The Sunday Mail
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba
“People don’t notice whether its winter or summer when they are happy” – Anton Chekhov
On July 10 2023, there were reports that the city of Johannesburg in neighbouring South Africa had received some snow.
What a climatic shift! It’s now snowing in Africa.
A day later, the better part of Zimbabwe was hit by a strong cold front.
This cold weather got me thinking of how businesses can weather-proof their customer service.
The winter season can have significant impact on businesses and their profits. For instance, during cold periods, consumers may spend more time indoors and shop online instead, which may boost e-commerce sales.
This can lead to an increase in profits for businesses that are prepared to handle the surge in online orders.
On the other hand, wintry weather can also disrupt supply chain distribution, leading to decreased levels of goods and services.
This can result in higher prices for consumers and bigger profits for businesses.
However, if businesses are not prepared to handle disruption, they may see a decrease in profits.
Cold weather can also affect consumer behaviour in other ways.
For example, studies have shown that exposure to sunlight can increase levels of consumption and the amount spent per item.
This means that during periods of cold or cloudy weather, businesses may see a decrease in sales.
To weather-proof their profits against the effects of winter, businesses need to be prepared.
This can include having a robust e-commerce platform, being able to quickly adapt to change their supply chain distribution, and understanding how changes in weather can affect consumer behaviour.
1). Check and Consider Weather Forecasts
Most companies in Zimbabwe do not know the importance of using weather forecasts in relation to their businesses. Weather knowledge is vital if a company wants to counteract the adverse effects of a drastic change in weather. As a business, you should always be on top of the situation and be aware of weather events during certain trading periods, be it monthly or quarterly. Suppose, companies in South Africa were aware that this week it was going to snow or those in Zimbabwe were aware that it was going to be freezing cold, then obviously they would have known that foot traffic into their shops was going to be reduced. In order to counter that they would have availed solutions that make it easier for customers to shop online. For those that sell perishables, they would have adjusted their stock levels, so that they would not lose money on products that would not have moved quickly.
- Consumer Behaviour is Affected by Weather Conditions
Chilly or wet weather conditions typically result in more people postponing their shopping trips to a later date. But, if the goods and services are needed urgently, customers may consider shopping online, rather than dealing with the harsh weather. To this extent, businesses that only have brick and mortar shops should not only upgrade and have online branches, but should also know what products and merchandise sell fast in winter. Knit wear, charcoal, firewood, hot meals and indoor entertainment sell like hot buns in this season. Those that sell items not on high demand can also make money by enticing consumers with discounts, insulating their shops with air conditioners and offering warm drinks or soups to those customers that visit their shops. Companies can also use the bundle-pricing method for seasonal products, like buy a pair of winter gloves and get a branded woolen scarf or hat as a way to woo customers to do business with them.
- Be Aware of Panic Buying
We rarely get some unanticipated extreme weather shifts such as snow in Southern Africa. However, when this happens it can cause consumers to press the panic button and hoard products. This is because, they may not want to have many shopping trips when it is cold outside. Consumers tend to buy more than necessary. Such buying behaviour may result in some companies running out of stock. Nonetheless, when you see an increase in demand, it is prudent for business to reduce your customers’ anxiety by either limiting the number of products each customer can buy, and assure them that there is no need to buy in bulk.
- Use Weather-based Marketing
Companies that make use of weather forecasts are likely to prepare marketing messages that are in tandem with the current weather conditions. It is important to use weather-based targeting, as this can help them to reach the right audience for the message.
*Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing enthusiast with a strong passion for customer experience. For comments, suggestions, and customer experience training, she can be reached at [email protected] or at +263 712 979 461, 0719 978 335
*Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing enthusiast with a strong passion for customer experience. For comments, suggestions, and customer experience training, she can be reached at [email protected] or at +263 712 979 461, 0719 978 335
