Seasonality & Your Business – How to Take Advantage of Seasonality

In various sectors, discussions about seasonality are common, but what implications does it hold for your specific brand, and how can you leverage it effectively?

This article breaks down seasonality, offers strategies to navigate slower periods, gear up for peak times, and maximize benefits from both your high-demand seasons and the seasonal patterns in your operations (or those of your partners).

As usual, our emphasis is on skincare, haircare, and beauty enterprises, though the insights here can translate to virtually any field.

Understanding Seasonality in Business

Seasonality involves recurring patterns and occurrences that follow a reliable timeline. Think of peak retail events like holidays, warm-weather getaways, or seasonal ingredient harvests as prime examples.

This phenomenon impacts numerous areas of commerce. In the U.S., the primary "holiday rush" typically spans October to December, often leading to temporary hiring surges. For instance, we've observed Amazon onboarding more than 150,000 extra staff seasonally, a practice mirrored by giants like Target.

In contrast, cyclical trends aren't tied to fixed dates but emerge from irregular events or influences, such as economic downturns, job market shifts, or fleeting styles in cosmetics and apparel that ebb and flow.

Since seasonality offers foreseeability, we'll concentrate on it and explore ways to optimize its potential.

The Value of Recognizing It

Seasonality hinges on anticipation, informing choices around procurement, stock management, personnel, new releases, and promotions—making it essential to grasp its role in your venture.

Costs can fluctuate based on your suppliers' dynamics. Market forces adjust as consumer demands evolve across seasons. For example, global harvest cycles for key ingredients vary, and timing purchases during abundant supply periods can secure favorable rates. Even if your own operations aren't seasonal, your vendors' might be.

Not Certain About Seasonality in Your Operations? Here's How to Spot It (If Present) You might intuitively sense your high and low phases, or notice a particular item consistently sells out in a certain month, indicating seasonal influences for that product.

A basic approach: Analyze revenue figures from the last 3-4 years. The pandemic disrupted many patterns, so if possible, extend your review pre-2020. Identify spikes or dips in sales and map them—does a specific timeframe recur? Account for organic business expansion to isolate true seasonal effects.

Navigating Slower Periods

The key hurdle for seasonal ventures is sustaining finances during lulls. Build up reserves during prosperous times, though fortunately, most beauty operations face less extreme swings than other fields.

Strategies for Pre- and During Downtimes

Boost marketing efforts! Build visibility and generate engaging content to keep your brand relevant—either tying into upcoming peaks or emphasizing year-round appeal. For a beachy wave spray, produce tutorials on adapting it for cooler months.

Reconnect with prospects, including buyers and collaborators. Use this window to highlight your offerings, reliability, and synergy.

Gather input. Encourage endorsements, ratings, and stories for credible 'proof' that resonates. Prompt past clients about your value, perhaps with perks for sharing feedback usable in campaigns.

Expand horizons. Use the time to ready for surges or explore alternative seasonal angles. In skincare, warmer months drive demand for UV protection or lightweight lotions. If off-season travel sales lag, pivot to winter-relevant items like nourishing creams, festive scents, or protective salves.

Recurring purchases via subscriptions can stabilize revenue in quieter stretches. Offer modest savings for monthly commitments.

Refine operations. Tackle improvements like tech upgrades or site overhauls. Hone expertise, validate workflows, and refresh your online or physical presence.

Gearing Up for Peak

Seasons Engage vendors well ahead—ideally months out—to lock in core items or materials, buffering against surprises. This ensures ample supply for your outlets or distributors.

At Meridian Trade, we advise clients to submit orders roughly 3 months prior for the upcoming holiday surge.

Escalating delivery fees are typical as holidays approach and persist through them. Strategize stock to minimize big buys then; if feasible, defer to post-holiday dips in early year when rates normalize.

Cultivate emerging sales leads. This could involve contacting boutiques, securing market stalls, or distributing trial packs through promotions.

Capitalizing on Seasonality

Promote your lineup precisely when demand peaks. For B2B sellers, retailers stock up pre-season, so pitch early to build interest.

Ramp up visibility for timed products ahead of time to prime audiences. Host launches with contests or exclusives to generate excitement, spotlighting your unique edge. In beauty, showcase emerging looks via aspirational ads in seasonal contexts, clarifying purchase motivations.

Induce urgency with limited-availability tactics. Mimic the "seasonal exclusive" vibe of eateries (e.g., fall-flavored drinks) to spur buys. Though it might seem promotional, it fosters real enthusiasm.

For skincare, everyday essentials thrive on consistency, so reserve scarcity for niche variants—like a tropical-fruit mist only in summer.

Holiday Dynamics

Seasonality often evokes sentiment or tradition. Festive winters brim with coziness, joy, journeys, and gatherings. Align products to enhance these? Or reframe staples to evoke those feelings?

If resources allow, add wrapping services to position items as ideal presents.

Curate a selection guide. Keep it straightforward, like "for sensitive types" or regionally themed, suggesting hydrating options for colder climates or invigorating scrubs for loved ones.

Seasonality at Meridian Trade

As noted, our pricing remains steady regardless of seasons, so our advice is to plan orders timely for your highs. Ingredient acquisition, manufacturing timelines, and packaging logistics all intensify during peaks, so act now (mid-year) for end-of-year demands.

Share how seasonality impacts your setup, if at all. We're eager to learn your approaches for handling—or sidestepping—it!