July and August Are the Worst Months to Sell. A Myth or a Fact?

Myth.

Certain items MIGHT BE seasonal, but in today's "connected" world (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) people can and do make purchases all the time, any time.

People are going to jump on board and say "yeah my sales get less during this time or that time" but that's the exception and not the rule.

There's always a time in the year when people are doing something and sellers of products or services wonder if a particular month is bad or good.

The bottom line is keep marketing, keep making contacts, keep exposing the public to your products and or services and they will buy -- whether it be at the beach, at Aunt Ruby's house, gambling in Las Vegas or from the comfort of their beds.

I have both offline and online businesses and I can tell you that from May, my sales on both have dropped...and yes, I agree that this is until August...

Whether they have smartphones, tablets, etc or not, it's not uncommon for sales to drop during summer months. People are on vacation and doing a lot of outdoor summer stuff and a lot of people say their sales drop. As for a study on it, I have no idea whether someone has done a study.

I call it the summer sag. People are out doors now. Sadly, ipads are not a good choice when you are out swimming. Apple needs revise their ipad and to make a water proof new version. Also, one that does not wash out in full sun.

That said, this is a great month to do your super summer saving. August will soon be over. Please do try to get more consumers. Typically, your sales are soft in the summer.

I hear ice cream trucks do a thriving business this time of year.



All the best,
Michael

Definitely a myth.

As GMD said, some products/services are seasonal.

I have an affiliate website selling lawn equipment, so the summer months are definitely my best months while it drops to zilch during the winter.

It depends on your items I guess. If you think this is caused by summer...why not buiod sites for summer? This way you have thriving sites all year round....just my two cents

All product sales ebb and flow. How and when it affects you depends on what you're selling. For example, anything related to back to school is thriving right now.

Over all, January through March are usually the slowest months due to post holiday sticker shock, however even those months are profitable to those in the weight loss niche.

July was my worst month this year but I don't know if it is a trend or just me.

It seems in Europe, since we can't afford to go off on holidays, there's way more traffic online than usual since the beginning of July. I got this from a friend who works at a telecom co.

In my experience I always find it a little slower in the summer months but of course it depends on what niche you are in. If you are selling barbeques then you might not do too badly.

Just to add, a few months back, I read that sales in the Warrior Forum are slower in July than any other months.

I suspect it's a myth.

It's ultimately unproveable, because for the figures to be statistically significant, you'd need many years' results to compare, and both the internet itself and one's business change so much over "many years" that there are always too many variables to be evidential of anything, really.

Two examples from my own limited (under 4 years') experience ...

(i) In each of the previous two years, July has been a comparatively quiet month for me - apparently significantly worse than June - this year it was exactly the opposite;

(ii) In each of the previous two years, December had been a comparatively busy month for me (contrary to expectations) with its slight dip in sales close to Christmas more than compensated for by an early January "rush" - this last winter it was exactly the opposite.

My numbers are too small to judge. And so are most people's, I suspect, because statistically, you'd need at least 10 years' results with all the other "variables" being pretty constant, to judge anything much. And none of us has that. It's an ever-changing, developing world. The more one's business expands, and the better one does, the harder (and the less relevant!) it becomes to judge these things, I think?

When I worked in mail order, December and January were the busiest months. December, of course, because of the holidays. January because more people were staying home due to the weather and doing their shopping by catalog. I would think that internet shopping might be somewhat the same. Less people online for shorter amounts of time in the summer months.

However, I think mainly it depends on what you sell. Surf boards are selling very well here on Amelia Island right now.

Rose

I don't know about in the IM niche. but in the fitness niche I specialize in the summer months are always the worst.

Every company I have worked for in my life has experienced a summer slow-down.

This depends on what country you live in and what business you are in. You can't just lump everything into one corner. Believe there are many people and businesses doing really well right now.

I have always had to work harder during the summer to keep the same sales. September things start to get back to normal. This goes for most online sales, digital services, not seasonal products. I have been in the online business since 2001 and saw the same every year.