Businesses Must Keep Up With Seasonal Trends and Popular Culture in Order to Boost Sales

In a bid to survive in this increasingly competitive world, businesses are having to keep up to date with the latest trends in order to boost sales and traffic. Constantly evolving and adapting to the current climate is the key to long-term success and many retail and online operators have adjusted their offerings accordingly in recent years.

Football craze

One recent high-profile example was the 2018 FIFA World Cup which took place in Russia and many sports fans were swept up in the euphoria of the summer tournament. Naturally, there were various winners and losers as a result of this footballing extravaganza with firms such as Domino’s Pizza and even IKEA very keen to target potential new customers who were caught up in this feast of sporting activity. The Swedish retailer’s ‘Flexible’ sofa campaign was a very clever idea which targeted both non-football fans and rival supporters who were unlucky enough to be cohabiting during the month-long competition. Supermarkets such as Lidl were also taking advantage of the nation’s sporting interests and their ‘Dream Big’ campaign helped further cement their partnership with the FA. As part of their promotion, personalised display units were installed in the hometown stores of all the squad members and many of these players also featured in their TV advert which was screened regularly throughout the tournament. This helped them worm their way into the public conciousness and boosted summer sales in the process.

Capitalising on the UK’s love of home baking

Also in 2018, Great British Bake Off returned to Channel 4 with great success. Aldi were early frontrunners with their range of white chocolate and raspberry éclairs which handily coincided with Pastry Week whilst the competition’s first-ever vegan week was also a chance for retailers and restaurants to heavily promote their meat and dairy-free ranges. The likes of Caffe Nero have also launched vegan toasties this year with many popular eateries eager to capitalise on the nation’s ever-changing dietary habits.

Social media also played a huge part in many marketing campaigns with the popular show topping the trends each Tuesday. Brands such as KitchenAid were also able to book prominent advertising slots during the broadcast. Household names such as Marks and Spencer also launched Great British Bake Off kitchenware around the same time and the majority of their products flew off the shelves and sold out within the first week.

Using upcoming blockbusters and seasonal themes

Capitalising on film releases is equally as important for businesses and many brands tend to launch their campaigns in conjunction with films hitting the big screen. Incredibles 2 smashed all manner of box-office records in 2018, prompting a number of companies to bring out their own range of merchandise in time for Christmas. New movie Aquaman has prompted the likes of Buzz Bingo to unveil their Justice League slot game which became available in the run-up to the release of the much-anticipated picture. It isn’t the only TV and film-related offering on their site with other examples including Deal or No Deal which was also added at the height of the show’s popularity.

As for travel agencies, they are capitalising on the arrival of colder conditions by heavily promoting summer holidays and weekend breaks with big names such as TUI using the “Romantic Getaways” angle in order to drum up revenue this year.

Keeping an eye on current trends is vitally important for businesses of all sizes and anticipating upcoming booms can help keep firms ahead of the curve. Marketing is absolutely essential and companies must increasingly use social media to spot the latest obsessions and talking points in order to potentially improve their short-term profitability.