Weather

Now, it is obvious that the weather impacts our buying behaviours. On hot days we buy more ice cream and cold drinks, but how else can the weather change consumer behaviour?

Firstly, weather impacts the method by which we shop. In hot and sunny weather, people are more inclined to go out and shop in physical stores but in cold or wet weather, people tend to stay indoors and browse online stores. This may be something you are able to take advantage of, by focusing more on the maintenance and promotion of your online or physical store based upon the time of year and the weather trends. 

Next, is what we buy. As previously mentioned, the weather clearly relates to what we buy, as people buy heaters in winter, and ice cream in summer, but it is a bit more nuanced than that! The weather effect impacts the consumption and a wide variety of products ranging from housing, to food, to clothing. In fact, studies have shown the extent to which the weather can impact this. 1 degree difference in temperature can lead to 11% increase in sun cream sales, 22% increase in fizzy drinks sales, and a 60% drop in porridge sales in warmer weather; whereas in cold weather 1 degree can lead to an increase in portable heater sales by 20%. Crazy, right? Furthermore, bigger items can also be affected, as houses with pools in America increase in value by $1,600 in summer. Also convertible cars rise in popularity in summer, meanwhile 4x4 all terrain cars increase in popularity in winter, as demonstrated by a successful PPC advertising campaign by Toyota that ran 4x4 adverts during winter. From this, it is clear that what you sell and when is important in business. There are tools that help to predict the year's weather in relation to sales predictions, therefore allowing your business to stay stocked, and prepared for upcoming consumer behaviour.

However, the weather not only impacts what we buy, but also how much we are willing to pay. Studies have suggested that after being exposed to sunlight, people are willing to spend more money on products due to their change in mood. Sunlight creates a happy mood, and is associated with positive emotions, therefore customers who are exposed to sunlight associate these feelings with the products and are willing to pay between 29%-56% more for different items. If you have ever wondered why it is so bright in shops and shopping centres, this is why. To mimic sunlight, and increase buying behaviours.

So, we now know how weather impacts buying behaviours and business retail decisions, but what can you do with this information within your marketing campaigns? Well, the answer to that lies in meteo-targeting. This is a way of splitting and targeting your audience based on their geographic location, and the weather in that location. As such, if you are a global business, you would be able to monitor the weather in the location of your audience and automatically advertise swimwear to those experiencing sunny weather, meanwhile also triggering advertisements of winter coats, and knitted jumpers to a customer the other side of the globe, who is experiencing cold winter months. This targeting system can also be effective on a smaller scale as it can automatically change your advertisements based on the weather and temperature of your local area, if you are a small business. 

The main thing is that this is an extremely lucrative marketing tool that should be utilised, as the weather effect is something that is often overlooked, especially in marketing more than retail decisions. This knowledge may be something that gives you the competitive edge.

-- From Marketing to Mind --