Expanding Your Product Line: What to Launch + When
Ever wonder why you start seeing Halloween decorations displayed in stores in the middle of the summer?
I promise they’re not doing it to add stress to your day or fast forward time.
There’s a strategic reason behind this timing of events: the earlier items are available for sale, the longer retailers can extend their shelf life and sales window — which means more money in their pocket.
This is especially true for dated products, such as planners.
If Halloween decorations don’t sell, you can put them in storage for next year.
But with dated planners . . . if those don’t sell, they go into the recycle bin. And that’s exactly what we’d like to avoid.
So, as you expand your product line and plan your launches throughout the year, keep this important tip in mind:
Launch your new products about two to three months before their usage date.
For smaller occasions, like Valentine’s Day or PRIDE, two months is usually enough. But for the bigger events like Back-to-School and New Year’s, give yourself more time to sell these items.
And something to keep in mind when it comes to planners: as customers come to the end of their planning year, they often straddle two planners as they start filling in dates for future events. So it’s best to have your products available for the folks that are diligent about filling in their schedules.
To make your planning easier, I’m sharing the dates we follow with all of our clients at Copper Bottom.
We recommend that you launch products for the holidays listed below at some point during the quarter (remember: 2-3 months before the occasion’s start date) to maximize your selling season and profits.
Q1 Selling Season (January, February, March)
Valentine’s Day (launch in January)
Easter (launch in February/March depending on when the holiday falls)
Undated Planners (launch in February/March — after your dated planners sell out or go on sale)
Q2 Selling Season (April, May, June)
Teacher’s Appreciation (launch in April)
PRIDE (launch in May)
Back-to-School & Academic Year Planners (launch in May)
Q3 Selling Season (July, August, September)
Halloween (launch in September)
Thanksgiving (launch in September)
Calendar Year Planners (launch in September)
Q4 Selling Season (October, November, December)
Black Friday (launch in October)
Christmas/Hanukkah (launch in October)
New Year’s Resolutions (launch in October)
Have you been feeling inspired and ready to kick off the design process for your own custom planner?
I created a guide featuring 5 things your day planner MUST include . . . and it’s available now at the link below.