4 Strategies for Seasonal Selling:
Planning for Retail Cycles:
Every product has a natural life cycle and a season
where it sells best: some early buyers come at the beginning, and then the mass of
buyers come. Prices peak and retailers begin running out of stock. Sales slow, and
trickle down to a few last-minute shoppers.
As an online seller, it’s critical you prepare for the natural retail cycles throughout
the year. With some simple strategies, you can make the most of the opportunities
presented by the changing seasons:
1. Keep the Flow Going The way to maintain sales volume is to be ready for the next
selling season. Phase in your new seasonal items for early shoppers while your other
product line sales are winding down. You can keep the momentum going in your store and
your income if you plan accordingly.
2. Make Advance Preparations Don’t wait until the holiday is upon you to get your
products lined up and ready to go. You should begin pushing your promotions two to three
months ahead of time, according to Lisa Suttora of WhatDoISell.com. Says Suttora, The
advantage to having your products ready several months before a holiday season is you
capture the early bird buyers You’d be amazed how many people shop months in advance of
a holiday.
Another benefit of early marketing is it provides lead time for the search engines to
pick up the pages for your holiday specials. Include the season or holiday name in your
titles, because people are searching for those terms.
3. Use What You’ve Got You don’t necessarily have to change your entire product line
every season. Evaluate your current product line and see what can be promoted as a
seasonal item. Use your imagination create unique gift baskets and kits. Shoppers are
pressed for time and are looking for solutions, so put together product bundles to solve
their holiday needs.
4. Adjust Your Website Your web store should reflect the season feature items that work
well for the approaching holiday. Put a seasonal spin on your ads and listings. Your
sales don’t have to drop, advises Suttora. Evaluate what you’re selling and how you
want to position it freshen up the look of your site. You’ve got a whole new group of
buyers coming in [with each new season], so you want to be ready for them.
Show My Profits
For the Online Business Owner Who Wants to
Boost their Profits on eBay and Amazon.com:
How to Pick Winning Products and
Stay Ahead of Your Competition
