Running a product-based business often means some parts of the year will be more profitable than others. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which has long been associated with physical retailers offering amazing deals, originally got its name because most businesses were in the red (losing money) the rest of the year.
Ecommerce cosmetics stores also have their own seasons-but they tend to be independent of the holiday rotation ruling most of the retail world. Here are a few reasons why ecommerce cosmetics stores have different selling seasons.
Cosmetics Aren't One-Time Gifts
Unlike many of the purchases made during the holidays, cosmetics are usually repeating purchases. If you sell cosmetics from home, you've probably noticed the fourth quarter is plenty lucrative, but it isn't your only busy season. Cosmetics are an ongoing need. If you're an astute marketer, you can make money all year with your ecommerce cosmetics store.
Seasons Determine Cosmetic Usage
While there is demand for cosmetics all year round, people buy different products at different times of the year. When you're running an ecommerce cosmetics store, you will notice certain products tend to sell better in concert with seasonal climate changes. For example, during the winter, many places are cold and dry. People in these areas will purchase moisturizing products and cosmetics that can generally add warmth to their appearance.
On the flip side of this, during the hot summer months, you can expect your ecommerce cosmetics store to sell more products with a cooler color palette. Also, lotions offering some degree of UV protection increase in popularity because so many people are spending more time out in the sun. If you keep track of how your inventory moves throughout the year, you'll identify the micro changes in your specific branch of cosmetics and can then be prepared for them in advance.
How to Stay Ahead of Seasonal Changes in Ecommerce Cosmetics
Now that you have identified a few of the important seasonal shifts in the ecommerce cosmetics world, it's time for you to formulate a plan for taking advantage of these changes. For the holiday season, make sure you're running some form of a campaign to take advantage of major shopping days like Cyber Monday and Black Friday.
A highly effective strategy is to send an email blast to your most loyal customers advertising a limited time deal as you're going into a new season. "Get summer's hottest new looks now, at 25 percent savings!" This will be a better approach than solely advertising to the general public. Targeting your already-loyal customers is always more cost-effective than trying to pull in new ones-especially for a limited-time sale.
During the rest of the year, keeping track of seasonal changes in your inventory will allow you to better allocate your resources to products more likely to sell during specific times of the year. When you learn which items sell best during summer months, you can stock more of them going into the season the following year-as you reduce your inventory of winter-related products. This way you're light on the cosmetics that move slowly during off seasons, which creates new marketing opportunities for better-targeted products.
While ecommerce cosmetics stores are more season-proof than other types of businesses, they do have different selling seasons. It's crucial to understand what products are most popular during the different times of the year so you can get ahead of demand. This will enable you to make great strides toward unlocking the full potential of your business.
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