Why summer is a tense time for seasonal merchandising
You'd think that the summer months would give sales teams a breather. The reality on the ground tells a different story.
On the one hand, demand for seasonal categories peaks between May and August. On the other hand, staffing levels at points of sale are low: leave department managers, rotation the usual summer absences. As a result badly restocked shelves, the wrong positioning of highlighting devices, the stock shortages which take hold on the strongest rotations, often without anyone really detecting them.
Studies carried out on product availability in supermarkets show that the linear breakage rate is struggling to fall below 8 % under normal conditions. This figure is sometimes underestimated by shops, which assume that there is an almost systematic switch to other products. However, a Danone survey showed that in almost half the cases, the customer preferred not to use the product or to buy it from a competing chain (source: Kepler Consulting, supply chain analysis, mass retail).
In the summer months, this phenomenon is amplified. Customer flows increase in the suncare, beverages, outdoor and gardening categories - and are redistributed geographically towards the main cities. tourist and coastal areas. A brand that has not secured its point-of-sale presence before the ramp-up will suffer losses that are hard to make up, even in September.
The gross loss of revenue due to ruptures amounted to almost 5 billion euros in hypermarkets and supermarkets in 2022, and 29 % of consumers consider stock-outs to be a major irritant (LSA-NielsenIQ barometer, OpinionWay 2023 survey).
FMCG: seasonal shelves under pressure from the weather and tourist flows
In FMCG, seasonality creates a double constraint. Fresh drinks, ice creams, aperitifs and mineral waters are all subject to seasonal variations. short rotation peaks directly correlated with the weather.
Highly perishable summer products remain highly dependent on weather conditions: a hot summer boosts some sales, while gloomy weather accentuates losses and unsold stock. In non-tourist areas, lower visitor numbers are weighing on volumes, while tourist areas are finding it easier to sell off their stocks. (Phenix, Baromètre anti-gaspi 2025).
A frozen planogram is no match for this reality. Seasonal merchandising requires more frequent replenishment of shelf space, facings adjusted to actual rotations. aisle headers arbitrate in favour of references that perform well in hot weather. This requires a regular presence in shops where the in-house teams are often not available for this level of monitoring in July.
The fragmentation of channels further complicates matters. The average number of stores visited per household has reached 6.9 in 2025, This will rise from 6.5 in 2021, with diversification into drive-through, proxi and discount stores (NielsenIQ, Retail Performance 2025). Brands will need to maintain a consistent presence across a wider range of outlets than before, including on the local formats which are capturing a growing share of summer shopping in urban areas.
Hygiene-Beauty: winning the sunshine season before summer
In hygiene and beauty, the sprint begins as soon as mid-March and lasts until the end of August. In the suncare market, sales are heavily reliant on the display devices - point-of-sale and point-of-sale advertising. Only a few chains have a dual layout with a permanent seasonal department. In less than six months, until the end of August, the sector generates two-thirds of its sales (LSA Conso, GMS solar market analysis).
Two-thirds of annual sales over half a year... Against this backdrop, a piece of furniture that is poorly displayed or out of stock on a busy Saturday will result in an immediate and permanent loss of income. In the seasonal business, you can never make up for a missed sale.
The April-May beauty operations are the key moment: that's when the locations are negotiated, the displays are installed, and the teams come to relocate the shelves or maintain the displays. What's in place at the beginning of May works for the whole season. Those who wait until June have missed out on the first few hot weeks.
For travel accessories and seasonal products, 36 % of annual sales are generated in June, July and August. First aid products include 38 % sales concentrated in the four summer months (LSA Conso / IRI, HM+SM panel data).
In addition to suncare products, the slimming, body care, sun protection for children and after-sun categories follow the same logic of concentration. A active seasonal merchandising on these shelves - regular shelf surveys, installation and maintenance of POP-ILV, and breakage monitoring - makes all the difference to the final result.
DIY-Gardening: if spring decides, the weather has the last word
In DIY and gardening, the critical commercial window is even tighter. The main sales momentum comes in the spring, with a possible slowdown as early as June if the weather conditions do not improve.
Spring concentrates 10 % of annual DIY sales, This makes it the most dynamic period for sales. This seasonal pattern can be explained by the revival of outdoor activities after the winter, such as decking, installing pergolas, renovating facades, exterior painting and preparing green spaces. (DIY market analysis, businessplan.com models, June 2025).
The 2025 experience speaks for itself. At the end of May, the garden market was showing an increase of +3 % over one year. From June onwards, sales began to fall again against a backdrop of unstable weather and a wait-and-see attitude on the part of households. Only 68 % of French people with an outdoor space bought at least one gardening product in 2025, compared with 76 % the previous year - while 85 % continued to garden (Promojardin, 2025 report).
This gap between use and purchase is instructive. If the customer leaves empty-handed, it's because fishing executionUnreadable offers, invisible promotions, unavailable sellers. In gardening, may is all-or-nothing month. A poorly orchestrated department at this time of year becomes a dead space for the rest of the season.
The GSB accounted for 84 % of DIY sales and 32 % of gardening sales, in a context where 72 % of French people say they are changing their purchasing behaviour in the face of pressure on purchasing power (NielsenIQ, DIY and gardening report and outlook for 2025). In this context of reinforced arbitration, showcasing the product in the right place, with the right signage, over the right period of time, is directly linked to the act of buying.
The three breakages that penalise seasonal merchandising in summer
Three break-up situations are a regular feature of the summer season. What they all have in common is that they can be avoided with good organisation.
The silent break
A product in stock but missing from the shelf, a flagship product with no facing at the end of the week, a half-empty temporary cupboard on a hot Saturday... These stock-outs are not reported to the management teams, especially when the floor managers are away. They sometimes last several days, without anyone noticing or caring.
The investment loss
Summer shelf space is subject to ongoing renegotiation. A gondola head not followed up, a MEA (This was not renegotiated with the floor manager, and a competitor moved in.
The DN stall on secondary areas
In summer, the concentration of resources on priority points of sale creates a blind spot: the monitoring of secondary areas and proximity is eroded. The Digital Distribution is gradually slipping back, without any visible sign. The real cost is revealed in the autumn: regaining lost positions and restabilising shelf space often requires several months of intense effort after September.
How to organise your field merchandising this summer
Anticipating the deployment of temporary furniture from April
In solar as in gardening, the first few weeks of seasonal promotion are the most profitable. Late deployment in May means weeks of lost potential. The validation and verification of negotiated locations, the installation of POS-ILV and training shop teams in the maintenance of the devices must be carried out before the actual start of the season.
Mapping the areas with high seasonal potential
Outlets on the coast, in tourist areas or in areas with high summer footfall have radically different dynamics to traditional residential shops. A differentiated hedging strategy, With the right frequency of visits, resources can be concentrated where the return is most direct.
Ensuring restocking and the Linear survey continuously
For certain categories with a high turnover, a weekly visit is not enough. Regular checks, the active breakage prevention and proactive restocking are the tasks that make all the difference to the final result of the season.
Maintain ground cover in July and August
A fixed team size cannot withstand seasonal peaks. There are solutions for adjusting coverage: flying teams, The brand maintains an active presence during retailer holidays. The brand that maintains an active presence during the distribution holidays keeps its locations. The brand that releases them finds them occupied in the autumn.
Managing summer to autumn transition no air gaps
The end of August is a neglected period, even though it is a strategic one: summer furniture is being removed, shelves are being reorganised and new stores are being set up. The two weeks leading up to the start of the new school year - during which customer flows pick up - should not be a period of "waiting around". empty or badly restocked shelves.
Field resources: the variable that changes everything
A solid execution plan produces nothing if the teams are not available at the right times, at the right points of sale, with the right tools.
During the summer period, outsourcing part of the seasonal merchandising responds to a concrete constraint: the peaks of activity from May to September require operational resources at times when in-house teams are often on leave or mobilised elsewhere. The most frequently outsourced missions include restocking and monitoring shelf space in high-potential areas, the installation and maintenance of temporary furniture and point-of-sale displays, These include the management of breaks in service, coverage of tourist areas and the transition from summer to autumn.
What determines the result is when the reinforcement is activated. A back-up sales force set up in June is often too late to secure the May promotions. Brands coming out of the summer with a strong season have anticipated this sizing from the first quarter.
In conclusion
The summer sprint is a reality that the figures confirm sector by sector. From the two-thirds of solar sales achieved in six months, to the spring DIY season that decides the whole season, to FMCG flows that depend as much on the weather as on the field visit plan. The window is short, but it is predictable. And it can be prepared for well before the first rays of sunshine arrive.
Do you want to secure your merchandising this summer? Our teams operate across all distribution channels, with systems that can be adapted to your seasonal challenges. Contact us to build your summer coverage plan: co************@*******pe.com
