There are times when I feel out of touch with the world, and now is one of those times. Watching TV advertisements during October and November, it became apparent  that huge swathes of the population are acutely concerned with something to which I had given absolutely no thought – they want a new sofa and they  are  desperate to get it before Christmas! And I just can’t work out why there’s such a hurry.

Perhaps they are all sans-sofa, and any guests will have to make their own buttock resting arrangements  – an orange box or a fold-away chair for example. Or maybe a disproportionate number of sofas simply disintegrate due to atmospheric conditions during the autumn and early winter period, and that explains the panic. Maybe it’s neither of these things and there’s some unspoken social rule that says, ‘Shabby sofa with Easter egg good….shabby sofa with Turkey bad. Whatever the reason, the lure of leather and velour becomes uncontrollable at this time of year and only a company whose name is made up of three random letters can save the day.

I have no idea of the real reason for the sofa scramble, but I do know that DFS, CSL and their ilk know their market very well. And what they know for sure is that certain events trigger an almost Pavlovian urge to take out a  bit of interest free credit in return for a three seater that looked a lot smaller in the shop. Christmas is one of those triggers, and a sales pitch that promises to deliver before the big day becomes very compelling.

In every market there are trigger events, conditions or circumstances which temporarily boost demand for a product or service. These triggers can be seasonal, climatic, economic or social, and finding out what they are  is essential if you’re to maximise the impact of your marketing.

It might help to put some flesh on the bones of this to give you some real life examples. In our own businesses, I’ve noticed the following triggers to be important:

•  Increased demand for money making products in January when people are feeling poor after  Christmas.

• Increased demand for weight loss/shape up products in spring as winter clothes are shed revealing the flab beneath, and the summer holidays loom nearer.

•  Increased demand for self improvement products in January as people resolve to make a fresh start.

•  Increased demand for home study materials in September/October as the nights start to draw in and people look for something to keep them occupied.

•  Reduced demand for everything when there’s a distracting event like a bank holiday, a general election or a major sporting event.

• Reduced demand across the board in the lead up to Christmas as spending becomes focussed on presents. We don’t sell presents!

•  Increased demand for rental property after Christmas as a result of  marriages reaching breaking point over the festive period. Really!

There are a great deal more, but can you see how knowing these things, helps to shape both the timing and the content of marketing? Every business is subject to influences like this and each offers the opportunity to either make or save money.

DFS know that people want to get home improvements in place before Christmas and so they play on that in their advertising. I know that people will be thinking hard about making more money in January and so will promote money making opportunities quite heavily in that period.

In your business, there will be similar anomalies. Only you will know what they are, but you’re missing a big opportunity if you don’t identify them and then tailor  both the timing and content of your marketing to capitalise on them.

Footnote:
I don’t normally make furniture buying  recommendations, but on no account should you order your sofa from JLS. I have it on very good authority that it will not arrive before Christmas...or indeed at all.