Why the weather should be more important to retailers

With market conditions presenting challenges for retailers left, right and centre, it can be difficult to stay on top of everything and figure out a business strategy that adapts to every potential problem you might be facing as a business. Missing crucial information can lead to clothes rails full of unsold items or empty shelves at peak shopping times. It’s usually easier to explain disappointing results in retrospect, but we always need to adapt based on this analysis for the future. Why do so few retailers invest in dealing with one of the top three commonly cited factors in driving customer demand – the weather?

In the UK, predicting and dealing with weather conditions isn’t easy. Over the course of a year, we could expect to see wild variations, and these inevitably impact people’s shopping choices—where they go, when they go, and what they buy. The Met Office conducted the research to confirm that so many businesses cite the weather as an important factor that could unexpectedly affect profits. But is it totally out of our control?

The answer might not be obvious. We can’t force the sun to come out because we have a warehouse full of sunglasses and shorts we need to promote or magically summon a stock of umbrellas when the clouds roll in out of nowhere. What we can do is invest in high-quality commercial weather services to help predict what’s coming in a useful way. The Met Office found that more than half of retailers who use paid-for weather services are confident they can offer better customer service and plan stock and sales more accurately. However, most retailers still find it easier to carry on regardless of weather forecasts, possibly without realising the potential benefits of simply using information that’s already available. Depending on your business, this could be invaluable.

So, how can you use weather forecasts to help make decisions on your shop fittings, retail displays and marketing plans? It could be tricky, although a wide range of products like we have at Valentino’s Displays can be very helpful, even in the face of UK weather conditions. We have everything from pavement signs and A-boards to promote your shop in good weather to display stands, clothing rails, mannequins and shelving for displaying your products all year round. Plus, it has great storage for anything else you can’t use in current conditions. Look through our online store and see what’s available to help you plan for the British weather.