Customer Highlight: How Online Sellers Are Bracing for The Heat Of Summer Shipping

While the first day of summer technically isn’t until June, the temperatures Americans are feeling outside now would suggest otherwise. Beaches, camping, and outdoor adventures are already on the minds of so many people so the need for products for those activities is more prevalent than ever.

Much of the e-commerce industry slows down during the summer. E-commerce activity in July, in particular, can be 30% lower than in the month of December. However, there are some online stores that begin hitting their peak season now.

In honor of these businesses, we decided to highlight some of our favorite Shippos who are feeling the heat of summer shipping now. We’ll also discuss how to increase sales during this time of the year for businesses that don’t sell summer-focused products.

Peak Season Shipping For Summer-Focused Merchants

While peak season isn’t until later in the year for much of the e-commerce world, taking a look at businesses going through their peak season now can help you prepare for them.

Sommer Swim | Elegant & Minimal Swimwear

Tis’ the season of pool days, beach days, and soaking up some sun. If you’re looking for something flashy to wear while you’re at those places, look elsewhere. Sommer Swim prides itself on elegant minimalism, nostalgic sensuality, and understated luxury.

Inspired by their followers, Sommer Swim’s swimsuit designs are simplistic yet still alluring for those who wear them. Along with being an internationally recognized brand, Sommer Swim still upholds ethical and sustainable practices by working with family-owned factories, reducing waste, and using biodegradable packaging.

With one look at their collection, it’s easy to see why they’ve garnered customers from all over the world. With that said, the need to prepare for the rush of orders is now. Here are some of the ways Sommer Swim is preparing for summer shipping.

“During peak season, we make sure we have a full team on board so it’s all hands on deck. All additional items, like Thank You Cards and dust bags, that our pieces are sent with are fully stocked and we prepare a large area for picking and packing. We find being super organized, and having a clean organized space helps to keep things more ordered in what can be chaos of busyness. Shippo helps keep the process seamless for our staff – with effective systems to propel an effective day, the app assists in the success of our brand.”  

Glitzy Coolers | Stylish, Bold, and Durable Coolers

No matter if you’re headed to a barbeque, the park, the beach, or camping, the person who’s bringing the cooler is the person who’s bringing the fun. But, the contents inside the cooler don’t have to be the only thing that’s fun.

With Glitzy Coolers‘ bold and unique designs like leopard print coolers, you’ll be sure to turn heads at the next function you show up to. Aside from just the stylish designs, Glitzy Coolers are also functional, durable, and sure to keep your food and drink as cool as you.

Along with the 20-quart and 52-quart coolers, Glitzy also offers multiple versions of their soft pack coolers, slim can coolers, tote bags, water jugs, and graphic tees.

With summer approaching fast, Glitzy is preparing itself for a busy season by restocking inventory and using Shippo to help process and organize shipments.

SnappyScreen | Luxury Sunscreen & Sanitizer

With so much to look forward to in the next few months and so many memories to be made outdoors, the blistering heat of summer can also leave a mark. Sunscreen is an absolute must for so many people but the actual process of putting it on and reapplying can slow down the fun, to say the least.

SnappyScreen solved that issue by introducing the world’s first touchless sunscreen application system. You simply have to select what sunscreen level you want, step into the booth, and get your full body covered evenly in as little as 10 seconds. But, if you’re traveling somewhere that doesn’t have a SnappyScreen machine, it’s no sweat.

SnappyScreen sells spray bottles of their sunscreen so you can get that luxurious protection from the sun no matter where you are. Their SunStyles Sunscreen formula is hypoallergenic and moisturizing, is the only SPF formula that won’t stain your clothes, and is environmentally friendly.

Along with high-quality sunscreen, SnappyScreen also offers great smelling touchless mist sanitizers, which were listed on “Oprah’s Favorite Things List 2021.” With that award and with this time of the year playing a part in increased sales, they rely on a trusted shipping partner to get SnappyScreen products delivered to all their customers.

“As we prepare for the summer season, aka peak sunscreen shipping season, we are grateful to our customer success manager, Marc, for making sure that everything is in line and functioning most efficiently on the backend. Marc is a true extension of our team and we are so grateful to be working with Shippo as our shipping partner.”

Why E-commerce Sales Usually Slowdown During the Summer

While some products like sunglasses or beach umbrellas sell themselves this time of the year, for many other e-commerce products, summer isn’t quite as busy as compared to other seasons. Most of this can be attributed to consumer behavior, especially in the U.S.

People are traveling more and spending more time outdoors. This leaves less disposable income for people to spend on e-commerce purchases and less time in front of their computer screens browsing through your store.

It’s for this reason exactly that Amazon has launched its annual Prime Day right smack in the dog days of summer. While your business may not have the cache to pull off something similar to a Prime Day, there are certain steps you can take to combat the Summer Slump.

How To Increase E-commerce Sales During The Summer

There are a number of different selling strategies you can take during the summer to keep your business in the black. While the success rate of each strategy will be dependent on what you are selling and how the strategy is executed, each is worth looking into.

Start selling & Shipping internationally

• You and your customers don’t have to be the only ones traveling overseas this season. If your e-commerce business hasn’t already started selling and shipping internationally, now may be as good of a time as ever to start. Selling and shipping to countries such as Canada, Australia, and the UK would be ideal to start since there is no language barrier for your site to have to overcome. If you mostly sell winter products, it could be best to sell to countries in the southern hemisphere since it is winter for them. No matter how you do it, Summer is also an excellent time to tap into these markets so that you can refine your international selling processes before the holiday season.

Promote a Summer Sale

• Black Friday doesn’t have to be the only time of the year you entice your customers to buy more. Instead, promotions such as free shipping when customers reach a certain order value can help boost sales. In a recent survey, 84% of consumers said they’ve purchased an item because free shipping was applied to the order and 30% added more to their cart just to qualify for free shipping. Although, this isn’t the only clearance method. Flash Sales, 4th of July sales, and weekend sales are all potential options. You can apply these sales to older items to help clear out inventory, or to some new items to get people on your site and shopping.

Hold a Contest

• There are few things in this world that can match the sweet taste of victory. People love winning, and if all that is required of them is to give a small amount of information to qualify for a prize many will make that trade. Contests can come in different forms such as a logo design, product naming, partnered giveaways, charitable contests, and random drawings to name a few. These can be excellent ways to gain leads and emails to promote summer sales to potential customers. Having an in-house contest can also help motivate your sales and marketing teams to push more products out the door.

No matter how you slice it, Summer can be great for e-commerce. Either you are in your business’s peak season or you’re taking the necessary steps to prepare your business for the peak season. Both can be seen positively and both will require a reliable shipping partner like Shippo.