The power of social media’s impact on consumer trends in no secret. This influence has only grown over the past few years, with the Covid-19 pandemic inciting a greater demand for online shopping portals, user-generated content, and brand social media presences to act as shop fronts. Consumer behaviour also shifts across the year, with holidays and seasons changing shopping habits. Some studies suggest that consumer trends are even shaped by the weather. Below, we lay out the top trends in consumer behaviour across the seasons and show you how you can hack your social media strategy using seasonal consumer trends in 2022/23.
Autumn
Autumn is often seen as a period to slow down, reset, and prepare to kick off the year in earnest after the busyness of Summer.
As the weather cools down, consumers look towards a return to the office, school, or university, and consumer behaviour adjusts accordingly.
How are people acting?
According to UK media agency the7stars, people around the world begin to save money during the Autumn period. This would be the result of the heavy holiday-period spending in Australia.
However, purchases of children’s clothing and cleaning products see an upswing as people prep to get back into the grind of day-to-day life.
According to Pinterest, Autumn sees a rise in search terms relating to “productive” spending such as:
- lunchbox recipe inspiration
- cleaning hacks
- time-saving tips
What does this mean for your business?
Businesses which cater to convenience, such as stationery, cleaning, and productivity brands should take note of the increased interest during Autumn.
Meanwhile, businesses aligned with outdoor activities or leisure may see a dip in consumer interest.
Our suggestions
If your business can capitalise on the productivity of the Autumn season, we recommend focusing on Pinterest as a social media advertising platform. You can reach more than 200 million people on Pinterest, and shopping engagement by consumers on the app grew by 20% in 2021.
Winter
Unlike other regions, Winter in Australia doesn’t benefit from the Christmas season to boost sales. Instead, consumers want to drive away the Winter blues.
How are people acting?
A survey by Accor found that 50% of Australians report caring less about their appearance in Winter and 59% of respondents exercise less.
Instead, low-energy, indoor activities increased. The survey reported that 70% of Australians watch more TV in Winter, with 1 in 3 Aussies eating on their couches.
The ABS also reported that spending on international travel increased in 2022, likely due to a rush to escape the cold Winter combined with open borders.
What does this mean for your business?
As a result, if you’re a streaming service, food retailer, or travel company, you’re looking at a more affable market during the Winter months and should focus on catering to consumers who are prioritising warmth, rest, and comfort.
Businesses such as gyms, sportswear stores, and beauty brands may see less interest from Australians at this time of year and should focus on maintaining brand awareness and relevancy to consumers even as their attentions lie elsewhere.
Our suggestions
If your product or service is relevant during this season, we suggest focusing your digital advertising efforts on Google and YouTube ads to consumer capture attention as they spend excess time in front of screens. YouTube usage is particularly high during Winter, with 17.5 million Unique Australian Visitors Per Month recorded in July 2022 in comparison to only 16.5 million in January 2022.
If your business is less relevant during the Winter, we suggest ensuring you utilise video within your social media strategy keep consumer attention. For example:
- Gyms could share at-home work out tips videos
- Beauty brands could chat with consumers about self-care and mental health
- Clothing retails could showcase how to style their best loungewear pieces
Spring
With Spring comes a return of the sun, outdoor activities, and the Spring-clean, with Australian consumers investing in themselves and their homes.
How are people acting?
During Spring, households often pour money into renovation projects, refreshing their living spaces in preparation for entertaining. Last year, $486.8 million worth of loans were issued in June for alterations and additions in the Spring months, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Cleaning and gardening categories also become popular areas to invest as people prepare to spend more time outside.
With wedding season afoot, Spring is also a prime time for function spending.
Finally, people are more invested in outdoor fitness as the weather improves. In 2020, interest in searching for local hikes was higher than ever and the physical activity market is tipped to reach $1.6 trillion by 2023.
What does this mean for your business?
If your business specialises in DIY and home reno products, then Spring is the time for you to seize these niches, particularly with outdoor-focused products such as furniture, games, decorations, and gardening tools.
Events businesses such as venues and wineries, florists, and event planners will also hit their busiest season.
Businesses linked to the wellness industry are also likely to benefit from the Spring weather and boom in consumer focus on fitness.
Our suggestions
Treat your social media channels like your shop front this Spring and focus on FOMO in your social media strategy. Show people what they’re missing if they’re not engaging with your business!
Post before and after home transformations, family fun days with new games, or beautiful weddings from the year before to your Instagram Business page. Ensure your social media content buckets are full so you have bulk posts to carry you through the season.
Food and drink retailers could also aim to entice people who are out and about in the fine weather in to enjoy their days with Spring menu features and outdoor seating.
Summer
Unsurprisingly, consumers have high intention to spend during the Summer in Australia due to Christmas and the school/university holiday period combined.
How are people acting?
In 2021, Australians spent a massive $23.9 billion over the Christmas period, with spend expected to increase in 2022. Half of this spend was on ecommerce.
There’s also an increase of experience-based spending, such as food, drink, and domestic getaways and Aussies say they’re saving up to $5,000 on average to splurge on Summer getaways in 2022.
What does this mean for your business?
If your products and services make good gifts, then you’re in luck this spending season! Holiday rental, travel, and hospitality brands are also likely to benefit.
Top consumer spending focuses over Christmas last year were:
- toys, jigsaw puzzles, and boardgames
- vouchers and gift cards
- clothing, shoes, and sleepwear
- pet toys and furniture
Our suggestions
Deloitte’s 2021 Retailers Christmas Survey expects in-store purchases to decline and ecommerce and omnichannel sales to increase in their place. Ensuring your business has an easy-to-use and trustworthy online service will be imperative to staying competitive.
Further, as consumers become fatigued from finally visiting stores and shopping centres in person, retailers that offer something “new and different” will stay ahead of the game.
Ensuring that your social media and digital advertising stands out from the crowd is more important than ever during the Christmas season. We recommend speaking with a digital marketing expert to ensure your holiday season advertising is optimised for the best results in 2022. Purple Giraffe specialise in social media and Google advertising to help your business rise above the competition.
Chat to us today about hacking your social media strategy using seasonal consumer trends for your business!
