Weather forecasting is tricky business, yet as a society we try with all our might to get it right. For years we’ve had entire television channels devoted to the weather, live radio weather updates, and now endless websites and apps to keep us aware of what the sky is doing.
With that in mind, perhaps it is no surprise that the weather has the second biggest influence on consumer behavior next to the economy, according to the British Retail Consortium.
In the even bigger picture, weather has influenced wars throughout history. For instance, when the Spanish Armada attempted to attack England, stray changes in the wind assisted the British in their ability to defeat the Spaniards. For countries with bitter winters like Russia, the weather served as a formidable ally as anyone trying to attack in wintertime knew their time to do so was limited and risky.
If weather events can lead to widespread destruction of lives and property and influence the outcome of wars, it makes sense that it would in turn impact consumer behavior.
Developments like air conditioning and umbrellas may have changed our relationship with the weather over history, but that doesn’t mean human beings aren’t still being impacted by weather in significant ways daily. A successful digital marketing agency knows weather has an immense connection to consumer actions, from what they wear and eat to where they go and what they buy.
Not convinced? Look at your own behavior. What did you choose to wear today? How did you travel to work? You may even consider what you ate for lunch today and how much the weather impacted your choice.
The Campbell Soup Company, which controls approximately 70 percent of the soup market, reportedly takes national weather forecasts into account in determining what parts of the country to target their advertisements. Campbell Soup Company reports that soup sales tend to be higher in regions experiencing winter weather versus those with above-average temperatures.
Retail and Weather
Retailers have been using the weather to forecast demand for years. Supermarkets look at the local weather forecast and adjust stock and displays accordingly – knowing that fluctuations in temperatures can increase or decrease the demand for cold beverages and ice cream or snowstorm staples like milk and eggs. Daily weather conditions are estimated to affect as much as 35 percent of GDP in industrialized countries.
Shifting weather patterns can create issues of over- or understocking for retailers, leading to financial losses and waste. Retailers have long been inundated with data and try to use it to curb consumer behavior in their favor. International companies like Starbucks have discovered the benefit of implementing weather forecasts into their marketing and promotional activities.
Leveraging the Impact
Weather-based marketing is a dynamic form of marketing that uses real-time weather data to set off ads and personalized marketing messaging based on the weather of a local audience. For an elementary example, if you’re selling apparel, you can promote ads for rain boots and rain jackets when a thunderstorm is on the way or swimsuits and breathable fabrics when a heat wave is on the horizon.
If you’ve got a lot of feel-good products and services, you may want to play the devil’s advocate and advertise those more heavily during traditionally “bad” weather (think gloomy and sun-less) when consumers are likely in need of a pick-me-up.
Service-based businesses such as plumbing, roofing, painting, and lawn care companies will benefit from having a strategy in place with a digital marketing agency to capitalize on weather conditions and cyclical patterns. Populating ads with Google during well-calculated weather times for your company will ensure you’re generating consumers.
The effects that weather can have on consumer mood and spending are so universal that by adapting weather-adaptive marketing and SEO strategies, companies can potentially use any weather to their advantage.
Find a SEO and Digital Marketing Agency in Lancaster, PA
If you’d like to be tactical and increase the seasonality SEO and digital marketing strategies for your business, RODA marketing can help. Our SEO services will help make you money. We’ll work together with you to build and execute an effective internet marketing campaign that ensures you’ll be bringing in more revenue whatever the weather.
Contact us today or give us a call at 888.653.0331 to discuss your project.