eCommerce Seasonality: How To Get Ahead

eCommerce seasonality refers to the fluctuations in customer purchasing behaviors throughout the year. The ability to better understand these fluctuations and plan accordingly helps brands to maintain a steady ROI throughout the year. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into eCommerce seasonality and how to get ahead.

What is eCommerce seasonality?

As we touched on above, eCommerce seasonality refers to the fluctuation in consumer demand and online sales that occur throughout the year in a predictable pattern. This pattern can be influenced by various factors such as holidays, seasons, events, and even weather conditions. Understanding eCommerce seasonality is important for brands as it can help them anticipate and prepare for periods of increased or decreased sales, adjust their marketing strategies, and optimize inventory management to meet customer demands. By analyzing historical data and trends, online retailers can identify peak sales periods and adjust their operations accordingly to maximize their revenue potential.

The importance of keywords in eCommerce seasonality

An effective way to highlight trends is to look at keywords used by target customers in their locations. By conducting keyword research, brands can identify the specific keywords and search phrases that customers are using to find products related to the season or event. This allows them to optimize their website content, product descriptions, and advertising campaigns with relevant keywords that will attract more targeted traffic and, in turn, increase sales. Additionally, tracking changes in keyword search volume over time can help brands anticipate and respond to shifts in consumer demand throughout the year, making keyword research an essential tool for eCommerce businesses looking to maximize their revenue potential.

For example, warm jackets were most searched during November and December, while keywords related to gifts were trending in the month of December for Christmas and the New Year. Of course, it’s crucial for brands to identify their own niche of seasonal events as not all may be relevant.

How to plan ahead for eCommerce seasonality?

There are several ways that brands can get ahead of eCommerce seasonality:

Analyze historical data

Brands can review past sales data to identify patterns and trends in consumer behavior. This data can provide insights into which products sell well during specific seasons or events and help brands anticipate future sales trends.

Monitor search trends

Brands can track the keyword search volume for relevant terms related to their products to identify when demand is increasing or decreasing. This data can help brands adjust their marketing strategies and product offerings accordingly.

Observe competitor activity

Monitoring competitors' promotional activity and sales performance during peak seasons helps inform your own marketing strategies.

Conduct customer research

Brands can conduct surveys and focus groups to gain insights into customer preferences and behavior during specific seasons or events. This information can help brands tailor their product offerings and marketing messages to better meet customer needs.

How to prepare your brand for eCommerce seasonality?

After identifying the seasonal events relevant to your brand with the steps above, it’s crucial to ensure that your brand is well prepared for the increase in sales and traffic. 

Adjust inventory levels

It’s essential for brands to ensure that they have sufficient inventory levels to meet expected demand during peak sales periods and plan to restock popular items as needed.

Optimize marketing strategies

Once your brand has monitored search trends and competitors' activity, it is key to develop targeted marketing campaigns that leverage relevant keywords, messaging, and visuals to attract potential customers during peak sales periods.

Offer promotions

Offering promotions and discounts during peak sales periods help to incentivize customers to make purchases and increase sales volume.

Provide exceptional customer service

First impressions are everything and exceptional customer service is pivotal in the customer experience. Ensure your brand has the resources and staffing to provide first-class customer service during peak sales periods, which can help increase customer loyalty and drive repeat business.

By using these strategies, your brand can better predict eCommerce seasonality and plan ahead to optimize marketing strategies, inventory management, and overall sales performance to maintain a steady ROI throughout the year.