Seasonal Dropshipping Strategies to Boost Profits Year-Round

Seasonal changes are occasions to reconnect with your dropshipping audience, driving engagement and sales, but you have to use these opportunities wisely to see the most success.

But that’s why you’re here, right? I thought so.

In this blog post, we will explore dropshipping seasonal strategies to help you maximize profits through effective seasonal planning.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

Businesses have many ways to integrate seasonal strategies in dropshipping, presenting opportunities to capitalize on an audience’s unique needs.
When combined with innovative and proactive approaches each season, advanced planning and continuous adaptation will set up your dropshipping business for success.

Understanding Seasonality in Dropshipping

Dropshipping seasonal strategies - Key holidays for November and December — *Image courtesy of Mega Digital*

First, let’s look at seasonality and how it impacts dropshipping businesses.

Seasonality refers to the changes across the year according to the season. It’s about more than winter, spring, summer, and fall. You can also promote your dropshipping store’s products across various holidays associated with the seasons.

These are prime sales opportunities, which means being geared up well in advance. For instance, if you want to launch a Halloween product campaign, you can’t start your planning in early October. You should begin planning in late July or early August and be wrapped up in September to promote your products adequately throughout October.

Here is a calendar of seasonal trends and how they impact dropshipping retail businesses.

January

The first month of the year is about restarting. Clothing brands can benefit from those seeking a new wardrobe to help with their January resolutions, especially if you make athleisure or athletic apparel (since most people resolve to lose weight in the new year). Party supply companies and food and beverage brands can also have a field day.

Even office supply and home organization businesses should see an uptick this month as people look to organize their professional and personal spaces.

However, January spending gradually slows as you get further from New Year’s after two months of shopping, shopping, shopping for the holidays, so be prepared.

February

Valentine’s Day is a major occurrence in February, so you’ll be busy if you specialize in romantic products or gifts, such as flowers or food delivery services. Clothing brands, chocolatiers, and floral businesses will also see an uptick this month.

Beyond Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day allows dropshipping businesses across industries to discount their stock and gain more business.

March

Those squeezing the enjoyment out of the last days of winter will still seek winter gear and supplies in March, including sports equipment. In the meantime, clothing retailers can inspire some spring cleaning with new collection drops.

Depending on the forecast, garden supply stores may generate more business in March, but if not, the money should follow in April.

Party supply stores, alcohol retailers, and chocolatiers can profit from St. Patrick’s Day and Easter if the latter is celebrated in March.

April

With Earth Day as the prime focus of April, any brands specializing in sustainable products should use this month to promote their wares, especially hard. Garden centers and home supply brands will get a boost throughout April as the days warm and more people get outside.

However, this will end cold-weather products, whether sweaters for everyday wear or outdoor gear.

May

As the days get slightly longer and much warmer in May, we toe the line between spring and summer. It’s not too soon to begin selling summer gear, from swimsuits to summer apparel, especially as we get closer to Memorial Day.

If you specialize in beach gear, from umbrellas to toys, you will notice your sales heating up, which should continue throughout the summer. Gardening is in full swing by now as well, and clothing brands can begin selling their summer stock.

Brands specializing in outdoor gear, from grills to outdoor furniture, backyard décor, and swimming pool equipment, will have a bountiful start to their seasons.

Then there’s Mother’s Day, where fine gifts, chocolate, jewelry, and flowers are all the rage.

As school draws to an end for another year and the office vacation season heats up, the need for school and office supplies dwindles until the fall.

June

Midway through the year, June heralds the official end of school, so the days of needing school supplies are now firmly behind us. Instead, it’s all about graduation season. Once again, party supply stores should see an uptick in sales as people celebrate their high school and college grads.

However, graduation day isn’t the only June occasion people celebrate. There’s also Father’s Day. Sports equipment, summer apparel, beach gear, tech items, tools, and grilling and gardening gear should all receive a nice boost in sales throughout this month.

Travel gear brands will also benefit as people prepare to get away for the summer. The sales for your dropshipping store could begin as early as May but will draw to a quick close once everyone cements their travel plans later into the summer.

July

As summer continues, clothing retailers, outdoor gear brands, beach equipment suppliers, and companies selling home appliances, outdoor furniture, grills, and other cookware will all get the lion’s share of sales.

Party supply stores will fare quite well, considering July has Independence Day at the start of the month. You will also have a seasonal uptick if you sell firecrackers and fireworks.

August

Although August is still technically summer, the season is just about over. The vacations have ended, and families are gearing up to prepare the kiddos for school.

School supplies will be rampantly in demand, making up for a few months of slow sales. Clothing retailers often use August to unveil their autumn items, while outdoor brands offer heavy discounts on summer gear.

Tech brands usually discount their stock in August to help college kids returning to campus get their laptops, tablets, and other tech equipment in time for the first day of classes.

Travel brands will be finished with their boon, as will gardening supply brands. After all, many gardens go dormant in fall, so the time for tending to one’s garden is swiftly winding down. People aren’t going to do much traveling at the end of summer either, or will have already bought equipment.

September

With only four months left in the year, September heralds the arrival of autumn. Labor Day is an excellent opportunity to discount the stock of items across all dropshipping industries, padding one’s bottom line as the fourth quarter soon comes.

School supply brands might still see healthy sales due to some late stragglers, but those sales should slow once everyone is back in school. Home improvement and home décor stores are surprising winners in September as more people are indoors and want to redecorate their dwellings.

Outdoor supply stores, from cooling equipment to beachwear and summer items, should gear up for a long couple of months of few sales.

October

With autumn in full swing and Halloween on the horizon, party supply stores will again have a good month as everyone buys items with spooky pumpkins, spiders, and cats. Confectionaries will also enjoy a banner month, as will any costume stores.

Kitchen appliance and home décor brands could also be poised for a successful October. Likewise, clothing retailers that use this month to debut winter clothing should plan to have a great period.

The ones who should prepare for a slow season are gardening centers, school supply brands, and businesses still selling summer stock.

November

The most wonderful time of the year is nearly upon us, but before we reach that point, it’s time to go into full-on pumpkin frenzy in time for Thanksgiving. Food and beverage companies will be busy trying to keep up with the demand for Turkey Day, and dessert brands should also see a lot of business this month.

Besides that, people will be ready to do all sorts of shopping, especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so have a plan to discount your stock. The industries that should see the biggest success around these two November shopping holidays are home décor and goods, fine gifts, jewelry, clothing, and tech and electronics.

December

With the holidays upon us and the year drawing to a close, December will do a lot of good for jewelry stores, gourmet food and beverage brands, clothing retailers, game and toy companies, and party supply brands (you know, for all the Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve celebrations).

Although you might think health and fitness equipment would be popular this month, that’s more the case in January, when the New Year’s resolutions start. Everyone is too busy indulging in December.

How to Plan for Seasonal Peaks

Peak season is excellent, as you have a large demand for your products and lots of money coming through. However, it can also be stressful if you feel ill-prepared. Here’s how to get ready for seasonal changes.

Plan for fluctuating supply and demand

A good dropshipping business always follows the laws of economics, which, at their most basic, boil down to the concept of supply and demand. In short, you don’t need a supply if there’s no demand for a product.

When there’s a heavier-than-average demand, you need a heavier-than-average supply.

However, before you jump in and order 10,000 units from your supplier, do some economic research to determine what trends or factors could influence the buying public in the coming months.

For example, economic recessions make people pull back their spending, as do sluggish job markets.

You could have a great September every year selling back-to-school supplies, but if your prices are higher than average and you don’t change them, you could lose out on business, as people might not be able to afford you.

Another area to look at is your industry trends. For example, swimming pool season used to end every September, but now, with global warming and changing temperatures, you can sell pool supplies through October and still get buyers.

Inventory for peak seasons

Once you have a better idea of your demand during your peak season, you can begin planning inventory accordingly.

Ordering more inventory than you need is costly in multiple ways. Besides the high upfront cost, you also have a lot of leftover stock. It takes up space in the warehouse that could be used to house items people want.

What’s worse is that the value of the old stock depreciates with time, so even if you try to sell it later, you won’t get the full value for it.

Having too little stock also harms your dropshipping business. You won’t be able to keep up with consumer demand, meaning you must list the item as sold out and miss out on countless potential sales.

Gear up suppliers for peak demand

You and your supplier(s) should have a solid working relationship, as you’ll need to prepare them for your peak season. This will be more of an adjustment during the first year, but once you and they navigate those waters, future peak demand periods should run more smoothly.

Seasonal Product Selection

Choosing the right products for different seasons is the difference between success and failure, but how do you do it? Here are some best practices.

Do audience research

The audience needs to change from year to year; sometimes it’s as often as quarterly. Before you blindly proceed, assuming your audience will appreciate the same product selection as last season, it helps to do some research.

Dig into your audience demographics, psychographics, and geographics to get a gauge of what they need and what their preferences are. Then, cater your products to those needs.

Follow trends lightly

Trends are great because they breathe fresh life into your industry. However, the problem with trends is that just as quickly as they come, they can sometimes go. While you can build your seasonal product selection on a trend, ensure that the foundation of your products is secure.

If you have a surplus of stock for an out-of-trend item, the stock will depreciate, leaving you out thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars.

Keep your product selections diverse

Even though you may specialize in one type of seasonal product, like outdoor pool equipment or indoor autumnal décor, you should still diversify whenever possible. This will give more customers the chance to buy your products.

Be flexible

Flexibility is another pillar of seasonal dropshipping success. You must be willing to change course, even though you usually have a smooth sailing season because not every year will be identical to the last. The faster you can respond to changes in interest or demand, the better your business will be.

Marketing and Promotion During Seasonal Peaks

Your dropshipping marketing campaigns must be tailored to the upcoming seasonal theme, such as holidays, back to school, or summer vacation. Between email marketing and social media, you can reach your target market promptly so they can capitalize on your deals.

Here are some tips and creative ideas for engaging customers during seasonal events.

Start early

I mentioned this before, but I think it bears repeating. You can’t be timely with your seasonal marketing if you don’t have your ducks in a row in advance. You and your supplier need to be on the same page early so you can build your promotion, theme your dropshipping store, and announce your seasonal sale just in the nick of time.

Create your own hashtag

What better way to get new eyes on your business than by launching a successful hashtag on social media? Your hashtag should be about your products so people who buy your stock can use the tag on their posts.

Further, you can leverage the hashtag elsewhere, using it as a keyword on your website, blog, and email content. Before you know it, the hashtag can take on a life of its own. It might even come back during the next season.

Of course, there are several best practices to remember when creating hashtags. Make sure it doesn’t have any accidental innuendos. Capitalizing the correct words in the hashtag can prevent that, as it eliminates confusion.

Your hashtag should also be short and sweet, making it easy to type and share. It will stick better in people’s minds if it’s somehow catchy, such as rhyming or using alliteration, but that’s not required.

Write catchy subject lines

You’re not done with catchy content yet. You also need great subject lines to capture a reader’s interest and encourage them to open the email, where they can discover your awesome products and fantastic deals.

Fortunately, we’ve written many guides here at EngageBay all about crafting the perfect subject lines, such as here and here. Between those articles and the many examples of high-conversion subject lines you’ll find throughout the blog, you should be ready to write some of your best.

Offer good discounts

You have to think that however many competitors you have in your dropshipping niche, they’re also taking advantage of seasonal strategies. Why should a potential customer choose your products over the competition’s?

Offering a better deal is one way to make your products the clear winner. That said, I would recommend doing some calculations before you announce your discount to ensure you won’t lose money by reducing costs.

Or give something away for free

Another way to drum up interest throughout the season is to host a giveaway or several. Make your giveaway easy to enter to get a healthy number of participants to sign up, then give out one of your best-selling products as the prize.

While promoting the giveaway, use high-res images and videos of your product. Even if others don’t win, they might want to purchase your product, especially if it’s on sale.

Reach the right eyes

Segmentation matters whether you advertise using PPC or social media platforms like Facebook. You must split your list into highly specific, granular categories to appeal to them at the various stages of the buyer journey.

How to Leverage Seasonal SEO Strategies

SEO helps your website rank, so it’s worth focusing on as you build your seasonal strategies in dropshipping. Specifically, you should utilize seasonal SEO, a branch of traditional SEO that focuses on growth according to seasonality.

Here are some pillars of seasonal SEO to get you on your way.

Seasonal keywords

Using tools like Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner will help you discover seasonal terms for which your target market is searching. Once you’ve identified them, determine their level of competition.

The more searches a term gets, the harder it is for your site to break through because it is oversaturated. However, a lower search volume means no one looks for that term, so using those keywords is risky. Ideally, your keywords should be somewhere in between.

You can sprinkle your seasonal keywords across your website, social media, email newsletter, and content. However, be ready to update the keywords you use when the seasons change.

Season-specific landing pages

You should already have a landing page for each product your dropshipping company sells. Now, it’s time to unify them by creating a season-specific landing page.

For example, if you’re a clothing retailer, you’d build a landing page for winter. You could link to all your winter clothing, from sweaters to boots, parkas, and long johns. Make sure to use your seasonal keywords in the landing page copy.

Seasonal content planning

You’ll need an editorial calendar to plan seasonal content, including blog posts, videos, infographics, checklists, and maybe even a webinar or podcast.

Your content should be in the hole and ready to use months in advance or at least weeks. This way, you can strategically publish it (perhaps using automation) to ensure it reaches the right audiences early into the life of your seasonal campaign.

Image optimization

Don’t forget to optimize your images! Compress their size so they don’t impact website loading speed (which should be between two and eight seconds), and add metadata like alt tags to describe the image. Hint: This is a great spot to use your seasonal keywords.

Operational Challenges and Solutions

Even if you plan well in advance, operational challenges can crop up, making it hard to serve your audience as you intend, especially during high-demand periods.

For example, you could run out of stock unexpectedly, or a delay in materials means you can’t manufacture as many orders as you originally hoped.

So, how do you deal? Here are some efficient techniques to implement.

Create a customer service policy

Listen, orders are often more delayed with the dropshipping model than in other forms of order fulfillment. However, it’s all the more disappointing when orders are late for a holiday or season, as the item is only relevant for so long.

For instance, if a customer buys a Halloween costume from you but doesn’t arrive until November 10th, what good will it do then? The lateness can erode a customer’s trust and faith in your business.

It’s worth taking the time now to create a policy for seasonal dropshipping orders. Detail what your returns and order cancellation processes are like by adding this information front and center on your website.

Offer fast shipping

You have plenty of order fulfillment options. For instance, you can rely on air or sea freight to get an order to its destination faster, although the customer will pay more out of pocket.

Still, some customers won’t mind if it means getting their holiday gifts on time or their celebratory gear in time for the big upcoming holiday.

Reconsider supplier relationships

Listen, supplier shortages happen. Sometimes, no one is to blame but the supply chain. You can look past one of these instances, but it might be time to look deeper into your relationship with the supplier if enough shortages occur.

Assess the numbers and decide if working with the supplier is in your dropshipping company’s best interest.

How to Analyze and Learn from Seasonal Sales Data

How did your seasonal sales campaign do? The analytics will tell all in a much shorter timeframe than you usually have to wait to see a campaign play out.

Analytics are built into many popular tools. If you use social media platforms for advertising, you can track the data on each platform. The same goes for tools like Google Analytics.

Reviewing the data can tell you a lot about your campaign, including who you reached, how you reached them, and the outcome, whether conversions, sales, or bounces. The numbers might not always be pretty, especially for your first campaign, but they will be informative, and that’s what you need.

You can collect some excellent insights as you gain seasonal data over the years. For example, you can learn what kinds of products your audience was responsive to versus which they didn’t gravitate toward.

Conclusion

Using seasonal strategies in your dropshipping business model can be hugely advantageous as you increase your sales, brand recognition, and conversions. Targeted seasonal efforts can also build customer loyalty.

Staying ahead of market trends and consumer expectations is key as your business switches to seasonal stock.

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support software for small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. You get email marketing, marketing automation, landing page and email templates, segmentation and personalization, sales pipelines, live chat, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What are the most profitable seasons for dropshipping?

Halloween, Christmas, and summer are popular times for seasonal products, so gear up your dropshipping business for those periods.

2. How early should I start preparing for a seasonal peak?

As early as possible. If you can get ready a few months in advance, that’s best.

3. Can seasonal strategies be applied to all types of dropshipping products?

That is not necessarily the case, so please take the advice throughout this guide and fine-tune it to suit your niche or product.

4. What are some common mistakes to avoid in seasonal dropshipping?

Waiting too late to plan your seasonal dropshipping campaign is the biggest and costliest mistake. Making inventory errors is just as detrimental, especially if you end up with too much stock that nobody wants.

5. How can I determine which products will be in demand next season?

Review seasonal data, combining it with your audience’s historical information to understand their preferences and needs.

6. Are there any tools to help forecast seasonal trends accurately?

Google Trends, CleverQ, and Exploding Topics will help you identify and plan for seasonal trends.