17 Summer time Advertising Concepts You Can Attempt At this time

Traditionally, when the climate heats up, on-line gross sales settle down as consumers spend extra touring, eating out, and usually having fun with the good outdoor.

All of which signifies that in case you’re going to drive gross sales throughout the summer season months, you may’t afford to take a seat again and anticipate consumers to return to you.

As an alternative, your advertising and marketing wants to choose up the slack by reaching new audiences, nurturing current clients, and selling enticing provides.

With that in thoughts, we’ve rounded up 17 of our favourite summer season advertising and marketing concepts, segmented by month and backed up by examples from real-world manufacturers and retailers.

Use them to encourage your individual summer season marketing campaign planning…

If you happen to’re ever in need of advertising and marketing concepts, consciousness days and causes might be the proper inspiration. They permit you to piggyback on a wider dialog, serving to you generate some much-needed model consciousness.

Thankfully, there’s by no means any scarcity of “nationwide days,” which translate into good ecommerce holidays. Some are centered on campaigns for social good, whereas others are fairly frivolous or solely ridiculous. In summer season alone, you’ve acquired:

• World Oceans Day (eighth June)
• World Refugee Day (twentieth June)
• Worldwide Joke Day (1st July)
• Nationwide Ice Cream Day (third Sunday in July)
• Nationwide Lasagna Day (twenty ninth July)
• Friendship Day (fifth August)
• World Elephant Day (twelfth August)

And people are only for starters—actually, there are tons of of this stuff. Clearly, not all can be related to your model.

What’s extra, some probably don’t justify any greater than a throwaway social publish, whereas others are large occasions deserving of a complete marketing campaign.

You (most likely) don’t have to commit a complete month of selling exercise to Nationwide Lasagna Day, whereas in case you’re going to affix the dialog round a weighty topic like World Refugee Day, you really want to justify your involvement. 

In any other case you’ll come throughout as crass and opportunistic.

For an instance of how one can get it proper, check out how Durex teamed up with Swedish pop star Zara Larsson to advertise secure intercourse within the run-up to World Aids Day:

That’s a robust marketing campaign as a result of it’s straight related to Durex, and in addition as a result of Larsson has a monitor report of talking out on points associated to sexual well being. It feels genuine.

There’s an apparent technique to encourage gross sales throughout quieter instances of the 12 months—launch a sale.

In key markets throughout Europe and North America, it’s conventional to run some type of gross sales promotion throughout the summer season months. Right here in Denmark, gross sales typically run from the beginning of June till the tip of August, however these durations differ from one nation to a different. In France, as an example, gross sales durations can solely run for a most of 4 weeks, with the particular dates dictated by particular person départements.

When you’ve discovered the logistics of when to run your sale (primarily based on guidelines and client preferences within the markets you serve), it’s time to unfold the phrase. 

E mail advertising and marketing is without doubt one of the greatest methods to do that. With an ROI of 42:1, it might generate a staggeringly excessive bang to your advertising and marketing buck in case you get it proper.

Even manufacturers that don’t sometimes supply reductions have been recognized to run summer season gross sales (and promote them via e mail). Everlane is an efficient instance:

(Supply: Actually Good Emails.)

The US clothes retailer launched its first ever summer season sale in 2020, selling the occasion by way of an e mail marketing campaign that highlighted how this wasn’t merely an on a regular basis incidence:

That gave the marketing campaign some actual shortage worth, which is at all times an effective way to influence shoppers to take benefit.

Starved of consideration whereas your clients bask in the summertime sunshine? Coax them again, whereas constructing consciousness amongst new audiences, by operating a social media contest.

Importantly, competitions aren’t simply an efficient technique to drum up some additional visitors and gross sales at a quiet time of 12 months. They’re additionally a incredible supply of user-generated content material, which is an absolute godsend for manufacturers. Certainly, four-fifths of shoppers say UGC extremely influences their buying choices, whereas only one in eight say the identical about content material created by manufacturers themselves.

Summer time picture contests might be an particularly good match for retailers promoting seasonal merchandise. 

Outside model Marmot offers us an awesome instance of this in motion. This summer season, it’s selling The Elevation Grant, a images competitors focusing on BIPOC creatives:

Picture Supply

Let’s take a second to take a look at all of the wins this provides Marmot:

• It generates a bunch of UGC, which, as I’ve already talked about, performs a giant half in influencing shopping for choices.
• It’s latched onto a social challenge that’s related to its trade, particularly the dearth of BIPOC illustration in outside images.
• Its merchandise are straight related to the dialog, which implies the marketing campaign doesn’t really feel compelled, insincere, or inauthentic.

There’s no time of 12 months when folks don’t love “free stuff,” which implies a seasonal giveaway is at all times a viable tactic.

However they are often significantly efficient in summer season (supplied your merchandise are the suitable match). Why? As a result of persons are out and about anyway, so there’s an excellent likelihood they’ll be taking numerous photos. This, in flip, means it’s a good time to present them free stuff they’ll exhibit for you—and you must always remember the worth of user-generated content material.

Giveaways aren’t simply an efficient summer season advertising and marketing thought for small manufacturers eager to get eyes on their merchandise; loads of large names do it, too.

For example, Starbucks commonly runs a summer season sport providing its rewards members the prospect to win seasonal merchandize, free drinks, and a number of different prizes:

Picture Supply

Make these prizes significantly eye-catching or distinctive (or ideally each), and there’s an excellent likelihood folks will share them on social media too, which helps generate loads of model consciousness.

With that in thoughts, plenty of manufacturers replace their social platforms and key touchdown pages to replicate the season. For instance, check out how vogue ecommerce retailer Fairly Little Factor gave its homepage a distinctly summery facelift:

However updating your visuals for summer season is simply related to attire retailers. No matter trade you’re in and whoever your viewers is, there are advantages to giving your website a seasonal facelift.

Historically, pc video games are just about the antithesis of having fun with the summer season. In any case, in case you’re enjoying a console sport, you’re virtually definitely doing it inside, not in your sun-drenched backyard. But UK-based videogame retailer GAME nonetheless determined to replace its web site for summer season with a easy banner picture on the prime of the homepage:

Each these examples exhibit that there’s no have to do a whole rebrand to make your web site (and social channels) summer-ready. A change of background, or a number of well-placed summery photographs, can do all of the exhausting give you the results you want.

Thankfully for us entrepreneurs, plenty of these photographs have their very own corresponding emojis, so why not use them in your e mail advertising and marketing?

Now, emojis aren’t for everybody—in case you’re operating a regulation agency otherwise you construct tombstones, they’re most likely not an awesome match to your model. 

However they’ll positively work tremendous properly for some companies. Actually, one examine claimed manufacturers that use emojis of their e mail advertising and marketing see a 56 p.c enhance in distinctive open charges.

Briefly, it seems that emojis might help your emails stand out in your clients’ more and more cluttered e mail inboxes.

Clearly, plenty of manufacturers have already realized the summer season advertising and marketing potential of emojis. Right here’s a snapshot of three latest emails I’ve acquired which have made good use of emojis within the topic traces:

Nonetheless not offered on emojis? Attempt just a little A/B testing. Take a subset of your clients, break up it in two, then goal one group with a typical e mail and the opposite with precisely the identical e mail, however with a topic line containing an emoji or two.

If the emoji model has the next click-through fee, likelihood is your viewers appreciated it, so give them extra of what they need.

Once they’re not having a barbecue or picnic in summer season, Individuals are most more likely to spend their outside time going for a stroll or hike, in response to the Nationwide Recreation and Park Affiliation.

So there’s a transparent alternative all through the summer season months for any even remotely outdoorsy model.

UNIQLO is an efficient instance of such a model. On this e mail e-newsletter, the style big picked out a few of its prime seasonal merchandise: 

This e mail works properly as a result of it speaks to a standard client ache level throughout the hottest months of the 12 months: the need to really feel snug whereas trying fashionable.

June is Delight Month.

To be clear, that doesn’t imply it’s the solely month when you must present your assist for the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood. In actuality, two-thirds of Individuals suppose manufacturers ought to communicate out on LGBTQIA+ points all year long. 

Nonetheless, it’s completely logical—and acceptable—to make Delight Month the focus of your year-round LGBTQIA+ campaigning efforts.

However what ought to these efforts appear like?

Whereas there’s no method that’ll work for each model, as a common rule, your Delight Month promotions definitely shouldn’t be overly business.

(In different phrases: overlook about utilizing June to shift a number of rainbow T-shirts and tote luggage.)

As an alternative, attempt talking out about what you’ve performed to assist the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood, similar to customized image body model Framebridge did on this Delight e mail:

As you may see, this article is one hundred pc centered on celebrating Delight and highlighting Framebridge’s half within the broader dialog.

The model additionally scores factors right here for demonstrating its assist for variety, inclusivity, and fairness all via the 12 months.

2. Assist a Good Trigger for Juneteenth

You most likely know that, as of 2021, Juneteenth (June 19) is America’s latest federal vacation.

Unsurprisingly, consciousness of the date has grown considerably because it was formally awarded vacation standing, with a 2022 Gallup survey revealing that 59 p.c of individuals knew “lots” or “one thing” about Juneteenth (up from simply 37 p.c a 12 months earlier).

Juneteenth might be tough for manufacturers and entrepreneurs.

Chances are high you need to acknowledge the event. However you don’t need to supply empty phrases. And also you positively don’t need to look cynical, or such as you’re utilizing the vacation to drive gross sales.

Mavi Denims navigated these uneven waters efficiently with this marketing campaign, which highlighted the denim model’s assist for an excellent (and related) trigger:

Like Framebridge’s Delight Month e mail, this article doesn’t attempt to promote us something—it’s solely designed to advertise Mavi Denims’ charity accomplice, The Heyward Home.

Regardless of this, Mavi nonetheless manages to reference its merchandise in a means that feels pure. This can be a key level, provided that three-fifths of shoppers really feel manufacturers ought to solely assist good causes that truly relate to their enterprise.

3. Goal Father’s Day Consumers

Nationwide Retail Federation (NRF) analysis exhibits that three-quarters of Individuals plan to have fun Father’s Day (June 18), with the typical individual set to spend virtually $200 on presents.

Whereas greeting playing cards are the highest buy, there are alternatives throughout a number of classes. Over half purchase clothing-related presents, the same proportion splurge on particular outings, and one-third select private care gadgets.

And with 43 p.c of shoppers buying Father’s Day presents on-line (greater than every other channel), the event is undeniably a giant deal for ecommerce manufacturers and retailers.

Identical to with different key celebratory dates—suppose Valentine’s Day and Mom’s Day—among the finest methods to spice up Father’s Day gross sales is to remind your viewers when the massive day is approaching.

That’s simply what sock and attire model Bombas did on this e-newsletter:

With one in three Individuals admitting they “typically”, “at all times”, or “steadily” ship Father’s Day presents late, there’s an excellent likelihood your clients will recognize the reminder.

Even higher, this tactic naturally provides a way of urgency to your messaging, prompting consumers to behave rapidly or danger lacking the transport deadline.

Need extra inspiration? Try our roundup of June e-newsletter concepts!

Based on the NRF, 87 p.c of Individuals plan to have fun the vacation, forking out over $90 on meals purchases within the course of. What’s extra, one-third intend to purchase “patriotic gadgets” like flags, decorations, and attire.

Like several main vacation, you don’t need to say nothing on the 4th of July. On the very least, you must most likely share a cheery “Completely satisfied Independence Day” along with your (American) clients.

However in case you’re in the suitable area of interest, there’s an actual alternative right here to drive gross sales and income.

Take Inexperienced Chef, for instance. It’s a meal package supply service—and provided that meals is much and away the preferred Independence Day buy, the Fourth is probably going one of many greatest dates on its advertising and marketing calendar.

Check out how the model used the vacation to advertise subscriptions:

Not solely is that this a extremely related supply, however the substantial money financial savings make it sound like a sufficiently large deal to share on “America’s birthday”.

2. Have a good time BBQ Season

If you happen to’re something like me, you don’t want a lot excuse to throw a barbecue.

However there’s no denying July is prime BBQ season, not least as a result of it’s comfortably the preferred technique to have fun Independence Day.

So in case you’re struggling for summer season advertising and marketing concepts, July is the best time to advertise one thing—something—that speaks to our love of outside grilling.

Which is strictly what Group Man Crates did with this e mail (simply don’t look too intently on the meals):

The very best factor is, you don’t need to promote cooking gear—or something food-related—to journey the barbecue bandwagon.

Attire; equipment; sun shades; outside furnishings; all these classes (and extra) might be simply squeezed right into a BBQ-themed marketing campaign.

Discover extra July e-newsletter examples.

Whereas they’re not significantly summery occasions, again to high school and again to varsity are two of the season’s greatest purchasing occasions.

Mixed, the 2 characterize an astonishing $135 billion of client spending, with back-to-school households forking out $890 on common—rising to $1,367 for faculty college students and their households.

And with prime spending classes together with attire, electronics, and condo furnishings, the back-to-school (and school) season provides big alternatives for a variety of manufacturers.

Skincare model Origins acquired in on the act by selling a reduction for college students and lecturers, accompanied by this engaging topic line:

Inside the e mail physique, Origins clarifies that this low cost doesn’t solely apply to the back-to-school interval; it’s out there all 12 months spherical.

This can be a good play, serving to to attract in lecturers and college students after they’re probably to be purchasing for provides, whereas additionally encouraging them to return all year long.

And whereas providing a everlasting 15 p.c student-and-teacher low cost may appear unnecessarily beneficiant, it probably helps Origins construct longer-term buyer relationships—with 93 p.c of consumers saying they’d make repeat purchases from retailers providing enticing reductions.

2. Clear Out Summer time Inventory

By the point August rolls round, retailers face the actual risk of being caught with a bunch of unsellable seasonal inventory.

That’s a giant concern, with overstocks costing the typical model 3.2 p.c of income—equating to a mixed annual lack of $123 billion for all North American retailers.

When you can’t completely keep away from the chance of overstocks, you may take steps to mitigate it by providing a pretty low cost on older seasonal inventory, similar to Sunski did on this e mail:

Alternatively, in case your outdated inventory is rather less seasonal than sun shades, you may have the ability to filter your warehouse with not more than some clever copywriting.

Brooklinen used this method to drive gross sales of its older bedding merchandise:

Fairly than providing an aggressive low cost, Brooklinen merely positioned these merchandise as “fan favorites” that will solely be out there for a short while.

Not solely does this make the chosen merchandise really feel extra fascinating, nevertheless it additionally compels consumers to take motion via urgency and scarcity-infused messaging.

3. Present Summer time/Fall Product Suggestions

It would sound counterintuitive, however one of many smartest summer season advertising and marketing concepts is to start out selling fall-friendly merchandise.

Particularly in case you’re in a extremely seasonal area of interest with fast-moving tendencies.

Vogue is a primary instance, with manufacturers typically utilizing August to advocate merchandise which can be related to each summer season and fall.

That’s exactly what Abercrombie & Fitch did with this e mail topic line:

The entire thought of “inter-seasonality” continued inside the e mail physique, during which Abercrombie & Fitch highlighted a few of its prime “year-round favorites”.

This technique works properly as a result of it helps the model’s viewers really feel forward of the curve—like they’re getting an early glimpse at subsequent season’s merchandise.

On the lookout for extra August e-newsletter concepts? We’ve acquired you!

One other of America’s federal holidays, Labor Day (the primary Monday in September) was initially conceived to honor the American labor motion—however right now it’s extra about barbecues, parades, and purchasing.

A Numerator survey performed forward of Labor Day 2022 revealed three-quarters of shoppers deliberate to have fun the vacation, with 94 p.c of them planning to make purchases for the event—the vast majority of that are food-focused.

Nevertheless, Labor Day additionally provides alternatives for non-foodie manufacturers, with one-third of shoppers saying they deliberate to buy offers over the lengthy weekend and half saying they may take part. High purchasing classes included attire/sneakers and family necessities.

With so many patrons actively trying to find bargains, you may need to contemplate launching a Labor Day sale, similar to this instance from classic furnishings retailer Chairish:

After all, in case you do go down the limited-time low cost route, it is sensible to tease your sale per week or two prematurely—so don’t go away all of it till September.

2. Push Fall Merchandise

I’ve already identified that when August arrives, it’s good for manufacturers promoting seasonal merchandise to start out gently selling their fall collections.

Properly, September is certainly the time to ramp up your fall-focused advertising and marketing by:

• Including fall-friendly messaging and visuals to your web site, social posts, and newsletters
• Selling fall-specific merchandise and collections

To take only one instance from the world of vogue, searches for trench coats begin to climb in early September, earlier than peaking in late November:

Banana Republic is aware of timing is all the pieces on this planet of ecommerce advertising and marketing, so it created this September e-newsletter to showcase the newest in trench coat expertise:

However timing isn’t the solely factor Banana Republic acquired proper right here.

The copywriting is great, too, with its deal with explaining how the model has re-imagined the basic trench. This groups properly with the “Discover Now” CTA, which feels extra participating than the regulation “Store Now”.

Try extra of our favourite September e-newsletter concepts!

Conclusion

Positive, advertising and marketing in summer season presents a number of key challenges. Particularly in the intervening time, when just about the entire world remains to be ready for normality to renew after the pandemic.

However these challenges additionally deliver alternatives. Whereas there’s a ton of noise round busy on-line purchasing durations just like the Cyber Weekend, summer season as a complete tends to be lots quieter.

Which means in case you nail your messaging, there’s each likelihood your summer season advertising and marketing concepts will generate some actual buzz.