Every year, without fail, there are days, weeks, and even months when people buy more things than they usually would. These periods are when businesses everywhere make more money than they usually would. Businesses and stores all over the world take their time to prepare for this period, stocking up some time months in advance.
These periods are called peak shopping seasons and are usually driven by holidays and national events. As an online clothing business owner, these seasons are the best time to make some extra money.
So, keep reading to learn all about the peak shopping periods for your online clothing business. That way, you can add them to your plans and make as much money as you want.
What Is The Peak Shopping Season?
A peak shopping season is a period when consumers start to purchase more than they do on regular occasions. Driven by things like holidays, festivities, and promotional events, people are more willing to make purchases during these seasons. During these periods, businesses experience an increase in their sales volume and profit.
What Months Are Considered Peak Seasons?
The peak shopping seasons are the “ember” months. These are the months of November and December. It is during these months that people spend a lot more than they would normally. One reason for this is the number of holidays and events within these months.
Global Shopping Events
Let’s talk about the most known and important shopping events in the world. Each of these is a peak season that sees more than the average number of people buying products from around the world.
- Singles’ Day: This comes up on the 11th of November and first started in China in the 1990s. Now it is marked across the world on Friday, November 11th, or 11/11. This is why it is called Singles Day. Celebrating singlehood and treating oneself accordingly is a key part of this event.
- Cyber Week: This refers to the days that come after Cyber Monday and usually see discounts on everything tech-related.
- Black Friday: Black Friday started when US shoppers used the extra day’s vacation after Thanksgiving to shop. Now, it has morphed into an online sales affair for people to get the best items at the lowest prices.
- Cyber Monday: This started in the US and is now a global phenomenon. It comes up after Black Friday and is like a continuation of the event. The only difference is that this only happens online.
- Christmas: The most celebrated holiday in the world. It represents the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. It is a time to give gifts, enjoy festive decorations, and have fun gatherings.
- Chinese New Year: The Chinese New Year is a time of reunion, celebration, and tradition. It follows the lunar calendar and usually falls between late January and early February.
- Valentine’s Day: Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th around the world. It is a time to show affection, exchange gifts, and enjoy special moments with your partner.
- French Days: This is a new online shopping event in France. It happens twice a year, in spring and autumn, and offers discounts and deals on French brands and products.
- Amazon Prime Day: This is an exclusive online shopping event for Amazon Prime members. It usually takes place in July and offers discounts and deals on thousands of items.
- Summer Sales in July and August: These are seasonal sales that take place during July and August in many countries, especially in Europe.
The Role of Online Sales During Peak Seasons
Online sales play an important role during peak shopping seasons. They help people all over the world participate in all these shopping events. Now, let’s talk about a few of them:
- Ease and Convenience: Online sales make shopping easier and more convenient. They allow people to shop for things that they want without having to leave their homes or get in a long line.
- Attractive Deals: E-commerce platforms and online stores give people access to attractive and amazing deals they might not have found elsewhere. This is especially important because of the variety of goods they can find online.
- Seamless Experience: Online stores and sales provide a seamless shopping experience. They allow customers to explore a wide range of clothing options, make easy comparisons, and take advantage of time-limited promotions.
Factors That Affect Peak Shopping Season
The peak shopping season can be affected by a lot of factors. These factors determine, in some cases, if the season happens and, in other cases, whether people will participate. So let’s look at a few of them:
- Online shopping: Ever since the pandemic, people have been looking for ways to shop online. Whether or not it is possible to shop online can affect peak shopping seasons. Especially because it allows consumers to compare prices, access reviews, and find deals more easily.
- Delivery times: People want fast and reliable delivery for their online orders. They want to be able to track it and know it’s coming, especially during the peak season when they are buying gifts or preparing for the holidays.
- Inflation: The price of goods and services rises daily due to inflation. An event is caused by supply chain disruptions, increased demand, and rising energy costs. Inflation can affect people’s spending habits, making them buy less, cheaper, or, in some cases, not at all.
Ways to Prepare for the Peak Shopping Season
Q4 is the final few months of the year, also known as the peak season. This season is where events like Halloween, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the holidays in December, and other events surface. This season can also be synonymous with the busiest season for the clothing business, where people shop like crazy.
So, how should you prepare now that you know what’s coming? Here are six things clothing businesses need to know to prepare for the peak shopping season.
Be ready to meet customer demand earlier.
If you haven’t started planning, you still have time to work closely with your supplier. Nothing is worse for your business than an upset customer because the gift they want is sold out.
P.S.: Don’t forget to make a note in your calendar to remind you early next year.
Review your inventory needs
After collaborating with a good fulfillment company, review your inventory. You must understand what people want by looking into your product lineup and past sales data to know what is in demand. Once that is done, stock up on trendsetters and customer favourites for the peak season to avoid delays and stockouts.
Consider all shipping options
You need to consider all shipping options to give your audience a range of options that fit their needs. Customers’ needs should be met, whether they are fast shipping for people who want things immediately or cheap options for smart shoppers. By ensuring shipping preferences are in sync, you can ensure every package gets to its destination on a happy note.
Communication and Customer Experience
After working with a good fulfillment company, keep the lines of communication open. They need to know about sales, promotions, and any other changes you make to your products so that everyone is ready.
You should also make it easy for your customers to buy from you by working on your site search to make it easier for shoppers to find what they need.
As part of your efforts to make things easier for your customers, you should prioritise good communication, too. This can be done through questions and answers, social media, and customer service.
Streamline return management
As peak season ends, it’s time to deal with returns. Make it a priority to set up a return management system that works well and shows how much you care about your customers. Make it easy for customers to initiate returns by reducing the process. By quickly handling return requests and refunds, you’ll give your customers a strong sense of trust and satisfaction.
Peak Season Strategies for Your Online Store
Now that you’ve figured out how to prepare for peak season, the next step is to navigate strategies for your online store. Here is all you need to know.
Your Digital Storefront
Your website is like the front door to your shop, so you must ensure it’s inviting, easy to explore, and user-friendly. Create a user interface that is visually appealing and helps shoppers find what they wish to order without any drama or stress.
Website Health Check
You have your digital storefront, making it easy to explore and user-friendly. The next thing that should be on your bucket list is a thorough website health check. This is because there could be hidden glitches that you just have to find and get rid of to guarantee a seamless shopping experience for your customers.
You should also optimise your web page for mobile users, acknowledging the growing trend of on-the-go shoppers. Then, work on your web page speed, guaranteeing that your virtual hallway loads swiftly to keep impatient shoppers engaged.
Content and SEO
You know how you are in charge of the ins and outs of your online clothing business, this is the same way your content is in charge of your brand’s voice.
So, before the peak season begins, fine-tune your content by proofreading your FAQs to eliminate confusion. Upload new content that aligns with the peak season’s trends to set yourself apart from competitors.
Optimise your product pages for SEO, ensuring they resonate with search engines and potential customers. You need this because whenever a potential buyer searches for anything related to your clothing business, your website is what the search engine feeds them first.
Marketing and Promotions
Marketing is essential for any business; it’s like a megaphone that speaks louder and louder, attracting customers to your products.
This is why, before the peak season even arrives, you should have created many marketing campaigns using social media, email newsletters, and online ads to spread the word and boast about your upcoming offers. You also need to catch viewers’ attention by highlighting the exclusivity, value, and excitement that your products bring to the table.
To be one step ahead, team up with a reliable fulfillment partner to handle the shipping logistics and ensure that orders are processed efficiently and delivered on time. This keeps your customers happy and frees up your resources to focus on other aspects of your business during the hectic peak season.
In case you are considering global promotions, a fulfillment partner with a worldwide network is the best option to help you navigate the difficulties of international shipping.
What to Do During and After Peak Season
We’ve moved from what you need to know about peak season and how it affects your business to how to prepare and strategies you can use. But what exactly should you be doing during and after peak season? Let’s take a look.
Monitoring and Analytics
You must monitor your store’s analytics before, during, and after peak seasons. This information provides insights into customer behavior and preferences, which helps you make informed decisions for the present and future.
Predict short- and long-term store traffic.
Once you monitor your store’s analytics, you will have a clear view of short- and long-term shifts in customer traffic. This allows you to predict and make reasonable decisions for your clothing business.
Reliable fulfillment partner
You must partner with a reliable fulfillment company like Globallyfulfil to monitor. As your partner, Globallyfulfill will handle everything that has to do with inventory management, order processing, and shipping, while all you have to do is monitor other crucial aspects of your business and maintain clear communication.
If you cater to international customers, Globalfulfill will maintain consistency in service quality worldwide.
Future Preparations
As this peak season ends, you must gather insights for future preparations.
Learn from the current season to prepare for the next.
The successes and challenges your online clothing business faces in this peak season will guide you on the dos and don’ts for the next peak season and others. Understand the data, familiarise yourself with customer preferences, and master your strategies accordingly.
Upgrade IT infrastructure
As your online clothing business booms, consider investing in upgrades that provide a seamless and satisfying customer experience. The more customers see you upgrading your website load times, enhancing security measures, and getting a modernised IT foundation, the more likely they will choose you over competitors.
Conclusion
As broad as the online clothing business is, the peak season still stands as the busiest season for the clothing business. Online clothing business owners must go through inventory planning, efficient logistics collaboration, enhanced customer experiences, and future-focused preparations to scale through before, during, and after a peak season.
This is like a shortcut to a surge in sales and an opportunity to excel through practical execution and customer satisfaction.
As each peak season ends, the new strategies will continue to guide your clothing store’s growth and achievements in the vast world of online clothing business.
