How to Market During the Summer Slump

Strategies That Actually Work

Every year it arrives like clockwork – slightly slower inbox replies, mysterious OOO emails from clients with suspiciously vague return dates, and that sudden urge to rebrand everything with palm trees and a flamingo.

Welcome to the summer slump. Or, if you’re feeling optimistic: an opportunity in a Hawaiian shirt.

But what is the summer slowdown, and more importantly – how can marketers make the most of it instead of just watching their engagement rates melt like a Cornetto?

Let’s break it down.

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What Is the Summer Slump?

The “summer slump” refers to the mid-year dip in business activity. In many sectors – particularly B2B, education, and professional services – June to August can be quieter. Key decision-makers are on holiday, school is out, and inboxes are… out-of-office.

Retail, travel, and hospitality might enjoy a summer boom, but for many marketers, audience attention is harder to pin down than a parasol on a windy beach.

But instead of dreading the dip, smart marketers treat it like a seasonal shift – not a shutdown.

Who Handles Summer Marketing Well?

Some brands absolutely thrive in the summer by matching their tone, visuals and timing to the seasonal mood.

  • Innocent Drinks turn up the whimsy with tweets that read like your mate’s holiday postcard.

  • Lush release vibrant, limited-edition products like citrus shower jellies that practically scream “summer self-care”.

  • Spotify capitalises on summer playlists to launch creative, location-based outdoor campaigns with a cheeky wink to British weather.

What these brands do well is lean into the moment – sunshine, silliness, and seasonality.

5 Summer Strategies That Actually Work

1. Lighten Your Messaging (But Don’t Dumb It Down)

The tone of summer marketing should often feel warmer, not louder. Try loosening up your language, incorporating cultural touchpoints (think Wimbledon, festivals, or end-of-term vibes), and testing light-hearted subject lines in your emails.
Example: “Got 2 mins? This’ll be more refreshing than a Solero.”

2. Launch a ‘Low-Stakes’ Campaign

With decision-makers often away, summer can be a great time to experiment. Test a new ad format, revive your TikTok account, or try a fun UGC campaign. Just keep expectations realistic—it’s about learning, not going viral.

3. Plan Now for Q4

While customers are distracted, marketers can get proactive. Use the quieter period to prep content calendars, audit SEO, or even soft-launch your autumn campaigns to gather data.

4. Build a ‘Holiday Mode’ Funnel

Your audience might be physically away, but their thumbs aren’t. Mobile use tends to increase during travel—so ensure your site, emails, and ads are mobile-first, fast-loading, and binge-friendly. Think Pinterest content, swipeable carousels, and travel-friendly lead magnets.

5. Show Up Where They Chill

Summer is about beaches, beer gardens and boredom between flights. Consider running campaigns on Spotify, YouTube Shorts, or Instagram Stories—places people turn to during downtime. Remember: relevance beats reach when attention is divided.

The Psychology of Sunshine

There’s actual research behind this: good weather lifts mood and opens wallets. A study published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services found that people spend more in good weather due to improved mood and emotional arousal.

Sunshine can increase spontaneity, indulgence, and openness to new experiences. Translation: it’s a perfect time to position your product as the “treat yourself” choice.

Just don’t try to sell Christmas jumpers. (Unless you’re Primark. Somehow, they always get away with it.)

Bonus Section: Marketing When Your Audience Is on Holiday

If your audience is off sunning themselves, use that to your advantage.

  • Travel brands can geo-target ads to airports and holiday destinations.

  • D2C businesses can promote “holiday kits”, travel-size bundles, or last-minute gift cards.

  • Festival sponsors can offer exclusive experiences, competitions, or behind-the-scenes access to create FOMO and brand love.

And for marketers in education or professional services, consider using July–August as your content stockpile season—build out evergreen blog posts, refresh your lead magnets, or film that video series you keep putting off.

Final Thoughts

Yes, the summer slump is real. But so is strategic downtime, and with the right mindset, June to August can be a launchpad—not a lull.

Don’t see summer as a marketing black hole. See it as a quieter pool in which to test, refine and float some creative ideas. Worst case? You’ve got September to reframe your results. Best case? You turn holiday heat into marketing momentum.

Now, go on—schedule that email campaign, run that test ad, and maybe even write your Christmas strategy.

Just do it in shorts.

TL;DR

The “summer slump” can be a seasonal challenge for marketers, but it’s far from a dead zone. By adapting your tone, embracing experimentation, and focusing on mobile-first and future-focused strategies, you can make the most of the summer slowdown. Think smarter, act lighter, and use the downtime to build autumn success.

The Shifting Perception and Future of Dropshipping

In the late 2010s, dropshipping got a bit of a reputation as a “get rich quick” scheme – heavily promoted in online courses and flashy YouTube ads. Many newcomers dove in expecting easy money, only to discover it’s far from effortless. The reality, as experienced sellers and marketers now emphasise, is that dropshipping requires just as much work as any other business model, especially on marketing differentiation and customer satisfaction.

“The biggest mistake most beginners make is seeing it as a get-rich-quick scheme rather than trying to build an asset for the future,”

…notes ecommercenews.uk. In recent years, there’s been a clear shift: successful dropshippers focus on building a real brand and long-term customer base, not just churning random products through cheap ads.

Moreover, consumer expectations have evolved. As mentioned, Amazon Prime and big-box retailers have trained customers to expect fast, trackable shipping and hassle-free returns. Early dropshipping stores often ignored this, selling generic products with month-long shipping from China, which led to customer frustration and a tarnished image for the model. Today, viability in dropshipping increasingly means adapting to meet higher customer expectations. This might involve working with local suppliers or using fulfillment services that stock your best-selling items closer to your customer base. Many dropshippers in 2024–2025 are moving towards a hybrid model – they start by dropshipping to test which products succeed, then purchase inventory of the top sellers to hold locally for faster delivery. This approach blends the low-risk testing phase of dropshipping with the brand control and reliability of traditional retail once a product proves itself. It’s an example of how the dropshipping playbook is evolving to stay competitive.

So, is dropshipping still worth it in 2025? The consensus among e-commerce strategists is that dropshipping can absolutely work – but not in the lazy, old way. The model is *“challenged by increased competition and complex market dynamics,” yet it “still holds potential… businesses must adapt and innovate.” In practice, that means if you’re a marketer considering dropshipping, plan to:

  • Invest in differentiation: Build a unique brand story or community around your products so customers have a reason to buy from you and not an identical Amazon listing. This could be through content marketing, superior product information, or targeting a specific sub-niche.

  • Choose reliable suppliers: The viability of your store hinges on suppliers. Vet them carefully for quality and speed. Where possible, use suppliers that can ship from your target region (e.g. UK/EU suppliers for UK market) to cut delivery times. A reliable supplier relationship is worth its weight in gold – it means fewer fires to fight later.

  • Be transparent and customer-centric: Modern dropshipping isn’t about tricking customers; it’s about meeting their needs. Savvy dropshippers now clearly communicate shipping times and return policies, and provide prompt customer support. If slow shipping is unavoidable, setting the right expectations and offering proactive updates is key to maintaining trust.

  • Leverage data and marketing skill: Success will likely come from your marketing prowess. Since you don’t control product innovation, you win by how well you can advertise and convert. Use analytics to find winning products and audiences. Optimise your site (fast load times, good design, mobile-friendly) – all standard e-commerce best practices apply doubly here, because you’re often competing on the experience more than the product itself. And don’t be afraid to explore newer channels (e.g. TikTok, influencer collaborations) where you might capture attention more cheaply than saturated channels like Facebook ads.

In summary, the perception of dropshipping has matured. It’s no longer seen (at least by experienced marketers) as a shortcut to easy riches, but rather one tool in an e-commerce strategy. When executed thoughtfully, dropshipping is still a viable and even booming business model – evidenced by the market growth figures and success stories we’ve discussed – but it works best as part of a broader plan. Many brands use dropshipping to test products or extend their inventory without risk, while focusing their core efforts on branding, customer loyalty, and perhaps stocking key products themselves.

For marketers, dropshipping in 2025 offers an exciting mix of opportunity and challenge. It lets you launch global campaigns from a laptop in London with very little capital – something our industry couldn’t easily do 20 years ago. Yet it also forces you to be disciplined and creative in shaping a customer experience that shines despite not owning the fulfilment piece. Those who can thread that needle – marrying the efficiency of dropshipping with the rigour of brand-building – are set to thrive, just like the companies highlighted above. In the end, dropshipping is what you make of it: a stepping stone to building a brand that can scale, or a frustrating race to the bottom if handled poorly. As a marketing professional, approach it with eyes open, a strategic mindset, and a willingness to adapt, and you might write the next big dropshipping success story.