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Mudguard or bikini? How the rainy weather is influencing our shopping behaviour
4.7.2024
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
The rainy spring has had a clear impact on the shopping behaviour of Galaxus customers. While summer items aren’t in very high demand, products such as umbrellas and mudguards are booming.
Spring 2024 was marked by a lot of rain and little sun. And so far, summer seems to be headed down the same path. The rainy weather is also apparent in our customers’ shopping carts, especially when comparing the sales figures for June last year and this year.
Umbrellas and mudguards in demand
At the head of the «weather winner» category by a longshot are umbrellas. There’s a 74 per cent increase in sales year-on-year from January to June, and a 266 per cent increase when comparing June 2024 to June 2023. A similar trend can be seen in bike mudguards, another weather-fuelled bestseller, with an increase of 124 per cent in the first half of the year and a 144 per cent increase in June.
«Our customers clearly adapt their purchases to the weather,» says Nina Gurt, Category Manager Sport & Outdoor at Galaxus. «The rainy weather has made mudguards and umbrellas indispensable.»
No demand for swimming trunks or inflatable boats
While weatherproof products are booming, typical summer items are suffering in the bad weather. Sunscreen, swimming trunks and bikinis are all experiencing a decline in sales. The slump was particularly evident in June. Bikini sales crashed by 50 per cent compared to June 2023, swimming trunks were down 41 per cent and sunscreen was down 27 per cent.
Water activities also depend heavily on the weather. Inflatable boats and stand-up paddle boards (SUP) found their way into our customers’ shopping carts much less often. Compared to 2023, 30 per cent fewer inflatable boats were sold in the first half of the year, and 69 per cent fewer in June. For SUPs, there was a decline of 32 per cent in the first half of the year, and 70 per cent in June.
But in spite of the rainy weather, our plants seem to be thriving; sales of raised garden beds rose by 18 per cent in the first half of 2024. True gardeners refuse to be deterred by the rain!
When will summer come?
Our sales figures show just how strongly the weather influences shopping behaviour. While some products such as umbrellas and mudguards are flourishing, others such as swimwear and water sports equipment are suffering in the bad weather. But Nina remains confident: «As soon as the sunshine is more stable, summer items will find their way back into our customers’ carts.»
What purchases have you made recently? Did you get summer items or stock up on things for rainy days? Let us know in the comments!
Header image: Midjourney
Manuel Wenk
Communications Manager
Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.chAs a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.
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