been seen in store catalogs before. For example, in times of crisis (quarantine, etc.), companies launch completely new services to attract as many customers as possible. The well-known KraftBurger company, which previously specialized in the preparation and delivery of exclusive burgers with original names such as Trump, Deadpool, Hallucinogen, Bonaparte, realized the importance of food delivery during this period and started making and delivering sushi and rolls that customers would not find in any restaurant in the city.
• Stock up on seasonal products. Analyze the needs of potential customers and buy the right product. Analytics and forecasting of customer demand is the responsibility of marketers. You can also create polls on social media. The number of responses and audience reach depends on the number of active subscribers. Check out the offers of other online stores - what products they emphasize, what promotions and discounts they offer to customers.
• Think about the loyalty program in advance. It will take up to four months to prepare. Focus on favorable offers from other companies - not necessarily domestic ones and not necessarily those projects that are operating right now. There are thousands of examples on the Internet. Don't be afraid to launch new promotions and slogans. Consider the example of Nike, which initially produced shoes only for professional athletes. The Just do it slogan went beyond that and now shoes are available to customers of all ages, genders, and occupations, although it was originally assumed that Just do it would have only a short-term effect. Also, keep in mind that customers prefer to be outdoors in hot weather, so focus on favorable delivery. Be sure to organize short-term seasonal promotions such as "buy a tent and get camping cups as a gift."
• Even before the summer season starts, you should think about entertainment for your customers. By organizing contests and quizzes, make yourself known, inform them about upcoming sales, discounts, and seasonal changes in stores. Make registration on the site a prerequisite for participation in the promotion. This way you will collect a customer database and use this information for future mailings. Contests should arouse interest, a desire to participate in them and share them with friends. Complicated contests with ten conditions scare customers away, while trivial ones like "a prize for a like and a repost" get boring, so we recommend offering participants to perform a certain action to become one of the contenders for the prize. For example, take a photo in a fancy dress, leave a comment, complete a phrase, or come up with a name for a product that is about to appear on the market. Describe the conditions in detail to avoid misunderstandings.
• The last step is to announce a promotion or contest. Do this through newsletters and social media, and launch targeted advertising. Notify customers about upcoming promotions and discounts, and then remind them about the loyalty program again. This will increase the likelihood that potential customers will save money for the product they are interested in by 50%.
• Don't forget about the visual design of your social media pages and website. Add summer accents, but don't change the logo and website concept. Banners, order forms, and widgets can be designed in summer colors.

How to prepare for a sales downturn

• Attract customers with discounts and promotional offers.
• Adjust the cost of goods - not only reduce prices, but also increase them where necessary. If demand increases, increase the margin, and if consumer activity decreases, reduce the cost of goods.
• Adjust your advertising budget. Reduce the cost of previously launched advertising campaigns and allocate money to launch new ones that inform potential buyers about the upcoming season's offers.
• Focus on seasonal products, but don't forget about the products you've sold before.

How to prepare for sales growth

You should be afraid not only of a drop in sales, but also of an increase that you did not have time to prepare for. For example, the management of a food delivery company decided to prepare exclusive refreshments in the summer and were not prepared. The company's existing staff can handle three to five hundred visitors a day, but two thousand started coming in every day. And while managers used to process one hundred orders in 10 hours of work, this time is not enough to service calls that will increase three to four times. We need to expand the staff, which means additional time for training and expenses.

• To avoid such problems, contact an online marketer who will forecast sales growth. This will help you plan your budget properly and avoid failure.
• Use the method of long-term planning - make lists of product groups in advance, look for suppliers from whom you can buy goods at a lower cost.
• Display seasonal products in a separate section of your online store.
• Optimize individual categories and pages for queries. This will attract additional traffic to the site, as well as work on creating relevant content.
• Start working on the project two to four months before the desired date to double your profits.

Promotions that customers like

• Organize contests and quizzes on social media.
• Separate the category of goods sold at a discount on your website and emphasize the name. For example, "everything for 199".
• Take advantage of the old marketing ploy "Happy Hours". Once a week, organize a promotion where you give your customers a 20%-30% discount from 10.00 to 14.00.
• Give up to 5% off for a skinny friend.
• To stimulate customers, introduce "melting" discounts into your loyalty program, which decrease by 5-10% daily.
• 5% discounts when purchasing goods for a certain amount.
• Personalized discounts or gifts - for birthdays, one-month anniversary of registration on the site.

There are dozens of options for promotional offers. The main thing is to convey information to a potential client. Therefore, post on social media and on your website, engage bloggers, and send out regular email newsletters.
When purchasing an assortment, make a plan in advance. Ask customers directly what products they would buy in the summer. Also, visit thematic forums and talk to other online store owners. Listen to their recommendations:

• Use Google Trends. This tool displays statistics on user searches on the Internet related to a specific keyword.
• Avoid wide and very narrow niches.
• Rate how relevant the product is on a scale of one to ten. In summer, people would rather buy new sandals than closed shoes.
• Constantly study the behavior of competitors - offers, discounts, assortment, prices, advertising, social media and blogging.
• To begin with, order small quantities and track customer activity. If there is demand, increase your supply.

TOP 8 products in demand in online stores in summer

• Means for weight loss. Losing weight for the summer will never be outdated. For 90% of women who want to get in shape, the marathon starts about a month before the start of summer. Girls practice diets, proper nutrition, and buy gym memberships. An online store can sell slimming products as early as spring. These include sports equipment for exercising at home, special clothes and shoes, underwear for body shaping, and, if there is a permit, slimming products. If the company specializes in food delivery, include healthy and low-calorie breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks on the menu. In online grocery stores, focus on fruits and vegetables, chia seeds, smoothies, and fresh juices. Order triggered emails with catchy headlines like "lose weight for summer in 10 days".
• Products for the beach. Swimwear, beach bags and clothing, shoes, towels, sunscreen. Before you buy a product, study fashion trends - what swimwear will be in fashion this season, what accessories are in demand and what are not.
• Goods for traveling. These include suitcases, bags, and travel backpacks. Organizers are also needed, and those who want to go on a trip to the mountains need camping tents, utensils, hygiene products, cooler bags, sleeping bags, and blankets. Fishing and hunting goods are also in demand.
• Goods for children. Clothes, toys, inflatable pools, trampolines, inflatable mattresses, pillows, circles, armbands.
• Household appliances. Fans and air conditioners. In 90% of cases, such purchases are made only when it is no longer possible to endure the heat. Demand is increasing, so you can make a reasonable margin.
• Products for the country, garden and vegetable garden. In the summer, offer those seedlings that are acceptable to plant at this time of year. These can also be plants that are planted twice, such as radishes and herbs. To cultivate land, people will need special equipment and pest repellents. But large-sized equipment is usually purchased in advance. Decorative sculptures are also in demand.
• Active leisure. Rollerblades, bicycles, scooters, gyroscopes. Start selling such goods in the spring and maintain sales in the summer by gradually increasing the margin.
• Insect repellents. Sprays, gels, creams, lotions, fumigants. Such products will be useful not only for vacationers, but also for those who are going to spend the whole summer in the office and in their hometown.

Don't be afraid to start working with a new product category. Even if your online store used to offer only pajama sets, this is not a reason not to start selling beachwear or summer bag collections. The main thing is to take active steps to avoid losses.