Top Winter Shopping Trends That Retailers Should Know

To remain competitive as a retailer, you need to continually anticipate the needs of your customers and respond to those needs accordingly. This can partly be accomplished by assessing your in-store data to see spending trends from previous years. However, there are a lot of aggregate shopping trends that are useful to consider as well, as they’ll partially determine your winter sales. Here are some of the top winter shopping trends that retailers should make note of.

1. Online shopping surges.

A rather unsurprising fact of winter is that people are more inclined to conduct their shopping online. Be prepared by fine-tuning your website and ensuring it has all your winter product lines listed.

2. Spending increases in sunny weather.

While that may seem like an odd claim, it’s backed up by data. And when you think about it, it’s not all that unusual. Sunlight is linked to increased vitamin D, which leads to happiness. Happiness makes people more inclined to shop, as well as spend money. In the winter, there is less sunlight, which could be partially to blame for declining sales. Nonetheless, you can maximize sales by planning your shopping incentives and discounts around local weather reports.

3. Product trends follow the seasons.

While products are often much cheaper out of season, studies demonstrate that consumers spend the most on in-season items. This winter, that means your winter product lines will be much more popular among consumers and all summer product lines should be phased out.

4. People spend more money when vacationing.

Many vacation in winter, whether to visit a ski slope or to escape to warmer weather. Whatever your hottest nearby attraction may be, tourists will likely be passing through this winter. When on vacation, about 2 in 3 travelers’ reports spending more money than they anticipated. Be sure to cater to these seasonal tourists by offering related merchandise or memorabilia that will bring them to your store.

5. Eating habits change in winter.

For any retail locations offering food or snacks in their product lines, take note that people’s eating habits change with the season. According to data from Google, searches for comfort foods like cookies and lasagna increase substantially in winter, whereas grilled food and cold foods are more popular in summer.

6. People are more likely to buy in bulk.

When it comes to everyday supplies, people are more likely to buy them in bulk in winter. It offers financial savings, as well as convenience, reducing the number of store trips they’ll have to make in the middle of winter storms. To cater to these bulk shoppers, you can offer discounts on bulk items, which will incentivize spending and benefit both you and the customer.

Winter is practically here, and your retail store needs to be prepared. It helps to educate yourself on the ways in which seasons and weather can impact the shopping habits of consumers. Due to the desire to stay indoors, shoppers are more likely to buy in bulk in winter, so retailers can benefit by offering bulk savings on products. To offer bulk discounts while still turning a profit, you need to access the lowest rates on the products you sell. At DollarDays, we specialize in providing exceptional bulk rates on a vast range of products. Visit our store today.