The 6 Sales Seasons of the Year (and Their Biggest Sales Days)
While trends change from month to month and week to week, a fairly routine pattern has been seen over the last few years in terms of shopping seasons. A single year can be divided into six distinct seasons where certain products see a rise in popularity. Each year also comes with annual sales that make up the biggest shopping days for many businesses. Knowing the sales seasons of the year and what’s most popular during each, you can prepare your ecommerce store to earn as much as possible year-round. Here’s your guide to navigating the year’s highs and lows for the USA and Canada:
- January and February: January and February are usually the year’s slowest shopping months. Wallets have been slimmed down thanks to December’s holiday season and many people are in money-saving mode. Because of this, several businesses launch sales to entice buying and clear out old inventory. Winter clothing and home-goods like towels and linens do especially well in January and February, along with health and wellness items that fit into New Year’s Resolutions. An uptick in jewelry is also seen to prepare for Valentine’s Day. The long weekends to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day are typically the highest earning weekends of the year’s first shopping season.
- March, April and May: The second shopping season of the year kicks off spring goods. Lighter, breezier clothing make their first appearance in stores and cleaning supplies see a rise in popularity as the spring cleaning frenzy takes hold. Gardening goods also fill shelves in preparation for warmer weather. The biggest shopping days/weekends in March, April and May are Easter and Memorial Day which are most popular for flowers, candy, clothes and appliances. Other holidays businesses can capitalize on in this season are St. Patrick’s Day and Mother’s Day.
- June and Early July: Summer goods take over the shelves in June and early July. With the warmer weather comes an increase in vacations and time outdoors so sporting and travel goods are big sellers. Picnic foods and books also become more popular to pass the time on warm, sandy beaches. Thanks to Father’s Day, gifts for Dad help boost sales in June and Independence Day Weekend is popular for shopping in the USA. Canada also celebrates Canada Day on July 1st so some Canadian businesses capitalize on that as well.
- Mid-July, August and September: Back-to-school shopping starts halfway through the summer. That means school clothes and supplies, including laptops, are especially likely to sell. This period of shopping is also typically the last to sell outdoor furniture and grills to help consumers enjoy the end of the warm weather. In July, the biggest shopping day is a newer trend to hit the market: Amazon Prime Day. The ecommerce retailer launches great deals on tech, clothing and more. Other businesses typically launch their own sales in order to compete. Labour Day also kicks off September and is a huge weekend for late back-to-school shoppers.
- October: October is a great month to finish outdoor projects. Lawns are manicured for the last time, leaves are raked up, cars are readied for winter, some people even put up their Christmas lights. With Halloween at the end of the month, candy, costumes and decorations also take centre stage. In terms of specific shopping holidays/weekends, the USA celebrates Columbus Day and Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving. These are by no means the biggest and best sales days but in an otherwise quiet shopping month, they bring in a fair chunk of revenue.
- November/December: November and December are the lead up to the winter holiday season. Consumers are buying up presents in droves, in almost all markets. Vacation goods are also especially popular as people prepare to leave the cold weather behind in favour of warmer holiday destinations. November is, of course, consumed by Black Friday and Cyber Monday which is routinely the best sale day of the entire year. Black Friday 2018 broke a record, earning more than $6 billion in online sales only. With brick-and-mortar numbers factored in, it was estimated that the day earned retailers more $60 billion in total. The few days after Christmas also pull in respectable profits with Boxing Day a shopping classic in Canada and New Year’s Eve more popular in the United States.
Knowing how sales seasons break down year-round is a great way to help your business navigate each quarter and decide how best to tailor your goods to consumers every day of the year.
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