Seasonal demand does not start when the season starts.
By the time customers are actively shopping for summer or back-to-school products, the businesses that planned early have already had time to prepare their assortment, listings and marketing.
A recent Best Buy Marketplace webinar offered a useful look at how Canadian shoppers behave, what product categories are gaining attention and how sellers can use those signals to plan ahead.
For e-commerce sellers, the bigger lesson is simple: watch what customers are starting to search for before the peak arrives.
Need help getting your products ready for marketplace selling? Explore our Listing Services or contact us on WhatsApp.
Start with the customer, not the product
Best Buy shoppers are not a single type of consumer.
The audience was described as generally educated, affluent, career-focused and comfortable paying more for quality. The research also showed that many shoppers value convenience, follow trends and are influenced by recommendations when deciding what to buy.
That matters when planning your assortment.
A product can technically fit a category and still be a poor fit for the audience you are trying to reach.
Before adding another SKU, ask:
Who is this product for?
What problem does it solve?
Why would this customer choose it now?
Those questions can help businesses move beyond simply adding more products.
Seasonal demand can reveal where the next opportunity is
The webinar highlighted several areas seeing increased search and visitation heading into summer.
Outdoor recreation was one of them, including water sports, portable power solutions and products for travel and outdoor gatherings. Other areas included outdoor furniture and décor, barbecue-related products, electric transportation and smart home products.
For sellers, the important point is not to copy every trend.
It is to look for connections between the trend and the products already in your catalogue.
A seller already carrying outdoor products may be able to expand into related accessories.
A business selling travel equipment could consider portable power or smart security products.
A seller focused on home products may find an opportunity in connected outdoor technology.
Trend data becomes more useful when it leads to a practical assortment decision.
Back-to-school is broader than laptops
Laptops and tablets naturally attract attention during the back-to-school period.
Demand was also increasing for computing accessories, headphones, charging stations, fitness products and other technology that fits into students’ everyday routines.
That creates an important lesson for sellers.
Do not think only about the main product.
Think about what the customer needs alongside it.
Someone buying a laptop may also need a keyboard, headphones, a mouse, a charging solution or other accessories.
A seller that builds an assortment around the full use case has more opportunities than one focused on a single hero product.
Younger shoppers are changing what “value” means
There are also three areas affecting Gen Z purchasing behaviour.
Sustainability is becoming more important.
Wellbeing is influencing spending.
And cost pressures are changing how younger consumers evaluate purchases.
The result is a more complicated definition of value.
A cheaper product may not always win.
A refurbished option may appeal to someone who wants quality at a lower price.
An energy-efficient product may appeal to a customer concerned about sustainability.
Fitness, sleep and personal-care products may fit shoppers who are prioritising wellbeing.
For sellers, this means product positioning matters.
The same product can be presented around different customer priorities depending on the market and use case.
Refurbished and open-box products have a growing role
Trends on spending habits showed that younger consumers are increasingly willing to consider second-hand, refurbished, and open-box alternatives as they respond to higher living costs.
That is particularly relevant for marketplace sellers.
A customer who might not be ready to purchase the newest version at full price may still be interested in an alternative that offers the features they want at a lower cost.
This also creates an opportunity for sellers to think about how they present product condition, value and specifications.
The product still needs to be clear.
The value proposition simply changes.
Search trends can help with inventory planning
Growing an e-commerce business requires planning around what customers are likely to want, when they will want it and which products are likely to be relevant during a particular season.
That means search behaviour can be useful before inventory decisions are finalised.
Suppose demand begins increasing around:
Outdoor recreation
Portable power
Smart home security
Headphones
Charging stations
Fitness technology
Those signals can prompt sellers to review their current catalogue before demand peaks.
Do you already carry these products?
Do you have enough variations?
Are related accessories missing?
Are your listings ready?
The earlier those questions are asked, the more time there is to act.
Convenience is part of the product experience
Best Buy’s customer research also showed that convenience is important to its audience.
That can affect more than product selection.
A customer may also judge how easy it is to understand the product, compare options and complete the purchase.
For marketplace sellers, that makes complete product information valuable.
A customer should not have to search elsewhere to understand basic specifications or determine whether the product fits their needs.
Good product content can reduce that friction.
The product page needs to support the trend
Finding a trending category is not enough.
The product still has to be presented well.
For a seasonal item, the listing should make the relevant use case obvious.
For a fitness product, explain the features that support the intended activity.
For a travel product, highlight portability and practical details.
For a smart-home product, make compatibility and use cases easy to understand.
The trend gets the customer interested.
The product page has to help close the gap between interest and purchase.
Do not wait until demand peaks
One of the easiest mistakes for e-commerce sellers is reacting too late.
By the time everyone is publishing summer products or launching back-to-school campaigns, the planning window has already passed.
Search demand can begin building months before the main shopping period. Outdoor searches, for example, were already increasing ahead of summer.
That gives sellers time to:
Review inventory
Expand relevant assortments
Prepare for AI search recommendations
Improve product listings
Prepare promotions
Refresh product images
Build supporting content
The earlier preparation starts, the fewer last-minute changes are required.
Your catalogue should follow how customers shop
Consider products that support broader lifestyles rather than isolated purchases.
Examples included headphones, charging solutions, smart devices, fitness products, travel accessories and products designed to improve time spent outdoors.
This creates an opportunity to build connected assortments.
Instead of asking only, “What product can we sell?”
Ask:
What is the customer trying to do?
Study.
Travel.
Exercise.
Relax.
Entertain.
Work remotely.
Improve their home.
Once the underlying activity is clear, it becomes easier to identify complementary products and build an assortment around the customer rather than around individual SKUs.
The bigger lesson for marketplace sellers
You do not need to predict every future trend correctly.
You need a process for paying attention.
Watch seasonal search behaviour.
Understand your audience.
Look for changes in spending.
Identify related product opportunities.
Prepare your listings before demand peaks.
Then use marketplace tools and promotional opportunities to put those products in front of shoppers.
The opportunity is not simply to list more products.
It is to list the right products, at the right time, with the right information.
Read more: What to expect in the First 90 Days on Best Buy
Need help preparing your marketplace listings?
Seasonal planning is only useful when your products are ready to be discovered and evaluated.
Our listing team has worked with Canadian clients and can help prepare marketplace-ready product listings with clear titles, descriptions, specifications and structured content.
Explore our Listing Services or message us on WhatsApp to discuss your products.
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