How to Improve Off-season Sales in Clothing Industry

The key to understanding the demand and formulating scientific marketing strategy Although the application of scientific marketing strategy can improve the sales performance of enterprises, all this is based on understanding the market demand. If we want to make a scientific strategy, we must first find the consumer's demand for products, then seize the demand, and then create and guide the demand, so as to formulate a scientific and effective marketing plan to attract consumers to buy.

1, price

The underdeveloped economic situation in China determines the sensitivity of most consumers to commodity prices. Low commodity prices in off-season are determined by the imbalance between supply and demand. Compared with the high price of products in peak season, more and more consumers like to "buy by season" in order to benefit. For example, the hot sale of down jackets in Zhengzhou and other places this summer is the dominant factor in price. The sales of well-known down jackets such as "Boston" and "Yaya" this summer actually exceeded last winter, and a merchant in Zhengzhou Yin Ji Trade City sold more than 300 pieces in one day. Analyzing the reasons, the down jacket that costs more than 300 yuan in winter only needs about 100 yuan in summer, and the huge price difference directly leads to the hot sale of down jackets. For consumers, off-season purchases can get more benefits.

2. Concept

The off-season of many products is only caused by people's consumption concept. Such as ice cream, candy, beer and other disposable consumer goods, people's demand for these goods does not seem to be strong for a certain period of time, resulting in the off-season sales. However, the concept of consumption is only a kind of view in consumers' minds, which will change with the change of consumers' thinking and the strengthening of their understanding of products. Therefore, the concept of consumption is variable. If beer sells well in hot weather, it will turn into off-season as soon as it turns cold, but some people think it is not suitable for drinking beer in winter, and some people like to drink beer in winter, which is why beer is still sold in winter. Sales concept guides most people's consumption behavior, but the variability of consumption concept makes it impossible to guide all consumers, which constitutes a source of off-season consumption.

3. Events

In the off-season of sales, the occurrence of some major events may cause sales to turn from "light" to "prosperous". For example, June and July should have been the off-season of TV sales, but the beginning of the 2002 World Cup directly promoted the sales of TV sets, which made the sales of TV sets soar in June and July. This off-season is not "light", but sales still catch up with the peak season.

4. Time

For some middlemen, the time difference leads them to purchase some goods in the off-season. For example, a foreign trade businessman, it takes about 3-4 months for the goods he purchases in China to be transported to Africa by sea, which requires him to prepare the goods 3-4 months before the arrival of the peak season of leather goods business, and then transport them to Africa in order to catch up with the sales when the peak season of leather goods comes in Africa.

5. Strategy

As an enterprise, for strategic reasons, it may choose to buy some products in the off-season, which has three advantages. First, stocking in the off-season can save costs and reduce costs, so that enterprises have a cost advantage in the competition after the arrival of the peak season; Second, it can ensure the inventory and avoid the unfavorable situation that the products sell well in the peak season, but they can't get in the factory; Third, we can maintain the relationship with suppliers and enhance communication.

6. Climate

The rotation of the four seasons has led to the change of climate and the off-season of many products. For example, the clothing industry has the strongest response to climate, and the rise or fall of temperature will have a direct impact on the sales of clothing, and people have little demand for out-of-season products. However, the climate is not static. For example, in recent years, the global climate is getting warmer and the temperature is getting higher and higher in winter. This situation makes the off-season of clothing gradually shift. Spring clothes, which were still in the off-season in March and April, have now entered the "peak season" ahead of schedule.

7. Geography

Umbrellas that can't be sold in the arid northwest will sell well in rainy Jiangnan. After August, there will be no market for insecticidal pesticides in the north, but this pesticide will sell well in Kunming all year round. It's winter in China with snowflakes flying, but it's scorching in the southern hemisphere. Different geographical locations cause different needs of consumers. Goods that are in the off-season here may be in the peak season in other places.

8. Others

In addition to the above seven reasons, there are some off-season demands. May-September is the off-season of suits every year, but in many formal occasions (such as large meetings, formal banquets, etc. ), people attending the meeting are still required to wear suits, which shows the formality and importance of the meeting. These consumptions also constitute a part of the demand in the off-season of sales.

Seize the demand and create sales

After understanding the off-season demand of consumers, we realize that consumers still have demand for off-season products. Only by finding the demand, grasping the demand, guiding the demand through scientific marketing strategies, and then expanding the demand, can enterprises finally improve the sales performance in the off-season.

1. Change the concept of off-season and become a prosperous off-season market.

As the saying goes, "There is no recession, only disappointment". The sales of many enterprises' products plummeted in the off-season, not because the products could not be sold, but because the ideas of enterprises in the off-season were at work. In the so-called off-season, when an enterprise thinks that the target customers no longer need its products for the time being, no matter how hard the enterprise tries, the products can't be sold, so the promotion activities are stopped, the market development efforts are also reduced, the customer visits are gone, and the business strategy is rigid. As a result, sales performance is getting lower and lower, but enterprises often attribute it to the upcoming off-season. In this way, when the next off-season comes, enterprises will not be so diligent, so they will fall into the "off-season". Haier Zhang Ruimin once said that "there is no off-season market, only off-season creativity". Therefore, if an enterprise wants to improve its performance in the off-season, it must first change its business philosophy and establish the consciousness that "sales have no off-season". Marketing planners believe that only thinking can lead to a way out, and so can marketing.

2. Customer communication and risk transfer

(1) When the peak season is over and the off-season is approaching, enterprises must pay attention to communication with customers, do a good job in pre-sales settlement and follow-up sales services for old customers, and do a good job in liquidation of customer rebates or bonuses to avoid customers' doubts about the enterprise. At the same time, they should do a good job in follow-up sales service. In the off-season, customers' demand for goods is generally small, and enterprises, regardless of size, should treat them equally and do a good job in delivery service.

(2) Through communication with small dealers and various promotional means to attract them to stock up. For the following small dealers, capital is generally the biggest constraint on their development. Enterprises can communicate with them to publicize the price advantage of stocking in the off-season, and can stimulate small dealers to stock up through various incentives.

3. Strengthen the incentives for sales staff.

Business personnel are the main body of enterprises in the market. With the arrival of the off-season, the sudden drop of business volume will often make many salesmen lack enthusiasm for work, have lazy psychology and have no spirit of opening up markets. If an enterprise wants to improve its performance in the off-season, it must increase the incentives for business personnel and stimulate their enthusiasm and creativity. At a senior seminar for marketing managers in Henan Province, Zhao Zong of Henan Golden Tax Printing once said that the business volume of the printing industry will gradually decrease in June and July every year, and enter the "off-season". Facing the decreasing sales, Zhao Zong thought hard and suddenly thought of a coup. He immediately called a sales meeting to announce the company's new sales policy to the salesman: in the off-season, that is, from June to August, the salesman worked for the company. This greatly mobilized the enthusiasm of business people. Thanks to the efforts of all business personnel, the company's business volume increased significantly in June, July and August. After all, when the bonus is given to the salesman, it is the salesman who lets the enterprise take the commission from the profit.

Choosing to motivate business people in the off-season can not only improve sales performance, but also find new customers, and at the same time capture the hearts of sales people, which can be described as "killing three birds with one stone".

4, promotion, reflecting the concern for consumers.

(1) Attract consumption through business promotion.

The off-season price advantage is the main factor to attract many consumers and dealers. Discounting, buying gifts and increasing the added value of products can attract many price-sensitive consumers. In addition, for some dealers who choose to stock in the off-season, the price factor is the main reason for their risky stocking.

(2) guide demand through advertising

The off-season of products formed by consumption concept can be changed by guiding consumers' needs. For example, drinks sell well in summer and enter the off-season in winter. According to the sales situation in Xia Dong in two seasons, Lulu spread "adding ice in summer" and "heating in winter" to consumers through advertisements, guided consumers through different functional demands, and publicized "cold drinks to clear away summer heat and hot drinks to dispel cold". After this series of advertisements, people changed the habit of drinking less drinks in winter and effectively promoted the sales of products.

5, reduce costs = increase income

It is an indisputable fact that sales performance will decline in the off-season. When enterprises find that the improvement of performance through various marketing means is not great, they should consider the equation of "reducing expenditure = increasing income". The reduction of expenses mainly comes from the reduction of enterprise management expenses in the off-season of sales. Marketing expenses are mainly composed of basic operating expenses such as business entertainment expenses, public relations expenses, travel expenses, office expenses and marketing promotion expenses. Due to the admiration of Chinese people for so-called emotional marketing and the intensification of market competition, high marketing expenses have always made enterprises complain. In this regard, enterprises should strengthen the control of marketing expenses and reduce consumption in the off-season of sales.

(1) Strengthen the supervision of salesmen;

(2) Make a reasonable proportion of marketing expenses, and control the marketing cost under this proportion;

(3) Establish and improve the supervision and assessment mechanism of marketing expenses. For example, the bill reimbursement offset is combined with the basis behind the bill voucher, such as the reimbursement of marketing expenses, and there must be a third-party monitoring certificate and effect feedback data;

(4) Strengthen the inspection and control of various marketing activities.

6, innovation, profit growth point

(1) Another reason for off-season sales is that products can't meet the needs of current consumers. At this time, increasing the function of the product can meet the needs of market consumers.

For example, it is too hot to wear a suit in summer, but people still wear a suit on some occasions. In response to this demand, the Good News Bird Cool Suit came into being, which met the demand of wearing a suit in summer and not wanting to be too hot, and naturally met more consumers. Facing the downturn of winter beer market, some manufacturers developed warm beer and hot pot beer, which created new hot spots in the cold winter beer market and brought new profit growth points for enterprises.

(2) The expansion of the product line can also meet the needs of consumers.

Taking clothing as an example, the demand for suits and down jackets decreased in summer, but the demand for T-shirts and shirts increased greatly. At this time, if enterprises can broaden their product lines and produce suits in winter and T-shirts in summer, products will be sold in the market all year round. This kind of product enters the off-season and that kind of product enters the peak season, which supports the sales performance of the enterprise at any time with the profit growth point, so that the enterprise naturally has no off-season sales. The management team of a liquor enterprise attaches great importance to the development of new products and the formulation and implementation of product structure adjustment strategy. In recent years, on the basis of in-depth market research and market forecast, enterprises have developed medium and high-grade liquor for the northern rural market, low-grade liquor for the southern rural market, medium-grade liquor for the consumer market in small and medium-sized cities and high-grade low-grade liquor for hotels in large and medium-sized cities. At the same time, they also developed low-alcohol black rice wine and a series of drinks suitable for drinking in summer, which made the whole enterprise in a busy state of production and sales all the year round, no different from off-season sales. Especially through the implementation of the product structure adjustment strategy, the enterprise has completed the strategic shift from low-grade wine as the leading product to medium-and high-grade wine as the leading product, and achieved the business development goal of synchronous growth of sales volume and profit rate.

7. Adjustment is another source of performance growth.

When the consumption demand of the regional market reaches a certain limit and cannot grow, the expansion of the enterprise market scope can undoubtedly increase the demand of consumers, which is more conducive to the enterprise's strategy or strategy adjustment in the off-season.

(1) Develop new markets

Enterprises can choose to develop new markets in the off-season, mainly because most competitive brands are dormant in the off-season, market management is weakened, and advertising investment is greatly reduced. Enterprises choose to enter at this time, and the interference information in the market has dropped to the lowest point, which is conducive to enterprises to seize channels and publicize brand image, and the expansion of the market will naturally bring about the improvement of sales performance. An enterprise that produces popular food has always been in the off-season and off-season in history. The reason is that enterprises only pay attention to the development of urban regional markets and wholesalers as sales channels. As a result, the sales volume fluctuates periodically, and the enterprise has suffered losses for many years. When the enterprise accepts the advice of the outside brain and develops new channels in the off-season, the sales staff of the enterprise vigorously develops new channels for suburban markets, shops and institutions, and is busy with developing new markets and new channels. Finally, the enterprise realized that there was no off-season, sales continued to rise, and it turned losses into profits in just three months.

(2) the shift of market center of gravity

The off-season of products may have different time intervals in different places. When the market consumption of a product shows a low season in the south, it may start to enter the peak season in the north; When the domestic market enters the low season of consumption, it may be entering the peak season of consumption in the international market; When there is a low season in the urban market, there may be no signs of low season in the rural market or the urban-rural fringe market at all; When markets and shops enter the off-season, consumption and purchase in railway stations, airports, tourist attractions and other occasions are always strong; Wholesalers complain that when the off-season comes, they will often get unexpected results in the face of large-scale direct sales activities carried out by end consumers. The key lies in whether the enterprise can grasp the market demand and shift the market center of gravity in time with the transfer of demand. A pesticide production enterprise in Henan shifted its market according to the different crop cycles caused by the climate difference between north and south. When the north entered the off-season of pesticide sales, he shifted the focus of the market to the south, and timely market adjustment made his sales no longer "off-season". An enterprise that produces high-grade sheepskin mattresses, its products are sold in winter peak season and summer off season in the domestic market, but it is just the opposite in the international market. Summer is the peak season for delivery, because foreign merchants purchase goods in summer. Originally, enterprises were only engaged in the domestic market, but as a result, they were busy for half a year and idle for half a year, and the economic benefits were not ideal. The enterprise has accepted the new marketing concept of "off-season is not dull", and at the same time, it has opened up both domestic and international markets, realizing the annual sales without off-season, doubling sales and doubling economic benefits.