When it comes to sales, every business owner knows that some months are great and some months aren’t.
Because of these peaks and valleys, brands in the Philippines should adjust their strategies based on the time of the year. For example, more people shop for coats, fleece jackets, and other winter clothing during Christmas than in summer.
According to WorldRemit, Filipino households are likely to spend more than 100% of their monthly income during Christmas. A Lazada study supports this, finding that customers spent twice as much as their regular spending during the brand's 12.12, three-day holiday sale.
Since sales may surge or dip depending on the season, brands are constantly working and developing seasonal marketing strategies to expand their reach and drive conversions. Your business must implement the same technique to stay afloat throughout the year.
What is Seasonal Marketing?
Seasonal marketing refers to the process of promoting products and services that are highly in demand during specific times of the year. It's all about capitalizing on seasonal changes in consumer behavior and creating marketing strategies based on their spending habits for this period. This type of marketing is highly effective since it's a direct way to reach out to your customers when they require your products the most.
For instance, during the holiday season, people are more likely to spend on themselves and their loved ones. A PwC survey found that roughly 3 in 4 customers (74%) planned to spend as much or even more than they spent in 2021 during the year's Christmas season. A Kount survey also found that about 4 in 5 respondents (83%) said they're more likely to buy a gift card during Christmas.
The change in customer behavior presents a great opportunity for businesses to run seasonal promotions. Now that you know people tend to splurge during Christmas, what should you do? Focus on your seasonal products for the last quarter of the year.
Of course, Christmas isn't the only time of year when people are inclined to spend more. The "seasons" in which you can use seasonal marketing are broad, and it could be official or unofficial holidays or as straightforward as marking the change in weather, such as summer.
Some periods in the Philippines you can take advantage of seasonal marketing include the following:
- Christmas
- Valentine's Day
- Summer
- Chinese New Year
- Halloween
- Back to School
- New Year's
- Graduation
- Holy Week
Each season, you can expect certain brands to run limited-time promotions and discounts—some even offering seasonal products.
Examples of Seasonal Products
According to the International Monetary Fund, seasonal products are goods and items that are either unavailable except at specific times of the year or available throughout the year but have a price fluctuation during a season.
The examples of seasonal products below can help you better understand seasonal marketing and what businesses do to support the season.
1. Bikinis and Swimsuits - Summer
People will likely make out-of-town trips to the country's renowned beaches in summer. Fashion brands take advantage of this season by putting their bikini and swimwear products under the spotlight, even if they're available all year round.
Photo from Speedo
2. Costumes and Props - Halloween
There's no better season for people to unleash their creativity than Halloween. So brands rely on seasonal marketing efforts to promote their products so that customers can utilize them as costumes or props to turn their homes into haunted houses.
Photo from SM Supermalls
3. Gingerbread House - Christmas
One of the most recognizable seasonal products is a gingerbread house for Christmas. Many restaurants sell this and other Christmas-themed delights like cakes, cream puffs, and cookies to sweeten their customers' holidays.
Photo from Cupcakes by Sonja / Facebook
4. School Supplies - Back to School
Although anyone can buy stationary anytime, you can expect families to spend more when it’s time to go back to school. According to a 2022 Deloitte survey, 37% of parents plan to increase their spending during back to school season given that prices of school supplies may suddenly increase as the year goes by.
Photo from National Book Store / Facebook
5. Tikoy - Chinese New Year
It's difficult for many Filipinos to imagine celebrating Chinese New Year without Tikoy-a classic example of a seaonal product. You can expect this delicious and sweet rice cake to be sold in many places nationwide.
Photo from The Manila Hotel / Facebook
Part of what makes these seasonal products stand out is that customers don't regularly buy these products outside the given season. So, capitalizing on the seasonal demand of customers will benefit your business greatly in many ways.
Benefits of Seasonal Marketing
For many people, the holidays and changing seasons are special times. They're inclined to spend more to celebrate the season. It's why the primary goal of seasonal marketing is to place your brand in front of these excited customers. So when someone is looking to buy a special gift for their loved ones, your limited-time promos and offers appear at the right place, at the right time.
1. Drives sales through seasonal hype
People often get excited about certain seasons, like the summer, which make them more willing to spend more creatively on items and experiences. For instance, if you’re a swimwear brand, you might want to launch a seasonal marketing campaign that targets beach-bound consumers to boost mid-year sales.
2. Improves audience engagement
You can experience higher engagement when you promote holiday-related promotions, discounts, and offers. For instance, TailWind reports that Instagram contests with prizes costing $99 (P5,400) or less received an audience engagement rate of over 5.8.
Of course, it still depends on your brand and your customers' lifestyle, but it underscores how seasonal marketing campaigns can encourage audiences to interact with you.
3. Builds a sense of urgency
Seasonal marketing is a good strategy for launching new products because customers will be eager to buy quickly, and the products have a limited-time value built into them. For example, shoppers must hurry to purchase seasonal Christmas decorations before it's too late because they nearly instantly fall out of style after December 25.
4. Meets customer expectations
Brands not celebrating the season with seasonal marketing offers will likely recede into the background since it isn't what customers expect.
For instance, according to an Ipsos survey, almost 7 in 10 (67%) parents with children at home expect brands to offer discounts and promotions during Christmas. Meeting those expectations will strengthen your relationship with your customer.
5. Builds brand awareness
Many brands have launched seasonal ad campaigns that garnered thousands of views and audience engagement. These campaigns allowed the brands to reach more customers during seasons like Christmas. McDonald's Kita-kits sa Pasko ad got 18.7 million views, and Grab's Pasko'y kumpleto kasama ang Grab amassed 8.3 million views.
To maximize these seasonal marketing benefits, you must develop an effective holiday marketing strategy while running your seasonal promotions.
9 Tips to Keep in Mind When Running Seasonal Promotions
Getting your seasonal marketing campaigns right is important since you’ll have to wait another year to try again. Below are a few tips to help your brand craft an effective seasonal marketing campaign.
1. Align your marketing efforts with the season's primary mood
The seasons will dictate the theme you must follow to stay relevant to your customers.
Since summer is a much hotter season, you can sell limited-time offers or provide discounts on your icy drinks and desserts. Likewise, since families gather during Christmas, you could run special discounts on large group orders.
Inject these sentiments into your seasonal promotions to prevent your brand from feeling out of place during the season.
Photo from McDo Philippines | Twitter
2. Take a close look at your competitors
Although brands would do well to stick to the season's theme, they can often risk appearing identical to other businesses. Find new ways to celebrate the season while keeping the theme to help your brand stand out.
For example, Ice Cream Lovers PH put a spin on the traditional Valentine's Day bouquet by exchanging the roses for ice cream as a seasonal product.
Photo from Icecreamloversph / Instagram
3. Create urgency through limited time offers
Seasons don't last long, which can further motivate customers to engage with your brand. Reducing how long you'll offer a seasonal promotion can also allow you to, in turn, increase the value you offer.
For example, for the 2023 Valentine's season, RUSH launched its Love: Delivered campaign, offering free deliveries to customers buying from any of the selected 30 RUSH-powered stores.
Photo from RUSH
4. Provide vouchers and discounts to encourage transactions
Don't just give away promos randomly if you want them to be effective. Offer coupons and vouchers that can attract customers during seasonal promotions. Avoid the mistake of presenting uninteresting offers by understanding what your customers want from you.
For example, National Book Store encourages parents who buy school supplies for their kids to visit the store by offering vouchers.
Photo from National Book Store / Facebook
5. Offer more value to customer loyalty program members
You can attract more people to sign up for your customer loyalty program and drive value to customers during a special time of the year. You can advertise that members in your program will receive benefits like early access or greater discounts while simultaneously giving offers to your regular customers.
A loyalty program you could learn from would be Shakey's. The popular restaurant offered their Supercard holders a buy one take one promo on their Pizza Americana during Christmas in 2022.
Photo from Shakey's Philippines / Facebook
6. Plan seasonal marketing campaigns in advance
A perk of seasons is that they don't sneak up on you. You can usually plot out the seasons during your Q1 marketing meetings, giving you and your team ample time to prepare for the holidays.
Planning gives you enough time to establish important factors about your seasonal promotions, such as:
- What you can offer your customers
- How much of a discount can you afford to offer
- What resources or assets will you need
- How you'll communicate your seasonal marketing to your customers
7. Prepare for the influx of customers
The holiday rush is no joke. To accommodate the spike in customer demand, you must prepare your seasonal marketing strategies far in advance.
First, you must ensure that your eCommerce store can handle the holiday traffic. If you’re looking for a reliable eCommerce platform, RUSH-powered eCommerce stores include tools to help you manage the incoming users during the season. As such, having a strong, glitch-free, and well-functioning site, won’t just guarantee conversions but will also be a great way to improve the browsing experience of your customers.
Then, it’s best to secure your inventory. According to the Ipsos survey, 3 in 5 parents with children at home expect retailers to have enough inventory for the holiday season. Inventory management software can make maintaining and monitoring your stocks easier.
Finally, clarify and establish your eCommerce logistics strategy to avoid shipping delays and ensure products arrive at your customer's doorstep quickly.
8. Pick the right season for your business
Some seasons or holidays might not work for your business. A good way to tell when your business is most profitable is by looking at your past sales performance. Which months garnered the most sales? Which garnered the least? Let the data guide your seasonal marketing decisions.
9. Turn your promotions into a game
A gamified seasonal marketing experience encourages customers to continue buying from your store since they can earn a significant incentive after completing certain tasks.
Photo from Starbucks Traditions
An excellent example of this would be the Starbucks Traditions sticker promotion. These stickers are collected for every drink they order from November to early January. Customers can receive an exclusive reward, such as a planner for the year or a specially designed tumbler, once they've accumulated 18 stickers.
Prepare for the Holiday RUSH
With how much sales fluctuate throughout the year, your business must capitalize on the periods when customers are most willing to spend. Seasonal marketing allows your brand to keep up not just with your customers but with the general public, too.
No matter what time of the year, your eCommerce store must operate at its best. RUSH is a Philippines eCommerce platform packed with features that will help your business continuously satisfy the expectations and needs of your customers all year long. Book a demo with our sales champs to learn how RUSH can help your business today!
