For top retailers, summer is more than just sunshine and trips to the beach. It’s a golden opportunity to boost sales and revenue before the lead up to Black Friday and the winter sales.

Right now, shoppers are (im)patiently waiting for the clock to tick towards midnight - the moment they’ll aim to swoop in and grab the best bargains before everyone else.

But with competition between retailers only intensifying over the last few years, how can retailers outshine their competition during the summer sales season?

We’ll first get an overview of the strategies and then dive into each in more detail. 

Tips for retailers to prepare for summer sales

  1. Leverage data analysis for strategic insights 
  2. Spotlight summer deals
  3. Optimise your catalogue images 
  4. Stand out with unique promotions  
  5. Implement a responsive design for seamless shopping
  6. Boost sales with suggestions and recommendations
  7. Upgrade your search for a better shopping experience

1. Leverage data analysis for strategic insights 

Data is a great roadmap to improve your decision-making. With the right tools, analysts can dive into data from previous years to spot trends and make predictions.

For example, if Polaroid cameras start selling like crazy in July, stock up in advance and tailor your marketing efforts around this unique insight. You can get this information right in your Empathy Platform Playboard to see what search terms spike and when.

Merchandisers can then use these insights to optimise the customer experience and improve performance during the summer sales season.

2. Spotlight summer deals

The summer sales season is all about finding a good bargain. Get your strategy right and the potential word of mouth growth could see you sell out before the sun has set. 

Make your summer deals easily accessible by creating a special category just for them. Having all the best deals and discounts in one place not only enhances user experience, but also your conversions.

You can do this through email marketing, social media promotion, and banners on your website or right in your search itself to highlight your summer deals.

During a sales period, many shoppers simply type the word sale into the search box. Add synonyms in your search to products that are on sale to make sure they’re easily found.

3. Optimise your catalogue images

When it comes to ecommerce, a picture can be worth a thousand sales. Having compelling product images is paramount. A well curated set of images can be the deciding factor in many a purchasing decision.

With this in mind, ensure your product pages are updated with relevant, accurate information, complemented with high-quality images. For example, if you’re selling furniture, you should pair high-quality images with product specifications and even customer reviews. Don’t forget to use SEO-friendly product descriptions to improve rankings and visibility.

4. Stand out with unique promotions

Apart from creating a dedicated category for sales, prominently featuring your special offers can attract more customers. Whether it’s through attractive banners advertising free shipping or special prices, or displaying total discounts on product pages, highlighting promotions is a surefire way to boost sales.

5. Implement a responsive design for seamless shopping

With the steady rise of mobile shopping, the need for a robust, responsive website design is already known to be crucial. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth mentioning.

A seamless shopping experience can significantly enhance customer satisfaction - and your conversion rates. Be sure to invest in mobile-first design, optimise page loading times, and ensure easy navigation for a frictionless summer sales experience.

6. Boost sales with suggestions and recommendations

Suggesting related or complementary products is a great way to get shoppers to add more products to their carts. Recommending the top clicked items can jumpstart the shopping experience. Use the Empathy Platform Playboard to direct shoppers to popular items, queries and guide them through your product catalogue to help them find things they didn’t even know they wanted. 

7. Upgrade your search for a better shopping experience 

No matter how good your summer sales, customers don’t want to get lost in a sea of products. An efficient search solution like Empathy.co ensures customers find what they’re looking for and enjoy the journey of discovering new products.

Empathy.co lets you take control of how your catalogue results appear and gives merchandisers hands on control of their catalogue with complete transparency and tools that build trust and improve discovery.

Final thoughts: Catching the surge in summer sales

Riding the wave of summer sales as a large retailer requires strategic planning, keen attention to detail, and a customer-centric approach.

By leveraging data analysis, enhancing your product images, implementing responsive design, spotlighting summer deals, enhancing internal search and more, you can turn up the heat on your competition and boost your summer sales.

Remember, the essence of eCommerce success lies in understanding your customers, meeting their needs effectively, and providing an unrivalled shopping experience.

Check out Empathy.co’s Open Innovation to go beyond these strategies and innovate the tools specific to your business needs.