Q2 is just around the corner, and if you own an ecommerce store, now is the time to start preparing. From website optimization to inventory adjustments to strategizing how to overcome the summer sales lull — if you address these things now, you’ll feel much more confident going into the spring and summer months with an online store that’s fully prepped and ready to go.
The second quarter of the business year starts on April 1st and ends on June 30th. This encompasses a pretty big chunk of the year, including spring, summer, and several individual holidays. To make sure your ecommerce store is ready to make some serious sales, complete these five steps before the new quarter begins.
1. Anticipate upcoming holidays
Get a leg up on your competition by identifying holidays that take place in Q2. There’s nothing worse than realizing an important holiday is tomorrow and you’ve dropped the ball. To boost your sales, map out relevant holidays and start planning your marketing campaigns (including email blasts, social media posts, and any other types of content you typically share) well ahead of time.
Holidays that occur during Q2 include:
- Easter (April 9th, 2023)
- Earth Day (April 22nd, 2023)
- Cinco De Mayo (May 5th, 2023)
- Mother’s Day (May 14th, 2023) (USA)
- Memorial Day (May 29th, 2023) (USA)
- Father’s Day (June 18th, 2023) (USA)
- Juneteenth (June 19th, 2023)
Q2 also includes spring, summer, graduations, and vacations. Consider giving your website a makeover for these upcoming seasons. You could even create dedicated product pages for holiday-related items — positioning certain products as Easter basket items, Mother’s Day gifts, or Father’s Day gifts.
On social media, influencer marketing and user-generated content can both be effective tactics for ecommerce stores. If you don’t already work with influencers, start reaching out now to people who might be a good fit with your brand. You can get user-generated content by asking customers to use a unique branded hashtag to share product images on social media, where you can then ask for permission to repost the content. Or pull customer reviews from third-party websites to share on your social media platforms.
2. Adjust inventory where needed
Before Q2 begins, consider your current inventory and decide whether you need to stock any seasonal inventory for the upcoming months. These are products that might sell more easily at this time of year — maybe Easter baskets, graduation gifts, or pool toys. However, you need to forecast sales as accurately as possible so you don’t end up with leftover dead stock that will make your revenue take a hit — or, on the other extreme, so you don’t sell out completely before everyone gets a chance to shop.
Your sales history can help clue you into items that may be in demand. Thinking about your target audience and how they’ll be spending their time in April, May, and June is also helpful. Or hold a presale right now to see what customers are interested in.
If you are able to easily predict demand and rely on your supply chain, you could receive small amounts of inventory at scheduled times throughout the quarter. This is called just-in-time (JIT) inventory. And at the end of the summer, you can discount or bundle any items that did not sell.
3. Be prepared for shipping delays
In the last few years, many ecommerce business owners have become accustomed to seeing shipping delays all year round as many industries deal with supply chain issues because of the pandemic. But slower delivery times may be especially common during summer as shipping carriers struggle to fulfill all of their orders.
Holidays, bad weather, and a large volume of orders coupled with a lack of employees could affect your shipping times in Q2 this year. And unfortunately, delayed orders might hurt your revenue and your brand trust.
It’s extremely helpful for ecommerce stores to provide customers with tracking so they can have peace of mind that their order is on the way. Other effective tips include offering free shipping, or providing a gift card as a “thank you for your patience” if something goes wrong. These ideas can help smooth out any potential shipping problems this summer.
4. Optimize your website for mobile devices
Keeping up with ecommerce website maintenance is the best way to ensure your site works well and provides a good user experience. Activities like backing up your site, fixing SEO errors like broken links, and updating your storefront should all be done on a regular basis.
Moving into Q2, it’s also crucial to make sure your website is optimized for mobile. Depending on your industry, the devices that consumers use to access your site can vary. But mobile traffic often increases during the summer as people are away from their desks or their homes.
Optimize your ecommerce website for mobile viewing by first conducting an audit to understand what you need to fix. Common tips you’ll want to implement when viewing sites on mobile devices include:
- A responsive, mobile-friendly design
- Easy navigation
- Fast load times (ideally under two seconds)
- Fewer pop-ups and ads
5. Boost sales in case of lulls
Does your industry experience a break in sales during the summer? For many ecommerce stores, this is the case. Consumers spend their money to go on vacation and are out of their normal routines, leading to a drop in sales that can be 30% less than what we see in other seasons. Many companies also experience less web traffic and fewer qualified leads in the summer months. However, other ecommerce stores — such as those selling products like bathing suits or sunglasses — might actually see increased sales during this time.
Pull your store data and web traffic from the last few summers so you can gauge how your sales tend to fluctuate throughout the year. If you don’t have much data to go on, research and analyze other ecommerce brands in your industry.
If you are expecting to see a lull in sales, you can circumvent this by planning special discounts, promotions, or sales starting in May and June. These could be linked to relevant holidays or simply offered “just because.” Make sure to position your products correctly, telling customers how they’ll benefit and why they should purchase now (“Stay hydrated all summer long with our newest insulated water bottle, now 30% off!” “Beat the game on your back-to-school shopping with these exclusive discounts!”).
Finally, if your sales do drop in Q2, don’t worry about it too much. It’s more helpful to look at your growth year over year rather than month over month. Summer will end, consumers will return to their normal behavior, and by the time the year ends, everything is likely to even itself out.
