Q3 is Gone and Q4 is Here!

It’s been such a crazy selling season at UNCS and a lot of the focus has been on Brick and Mortar sales, but there are still great deals to find out there for your ecommerce store. This holiday season is speculated to be one of the best for online sales and now is the time to build up your inventory in preparation. So, what categories should we focus on for our stores?

Toys & Games: Be on the lookout for any deals related to toys, puzzles and board games. Why? Covid-19 has taken over the airways and the rumors of a second or third wave (depending on how you look at the reporting) during the holiday season will keep families at home and browsing the millions of resellers online. Classic board games and puzzles will see an uptick in sales as families bundle up in the cold and spend quality time with each other. Toys and specifically building blocks and modeling clay will also keep families engaged, so look for Lego or Mega blocks and start building sales!

Home Decor: Quarantining and social distancing measures has forced us to look around the spaces where we spend the most time leading consumers to think “ROOM REFRESH!” Children, Teens and adults are all pushing the markets towards an uptick in office supply sales as well as lamps, pillows, and curtains. Almost once a week there is a nightly news story on the shortage of desks around the country which leads carpenters to building desks that they can donate to local schools. While desks might be heavy and expensive to ship, think pencils, pens, markers, crayons and desk accessories that can be used to organize the virtual learning experience.

Electronics: TVs, video game consoles, computers and accessories are going to be big ticket items that will be found under the tree this year. GameStop for example closed 450 stores, but in the process saw an increase of 40% with online sales. This leads us to believe that the consumer is adjusting to the current pandemic climate, but still wanting to buy video games and electronic accessories online. There is still time to purchase these items from wholesalers and distributors for Cyber-Monday sales. My recommendation would be to self-fulfill as sometimes Amazon may take longer to post your inventory during busy seasons if you want them to fulfill for you.

Exercise, Health and Beauty: Rounding out the year, a lot of consumers will be looking to make purchases for their new year’s resolutions. Peloton, Mirror and Bowflex are not brands that distribute through resellers, but you can still take advantage of their boom. Look for exercise apparel, exercise balls, and yoga supplies to compliment the exercise craze. You’ll also see an uptick with nail polish, makeup and do-it-yourself kits for those who are not ready to start visiting their local salons. Even hair dye will be making a comeback as the uncertainty of the current pandemic continues.

Kitchen Gadgets: Remember at the height of the pandemic during the spring? It seemed like everyone was baking breads, pastries, cakes and more while they hunkered down. Today, we are seeing an increase in requests for baking supplies and kitchen gadgets during the upcoming winter months. Parents are finding this is a fun way to introduce new foods to their children, while also providing a fun activity for everyone to participate in. When speaking with your wholesalers, ask for cookie cutters, spiralizers, and even bread machines for your online stores. Winter is coming and you can benefit if you are planning and taking advantage of SEOs.

Those are just a few of the categories we believe will will round out Q4 and ring in the new year for the first quarter. Now, the only question you have to ask yourself is what category should I start selling on my site? At this point, I’d focus on products that can be delivered to you in a 14-day window. This will allow you to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend. From Black-Friday, Super Saturday and Cyber Monday, there are many opportunities to increase your sales and most importantly PROFITS. Good luck this holiday shopping season and if you are looking to maximize your outreach and product line, give our mothership a call. Simply visit them at www.uncs.com or you can visit our sales portal at www.arnhub.com. Happy Shopping!