The sales of these products are closely related to the season, that is, sales will increase in the peak sales season and decrease in the off-season. At the same time, there are some products that are not affected by the season and can maintain stable sales in different seasons. E-commerce companies need to evaluate the seasonality of products and analyze whether the products are seasonal or non-seasonal.
Seasonal products are products that consumers will only demand and buy in a specific season. For example, cold drinks and ice cream are in great demand in the summer, but their sales will decrease in other seasons. According to sales, seasonal products can be divided into two types: single peak and double peak.
(1) Single peak
This type of seasonal product has only one sales peak in a sales cycle, which can be divided into three types: the first type is that the price of the product increases during the sales peak period and decreases during the sales trough period, such as clothing; the second type is that the price of the product decreases during the sales peak period and increases during the sales trough period, such as vegetables; the third type is that the price of the product does not change during the sales peak and sales trough period, such as cold drinks.
(2) Double peak
This type of seasonal product has two sales peaks in a sales cycle. For example, the sales of air conditioners and refrigerators will increase in winter and summer, and decrease in spring and autumn.
During the “Double Eleven” period, consumers’ consumption demand is generally high, which is an opportunity for e-commerce companies to carry out promotions. If the sales peak of a product coincides with “Double Eleven”, then e-commerce companies can increase sales. Therefore, e-commerce companies are better off choosing products with two sales peaks and sales peaks that coincide with “Double Eleven”.
In addition, there are risks in selling seasonal products. For example, an e-commerce company purchased a large number of seasonal products at one time, but they were not sold out after the peak sales season ended. At this time, it is necessary to conduct discount promotions or store them until the next year for sale. Either result will reduce the profit of the e-commerce company.
Therefore, e-commerce companies should control the quantity of seasonal products to reduce risks. At the same time, the competition for seasonal products is usually very fierce. E-commerce companies need to determine the purchase quantity and sales price before the peak season arrives, and grasp the timing of listing to attract more consumers
Non-seasonal products are opposite to seasonal products. They are not restricted by seasons and have more stable sales. Compared with seasonal products, non-seasonal products have more advantages. For example, seasonal products have large differences in quarterly sales, which will reduce annual sales, while non-seasonal products have fast updates and can avoid inventory backlogs to a certain extent.
When evaluating products, e-commerce companies need to analyze whether the product is seasonal or non-seasonal. If it is a seasonal product, a thorough analysis of procurement costs, procurement quantities, etc. is required to avoid inventory backlogs.
Tips
When evaluating seasonal products, if the product has been sold before, e-commerce companies need to analyze historical procurement data when formulating procurement plans and make decisions based on market conditions. If the product is a newly introduced product, e-commerce companies should be more cautious when purchasing and can purchase a small amount for trial sales first.