Are You Selling a Seasonal Product?
“Off-season is coming.”
Off-seasons are not only related to sport, but also products or services that are designed to cater for certain seasons. Although, it may not be “season” in its literal or “natural” sense, it could mean period or time . A common situation of seasonal business is when a particular time of the year is more profitable than others.
An example that came to my mind was FanMilk; the popular frozen yoghurt carried around on a customised bicycle. During the dry season, consumers tend to buy Fanmilk more, than they do during the rainy season. This explains why you scarcely see the vendors during rainy seasons.
This is not to say these vendors are not out selling their product during the rainy season, it is just that they are not as many as they are during the dry season. This means that as a seasonal product manufacturer, you have to cut back the rate of productions made during off season.
For a seasonal product/ service, there is a high season and a low season. During the high season, there are:
Execution of Sales and Marketing Strategies
During the off season, it is common`for businesses with seasonal products to map out plans, find new and better ways to market and make more sales; to do better than the previous season. Now is the period those plans come into play and those strategies are executed.
All Focus is on Sales
This is the peak of business for seasonal products, therefore, all the energy has to go into making sales. You want to make as much sales as possible during this time. The revenue made at this period is what is usually used to sustain the business till the next season.
Hard Marketing/ Advertising
After waiting so long to be back in season, a lot of resources is put into publicity and marketing to promote sales. For instance, a hot chocolate company in Nigeria tends to do more and major adverts during the rainy season or harmattan. This is because consumers want to keep their bodies warm at this period. Consistent marketing and adverts may attract consumers to try out this hot chocolate, and if it’s good, you know the rest.
The Off-Season
So, you are in your off-season and you feel it’s time to sit back and relax? Well, you got it all wrong. It is the most appropriate time to do some major preparation for the next season.
Customer Surveys
While you are going about, making the best use of high season, it may not seem like the appropriate to do a customer survey. Off-seasons are the best time to review your product/service; and one of the ways to do this is by getting feedback from your clients/customers. It should be early enough, when the experience is still fresh in their minds. This will give you accurate data on how satisfied they are with your product/service, their expectations, and their general review.
Evaluate/Plan Marketing and Sales Strategies
Before planning new marketing and sales strategies for the next season, it is essential to evaluate the previous strategies. To review what you did right, what you could have done better, how far and well did the strategies. The evaluation of these plans will make up the new one, this will prevent you from making the same mistakes.
Rebranding
Do you want to change your company logo? Repackage your product? Rebrand your product in anyway? Your off-season is the most appropriate time to do that. This way, your customers/clients will be used to the new look of your product.
Team Restructuring/Hiring
Hing a new team member or restructuring the team during your off-season makes it easy for them to settle into their roles before the high season. A new team member needs to go through a proper onboarding process, during the off-season, they have enough time to go through this process and get prepared for the next high season.
Train your Team
As mentioned earlier, your off-season isn’t a time to relax, rather it is a time to train your team. Organise training or seminars for you and your team, this is to improve your skills and prepare you for the high season. So when it eventually comes, you are fully prepared and you can put these skills into good use.
Develop Other Product Verticals
It is not enough to focus on only one source of income, especially if your product/service is seasonal. Incorporating other product/service to your major one sustains your business in general. Your high season may not be high enough, which makes it extra difficult to keep the business going till the next season. Having other product verticals brings in more revenue and keeps you engaged even during your off-season.
