Get your Business Summer Ready ☀️

Summer is a prime time for boosting sales, especially if your business is in an industry like fashion, travel or outdoor gear.

But in order to capitalise on the increased demand for seasonally trending products, you need to have the right sales and marketing strategies in place.

Here, we’ll run through some of the key ways your business can squeeze every last drop of value from the summer season. This includes tips to drive engagement and sales, through effective inventory management, optimised summer offers and bundling complementary items.

We’ll also show you a smart, cost-effective way to get paid by customers all over the world, with the Wise Business account. With access to account details in 9 currencies and the ability to send money in 40+ currencies to 160+ countries, your business can truly go global.

International business with Wise

Seasonal product optimisation

Optimising your product range for summer is the first step to boosting those seasonal sales. You’ll find trending products across multiple categories during the summer months, including:

• Fashion and accessories
• Outdoor gear and camping accessories
• Travel accessories, including sunscreen and travel-related health and beauty products
• Garden furniture - including barbecues, marquees and sun loungers

Even outside of retail, sectors such as travel and accommodation also experience an uplift in summer - as families and holidaymakers search for rental properties and travel experiences for their summer holidays.

Once you’ve selected your star product range for the season, you can also consider bundling complementary products. For example, sunscreen with beach towels and/or sun glasses, or caps/parasols with swimwear. The aim is to increase the average order value.

It’s also important to keep on top of inventory management. You need to have enough of that in-demand summer stock, but not so much that you’ll be stuck with a hard-to-sell surplus once the season is over.

One brand mastering seasonal product optimisation is Wise Business customer So English. Its Ramone beachwear is the perfect example of an item that will sell better just before or in the summer season. Its products are a perfect fit for the beach, or after stepping out of a steamy shower.

So English reaches a global customer base through worldwide shipping, as well as taking advantage of Wise Business to accept multi-currency payments.

Business owner Sophie’s top tip for small businesses is to prioritise mobile-friendly websites, and collaborate with local businesses for promotions. She also has a tip for making customers feel special after every purchase: "Always make sure you add a thank you note or card to the beautifully wrapped package, as a little gratitude goes a long way in building customer loyalty".

Marketing strategies for summer

Now, let’s talk marketing. Seasonal campaigns you should be working on include flash sales, discounts and summer-themed promotions. Aim to cover all bases with your content marketing, hitting blog posts, regular social media updates and email newsletters.

The summer holiday season is also the perfect time to embark on influencer collaborations, where you can sell a lifestyle while promoting products.

Selling an experience? One inspirational example of summer marketing success is another Wise Business customer BookAclassic, which offers a classic car experience. Its summer campaigns feature sun-soaked coastal scenery and the open road.

The focus is always on unforgettable experiences and special products - including its range of classic, vintage, exotic and unique cars - can make the summer season even more special.

Logistics and shipping

A key way to appeal to summer shoppers is to offer faster shipping options, so that last-minute purchases can be delivered in time for a summer holiday. Your brand should also ensure it is clearly communicating shipping deadlines for customers.

Packaging is another thing to think about. Wise Business customer La Sicilyana Wines, which specialises in bringing the finest Sicilian wine to the UK, is known for adding personalised touches to packaging.

It also excels at marketing products as part of an experience, such as a holiday or wedding. This helps the business to thrive in the summer season when people are likely to enjoy more alcoholic beverages with their loved ones outside.

Social media and community building

The best way to promote your brand at any time of year is to have your customers champion you and your products. A good way to foster more user-generated content is to encourage customers to share their summer experiences with your products on social media.

You can also run summer contests and giveaways on the social platforms your customers use. Remember that summer is the perfect time to have some fun with socials. After all, it’s party season and the sun is shining. You can use summer-themed events and discussions to create and nurture a community, keeping it fun and light-hearted.

Preparing for post-summer transitions

So your business is all geared up for summer - but there’s just one more important thing to think about. You need to plan for the end of the season, so that you’re ready for what comes next.

Planning an end-of-season clearance sale can help you shift surplus summer stock, and you can also launch an autumn preview shortly after. This is an opportunity to tease upcoming autumn products to keep customers engaged beyond summer.

And don’t forget to run a feedback loop. This is where you gather summer sales data along with customer feedback to plan for the next year. It’s a chance to use what you’ve learned to make next summer’s sales even better.

Manage international finances with Wise

Manage your international company's finances with Wise Business

Ready to grow your business, and expand to international markets? The Wise Business account is the perfect partner.

Open a Wise Business account and you can hold and exchange 40+ currencies. You can send payments to 160+ countries and get local account details to get paid in 9+ currencies (including GBP, EUR, USD, AUD).

Use your Wise account to get paid in a selection of major foreign currencies by customers and clients, through marketplaces - and via PSPs like Stripe. Whenever you need to send, spend or exchange foreign currencies, you’ll benefit from the mid-market exchange rate, with low, transparent fees.

You’ll also benefit from all of these features:

• No monthly subscription international business account
• Multi-currency support: hold 40+ currencies, send payments to 160+ countries, and get local account details for 9+ currencies including GBP, EUR, USD, AUD.
• Low cost currency exchange: mid-market exchange rate with transparent fees
• Batch payments: pay up to 1,000 recipients at a time in multiple currencies with one spreadsheet
• Multi-user access: manage user permissions and choose from any of the 5 roles to manage what your team members can view, access, and manage
• Business debit expense cards for you and your team: up to three digital cards per team member, and set spending limits according to your business needs
• Accounting integration: connect with Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and more.

With the help of a truly global account, your business can grow beyond international borders. After reading this, you should be fizzing with ideas to make this summer really sing for your brand. It’s all about the preparation - but it’s not too late to start. Here’s to a productive and profitable summer!