How-to: 4 tips for the summer slump in online retailing

Online retail is subject to strong sales fluctuations in the summer: The summer slump! Many retailers are afraid of this, because it is not uncommon for the hoped-for sales to fail to materialize during the hottest months of the year. But don’t panic! The summer slump should not be seen as a threat, but as an opportunity. The chance to prepare and do things for which you otherwise have no time.

4 Tips: Making the most of the summer slump in online retail

Those who get it right and use the summer slump to their advantage will also survive the hot months unscathed. And anyone who wants to make effective use of the summer slump should follow these tips:

1. Get rid of stock items with the summer sale

The summer slump is perfect for selling old stock. All major companies do it and extremely successfully. Two birds with one stone: online retailers can reduce their stock and their customers can benefit from the bargains on offer. In this way, online retailers create space for new goods and can minimize the utilization of their warehouses.

2. Start planning for Christmas in the summer

Should you really start thinking about Christmas in the summer? The answer is quite clear: Yes! Just before Christmas, orders are piling up. More than 13 percent of total annual online sales are generated at Christmas. And a study shows that the proportion is increasing year on year.

The share of annual online sales at Christmas continues to rise. (Source: Statista/HDE/IfH Cologne)

That’s why you should start preparing for the Christmas business a few months beforehand. This includes, for example, planning stock levels, updating product pages and preparing marketing measures.

3. Optimize the online store in the long term

Usually there is no time next to the daily business to optimize the own online store in terms of usability and SEO. However, the summer slump is ideal for this. An extensive analysis of the competition can also be useful. What does the competitor do differently or better than me? This helps enormously to bring your own online store up to date.

4.Taking care of existing customers appropriately

It makes no sense to acquire new customers in the summer. After all, these are not at all or rather rarely in front of the computer when the weather is nice. So how about this: Make existing customers a joy and give them a portion of appreciation? Amazon is already showing the way. With Amazon Prime Day, the company offers Prime customers enormous discounts on a large part of its product range. At best, existing customers will then also order from the online retailer themselves in the summer.

Conclusion

Instead of fearing the summer slump, online retailers should use the opportunity to try out new ideas and work off deferred tasks. From optimizing the website to planning for the holiday shopping season, there are a few options.