From Amazon Prime Day in early October to Black Friday/Cyber Monday at the end of November (not to mention Halloween, Diwali and Thanksgiving in between), brands have multiple opportunities to boost their Q4 sales ahead of Christmas - especially if they adhere to these three autumn trends.
The crunch of leaves, the crackle of fires, the hug of a fleece. Autumn is the transition season where shoppers address the darkening nights and dropping temperatures by going ‘cosy’. In terms of clothing, that means brushed wool and stylish knitwear, chunky scarves and chunkier jumpers. With sustainability at the front of shoppers’ minds, second-hand, vintage and handmade clothing made with natural, locally-sourced fibres are expected to be in high-demand.
But ‘cosy’ also extends to colours and patterns. Autumn is a season of neutral hues and warm tones, according to wallpaper merchant Spoonflower, who expect customers to flock towards shades like terracotta, ivory and beige, before the rich reds, light greens and rustic browns of the winter months. Meanwhile autumn-associated patterns, such as mushrooms and leaves, are also expected to increase in demand.
For brands selling on online marketplaces, it's time to audit your listings and update keywords to reflect this autumnal cosy trend.
The ‘cosy’ trend extends to interiors too. Be it soft blankets and throws or comforting ceramics and furniture, indoor decor is back in vogue after a summer out of the limelight. With more time spent inside, shoppers want to build a sanctuary of warmth and comfort (hygge style), which means tactile fabrics, natural products and satisfying textures. According to Etsy, autumn sees a noticeable increase in searches for statement rugs, dark wood tones, vintage patterns and earthy ceramics with items that deliver a cottage-style aesthetic particularly popular. Brands can boost their sales by reviewing their marketplace photos and ensuring they have a cosy autumn appearance (i.e. orange-hued light instead of a bright sunny day).
What’s more, inside means DIY, especially with shoppers trying to be more sustainable and save money in the run-up to Christmas. You don’t need to sell power drills and tool boxes to take advantage either. By highlighting your products ‘home improvement’ benefits and listing on sites like diy.com (B&Q’s marketplace which receives 250 million online visits per year), you can raise awareness of your products.
In autumn, sales events fall as often as the leaves. They kick off with Amazon’s second Prime Day of the year, taking place today and tomorrow. Given the 11 July Prime Day was the company’s largest sales day in history with sales exceeding half a billion pounds in the UK alone, it’s a great way for brands to get autumn off with a bang.
It can also serve as a test for the biggest eCommerce sales day(s) of the year: Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Last year, almost 200 million Americans (population 330 million) shopped during BF/CM with electronics, toys and clothes among the most popular purchases. Whether you want to boost brand awareness, increase sales or offload stock, brands should analyse last year’s sales data and devise their Black Friday/Cyber Monday strategy accordingly. This could include launching a specific micro site for the sales event, designing stand-out deal labels for your marketplace products, producing BF/CM specific social media posts or simply auditing current marketplace listings to ensure they are on-trend and engaging.
Autumn (in the northern hemisphere) is traditionally the hardest working time of the year - wedged between an expensive holiday-consuming summer and an expensive holiday-consuming Christmas. To ensure your marketplace sales are firing on all cylinders during a period of increased workload, check out how eManaged can support as an extension of your team.