UK SMEs to see a 28% summer sales spike as warm weather, bank holiday drive spending

UK SMEs are set to benefit from the summer sales increase of almost (28%) a third as warm weather, bank holidays and the wedding season will drive the spending, says new data released today by Royal Mail.

According to the analysis, two-thirds (66%) of the UK small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expect to see a growth of transactions over the summer months.

Some 65% of UK SMEs run their business differently throughout the year to make the most of seasonal demand. They hone their business operations to harvest the most of the summer sale discounts, with 60% having to specifically amend their product offering and stocks to prepare for summer orders.

What will sell the most?

Typically, UK sellers sell more summers clothes than winter to stay intact with the seasonal trends but also capitalise on the summer ‘hype.’ Some 68% of the UK SMEs say that they switch to summer clothes, with 53% of the same cohort agree that warmer weather brings on a sudden spike in sales. However, this raises a question. Which summer items will sell the most during the warm season?

The report says that UK SMEs should expect a spike in sales for items including summer accessories (31%) clothes (31%), beach accessories (25%) and sportswear (16%).

When it comes to summer weddings, the products that are expected to see the largest increase in sales in summer 2019 are dresses (51%), brightly coloured clothes (47%) and sunglasses (42%).

The analysis attributes the phenomenon of sellers promoting more summers clothes to the comfortability of the clothes for warmer weather (75%). It also says that sellers aim to mirror customer demands which see shoppers wanting to follow the latest fashion trends (59%), and clothes influenced by celebrities (45%).

Cross-border merchants to see a summer sale boost

Almost three-quarters (71%) of the merchants surveyed currently sell to overseas customers. These sellers sell the most to Europe (63%) and the US (25%.

Over four in ten (41%) of surveyed sellers both import and export goods with 20% solely exporting and 17% only importing. Some 39% of sellers expect to see an increase in overseas sales this summer. The main reasons for this are warmer weather (16%), the holiday season (12%) and customers preparing for increased demand in the summer (12%).