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As summer comes to a close, many businesses are left wondering what they can do to get past the summer sales slump. As people stop spending their money on summer vacations and going out with friends, businesses small and large notice a significant drop in sales towards the end of the season. Here are eight ways you can optimize your end-of-summer sales strategy and beat the end-of-summer slump.
1. Switch Up Your Content Strategy
Summer is one of the most exciting times of the year. The warm weather, planned vacations, and time off with friends and family are perks we look forward to year-round. You should be taking advantage of imagery that evokes the feeling of summer on your website, social media, and other forms of marketing.
“People love a feel-good factor. If you can provide that in your marketing content, you are more likely to form connections — and those connections are what create sales,” advises Shideh Kaviani, President of Naked Wardrobe.
You’ll want to make sure that you are channeling the spirit of the summer season in all of your content. Whether it’s a blog post, an Instagram reel, or an email campaign, use summer imagery as much as possible. Sunshine, beaches, BBQs, bikinis … you get the idea.
2. Create Summer-Centric Designs or Products
Releasing seasonal products or even repackaging existing products with seasonal themes is a smart habit to form. The only thing consumers love more than a theme is exclusivity. Offering themed products that are exclusive to summer is an effective way to draw in business when sales are down.
“How you sell matters. What your process is matters. But how your customers feel when they engage with you matters more,” points out Tiffani Bova, Business Growth Expert.
Bath and Body Works is a great example of a company that capitalizes on seasonal product design. Each new quarter, the storefronts are decked out with seasonal imagery. They also have product lines that are exclusive to each season, creating a sense of nostalgia that people come back for year after year.
3. Keep Connecting With Customers
When sales are down, staying connected with customers becomes more important than ever. You want to ensure they remember to come back and purchase your products when they’ve recovered from all their summer spending. You can do this through email or social media.
“There is never a good time to stop connecting with your customers. It truly is a year-round job. Remember, if you aren’t connecting with your customers, someone else will,” suggests Alia Bedi, General Manager of L’Evate You.
Spend your downtime making lasting connections with the people who have shown loyalty to your brand. Even if they are not currently purchasing from you, they can still recommend your products or services to their friends and family in the meantime — which you want to encourage as much as possible.
4. Utilize Social Media
Another good use of your downtime is to focus on your business’s social media accounts. Spend time creating summer-themed posts for all major platforms. Many small businesses have been able to increase their sales significantly through social media posting.
“Social media is a company’s strongest asset. It is free to use, can help you stay connected with your existing customers, and can help you find new ones,” says Athan Didaskalou, Co-Founder of July, a company known for their line of expandable luggage.
TikTok’s algorithm has been a godsend for many small businesses. If you haven’t started advertising your products on TikTok, use the summer sales slump to start curating your page. All it takes is one viral video to change the trajectory of your business forever.
5. Have a Sale
The best step you can take to attract customers during the summer slump is to have a sale! Towards the end of summer, people are hurting financially from vacation costs and their season of fun in the sun. If you want people to spend money on your products, you may want to entice them with a sale.
“When you’re not bringing in revenue, have a sale. If you’re trying to reduce inventory, have a sale. If it’s a random Tuesday, have a sale. Sales are great for bringing in extra revenue, even when selling stock at a reduced cost,” explains Stephanie Venn-Watson, CEO OF Fatty15.
Advertise your sale via social media, email campaigns, and on the main page of your website. You can also send out individual discount codes to your existing customers to show your appreciation for their repeat purchases. Here are a couple of ways that you can advertise your sale.
End-of-Summer Sales
Market your sale as an end-of-summer sale. Let your customers know this is their last chance to get their hands on all your hottest summer items. This is also an effective way to get rid of any remaining summer inventory you still have to make room for fall items.
“If it seems like everyone is having an end-of-summer sale, you’re right. If you’re not having one, you’re losing out on easy revenue that other businesses will gladly take from you,” mentions Den Montero, Marketing Director of Moeflavor.
Use lots of fun summer verbiage and imagery in your marketing materials. This age-old tactic works well for a reason. When done right, the end-of-summer sale will help you overcome a dip in revenue.
Back-to-School Sales
If you don’t have any excess summer inventory to offload, you can advertise a back-to-school sale. A back-to-school sale works for any business that has a younger target demographic. If your demographic is 22 or younger, a back-to-school sale is the way to go.
“Sales can be used to draw in customers that are not typically in your target demographic. This is a low-cost way to break into new markets. Use it as a way to feel out different types of customers so you can determine where to put your advertising dollars,” suggests Maegan Griffin, Founder, CEO and nurse practitioner at Skin Pharm.
Even if you don’t intend to advertise to school-aged customers, the word “sale” is usually enough to get people excited. If you already did an end-of-summer sale, try a back-to-school sale to increase business.
6. Upsell
Take advantage of sales that you are already making by upselling. You can upsell products to people who are already purchasing through your website or in person. An easy way to do this is by adding product recommendations at checkout. For example, if someone is purchasing a perfume from you, have your website suggest the matching lotion during the checkout process.
“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers,” suggests Seth Godin, entrepreneur and author of 18 books.
It becomes even easier to upsell if you have brick-and-mortar locations. Have your cashiers suggest products that work well with the other products your customers are purchasing. You can even use the tactic of putting smaller items in the line at the checkout area to make additional sales.
7. Host an Event
Whether you have physical storefronts or are exclusively an e-commerce site, hosting an end-of-summer event is a fun way to get people talking about your brand. Virtual sales events have been growing in popularity since the pandemic, so a virtual event is perfect for you if your products are exclusively sold online.
“Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and ask what they would like to see from you. Better yet, engage directly with customers to find out what they want,” says Max Ade, CEO of Pickleheads, a company that helps athletes find the best pickleball paddles.
If you have a storefront, host an event at your flagship location. Ask customers on social media for what they’d like to see at your event. You can do giveaways, provide attendees with snacks and merch, and do an exclusive event-only sale. The possibilities are truly endless.
8. Take Advantage of Downtime
We already talked a bit about how to use downtime to your advantage, but that only scratched the surface. You can also use this time for personal development as a business owner. You can take time to attend conferences, take online courses, read industry publications, or network.
“Don’t ever stop developing your skills as a business owner. It can be all too easy to stagnate when things are going well. If you have the time for personal development, take full advantage of it,” recommends Jason Zhang, CTO of Tapin.GG, a company that helps video gamers team up with other players to secure an elo boost.
Taking the time to develop new skills can help you better serve your customers. It can also help you stay competitive in an ever-changing market.
9. Start Preparing for the Holiday Season
Speaking of downtime, many businesses use the end-of-summer slump to start devising their holiday strategy. Although the holiday season is nearly half a year away, it will always be your biggest sales opportunity of the year. Considering the importance of the holiday season, you can never be too prepared.
“Black Friday through Christmas is the most important sales season of the year. You’ll want to start strategizing by September at the latest,” suggests Rachel Drori, CEO and Founder of Daily Harvest, a company that specializes in healthy meal delivery.
Start working on product design and think about how you will market holiday products during the busy holiday season. You also want to start researching what types of sales tactics your competition will be using as Black Friday weekend approaches.
Finish Out the Summer Strong
In short, there are so many ways that you can take advantage of the infamous summer sales slump. Connect with your clients, hone your skills, and prepare for future sales and business during the downtime.
Odds are, when things start to pick back up for the holiday season, you’ll be missing the relaxed and easy days of summer. So be sure to take full advantage of this time while you have it. Now, get out there, and beat the summer slump!
