Key strategies for boosting sales in the off-season
The right sales strategy will enable you to sell bikinis to the penguins. Your digital marketing strategy could be just the thing you need to help you weather the seasons. All it takes is foresight, planning, and brainstorming.
Selling summer items during the summer can leave you feeling like you’ve got it made in the shade, but many seasonal businesses struggle during the off-season. Breaking out of stubborn sales cycles can increase annual earnings, but only a few brands are successful. Not to worry, however, even the most season-driven companies can make sales year-round.
Timing:
It is important to track your sales closely and offer discounts to match. When sales start to decrease towards the end of summer, consider increasing the discounts to keep profits going for as long as possible. Most customers are familiar with end-of-season clearance prices. For example, the best time to buy a barbeque grill is at the end of summer, when the prices drop.
If you’ve been in business for over a year, review last year’s sales to determine when sales are at their absolute lowest. This is the time to launch a mid-winter sale, and you will need to get creative. If you sell pool supplies, for example, target resorts with indoor pools, fitness clubs with whirlpools, or athletes who swim year-round for training. Tailor your web site content, including keywords, to target this special market.
Locate your Target Market:
Consider selling to countries that have opposite seasons, like Europe or the United States, that enjoy summer from May to August. You can use summertime prices for these customers and save the off-season discounts for locals. You may need to create landing pages for international customers, so they see the correct seasonal marketing when they visit your site.
Customer Engagement:
When summer approaches, praise your customers for being savvy shoppers when they jump on pre-season discounts. This is a great time for a well-targeted email campaign. Keep in mind that you are not just selling your product. You are selling the idea of summer time. Customers that are weary of the long, cold winter will welcome marketing with photos that remind them of summer fun.
Customer Rewards:
Encourage your customers to share the link to your website with their friends by offering incentives. When their friend makes a purchase, you can offer both your customer and their friend a discount on off-season items. While word-of-mouth sales are nothing new, internet-based referral networks are becoming increasingly popular. Referral network services track your referral links and discounts earned to make the process easy. You can even seek out social media influencers to drive the off-season market your way.
When it comes to selling summer items in the middle of winter, you can do it. Use these steps as a guide and make them part of your digital marketing strategy. The better the strategy, the more sales you are going to land. Leverage your digital marketing, social media, and web site content to grab those year-round sales.
