Father’s Day is June 20th and it’s an important seasonal selling holiday for online sellers.

Increased web traffic and shoppers looking for that perfect gift for dad are an opportunity to not only sell Father’s Day related merchandise but also to sell that perfect item to the gift-giver who is doing the shopping!

This means increased sales across the board!

The key to making this a great selling season is to feature in-season merchandise on your website on online store.

Whether you currently stock merchandise that will fit the Father’s Day bill, or if you plan on purchasing additional inventory, there are several selling strategies that you can use to drive up those Father’s Day sales.

10 Ways to Turn Current Inventory into Father’s Day Sales

1. Go through all your existing inventory and identify what things might be suited to the Father’s Day buyer.

Think out of the box! Father’s Day sales are not just about polo shirts and neck ties.

For example, mens electric razors are a top seller, but other types of men’s grooming kits, skincare products and accessories are hot items as well.

Look at the items you already stock and determine which ones can be positioned for Father’s Day.

2. Reposition current inventory for Father’s Day. How you can market existing items for dad? If you sell gardening supplies, instead of ” a shovel” or “a lawn mower” put together a “Father’s Day Weekend Gardener” kit with everything dad needs to enjoy a warm summer day outdoors in his new garden.

Popular kits for dad include:

• Photography
• Woodworking
• Wine and beer making
• Sewing and knitting
• Gardening

3. A great Father’s Day gift doesn’t have to be brand new. Now is the perfect time to list those vintage fishing lures. Or popular vinyl albums collecting dust in the basement. In recent years, pre-owned products have taken on an entirely new life as eco-friendly consumers like to give and receive gifts that don’t use up additional manufacturing resources.

4. A Father’s Day sale doesn’t have to be a product for dad. This is where leveraging that Father’s Day shopping traffic comes in. Once someone comes online in “gift shopping mode” they are more likely to buy something for themselves in the process. Is your store up-to-date? Are you featuring the latest merchandise? Does your merchandising reflect the current season? If not, you’re missing a big opportunity to benefit from the extra sales traffic.

5. Use the keywords” and “gifts for dads” in your marketing copy and listing titles. In the last 90 days, searches for the keywords “father’s day” have skyrocketed. After you’ve identified your father’s day inventory, you must use the keywords related to this inventory to market your products. Use Google Insights and the Google Keyword Tool to determine which keywords best represent the products you’re selling.

If you’re selling a Father’s Day related gift on eBay, you want to use the Father’s Day keywords in your listing titles.

6. Offer special services. Now is the time to offer free gift wrapping, enclose a gift card, emphasize your FAST shipping policy, and offer to ship directly to the gift’s recipient… or even run a special promotion on your merchandise or extend a free shipping option Customer service does matter and buyers do not shop on price ALONE.

They’re also looking for good customer service, trustworthy sellers and convenience. Providing value added customer services will help distinguish you from the competition and give your buyer a reason to buy from you!

Make sure that you highlight these special services in your listings – TELL your buyers how great your service is and exactly what you can do to make their lives easier and their gift buying experience better!

7. Provide a Father’s Day environment for shoppers. Now is the time to add a “Gift’s for Dad” graphic to your website. Or a picture of a father and son. Visual imagery is very important when it comes to getting shoppers in the mood to buy. Offline stores spend billions of dollars a year on seasonal decor so that when a shopper walks into the store, they’re instantly put into the mood of the season. Your online shop should do the same.

8. Help your customers recognize great Father’s Day gifts! A quick scan of your eBay listing or web page should tell your buyers not only what you are selling but why this is the perfect gift for the dad on their list.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a simple:

“Dads love our new stainless steel grill utensil set! Give the dad on your list the joy of outdoor cooking all summer long!”

A statement like this helps to plant in your visitors mind why this is the gift that they should buy.

9. Answer questions quickly. The biggest fear an online gift shopper has is that they won’t receive the gift on time for that special occasion. Answering questions quick instill confidence in your potential customer that their gift will arrive in the same manner. Be responsive, helpful and tell your customers why your product is the right choice for them with every customer question!

10. Offer “free shipping”. Free shipping is still the #1 favored promotion by online shoppers. Don’t even make shipping a question when it comes to Father’s Day gifts – offering free shipping will make a one-click purchase an easy choice for your customers.

You may think that the “holiday selling season” runs November-December, but take a look below and you’ll be surprised at all the selling opportunities you have for your online business coming up in the next few months. No matter what you sell or where you sell it, capitalizing on these HOT spring and summer selling seasons can make a huge difference in your income during the 2nd quarter of the year! From April to June there are 11 different selling holidays that you’ll want to ramp up for! Miss these and you’ll leave money on the table…

April

April may be the kickoff to spring, but in the world of online sales, there’s a whole lot of shopping goin’ on!

• Bathing suit season: It’s still too chilly to wear them but sales of bathing suits are skyrocketing now.  In fact, shoppers who wait much past May will find that all the best selection is gone! If you sell beachwear, it’s time to get it on your store homepage
• Prom wear: Online searches for prom wear are on the rise this month. Even though most proms don’ t happen until late May or early June, prom wear sales are increasing quickly with online searches up 60-80% from last month according to Google Insights
• Wedding season: Wedding season is in full swing as we approach June, one of the biggest wedding months of the year!
• April 4th: Easter: Easter is April 4th.  And there is still time to make last minute sales. According to BIGResearch the average amount Easter shoppers are expected to spend is $118.60, slightly up from the 2009 average of $116.59.
• April 22nd: Earth Day: Earth Day is April 22nd and sales of eco-friendly and green products abound during this time.  Don’t just look to sell traditionally “green” products. Look for the green in everything you sell. A bicycle is not only for entertainment and exercise, it is an eco-friendly way for your customers to commute to work or around town.

May

But that’s not all people are buying…

Bathing suit, prom wear and wedding season continue, but Mom boosts the sales this month!

• Sales of summer products ramp sharply in May (and June): Products for outdoor activities, clothing and outdoor living products for the home.  Don’t wait until June to feature these in your store or you’ll lose a lot of sales!
• May 4th: National Teachers Day. A week long celebration honoring teachers, if you sell gifts and decorative accessories your store should have a promotion around National Teacher’s Day.
• May 9th: Mother’s Day:  Mother’s Day is one of the biggest spending holidays of the year. Because it’s not just about buying a gift for your mom… there are grandmas, aunts, nieces, friends, co-workers and friends who are like a mom, who will all be getting gifts on this holiday too.  Recognize all the moms in your store promotions and you’re sure to increase sales!
• May 31st: Memorial Day: It vacation time, camping time, fun in the summer time and your last chance to make big inroads in summer product sales!

June

• June: Graduation. Grade school, middle-school, high-school, college and technical college – sales of graduation gifts increase in May and June! And don’t forget the little ones!  Pre-school graduation parties are all the rage.  What do you sell that would make a perfect gift for the graduate?
• June 20th: Father’s Day: Dad doesn’t fare quite as well as mom when it comes to Father’s Day spending but Father’s Day gift shoppers will be out in full force. Put together a Top 10 Father’s Day gift list and watch your sales of those products soar!
• June: 4th of July products: Remember the majority of product sales happen in advance of the holiday, so if you wait until July to pull out the red,white and blue – you’ve just lost sales to the savvy seller who merchandised their 4th of July products in June.  So get those 4th of July products out early, so your inventory is sold out come July.

As you can see there’s a whole lot of selling you can do from April through June! So it’s time to get out there and capitalize on these spring and summer holiday selling seasons. Looking for creative ideas on how to merchandise your products or source products for these selling seasons?  You’ll find them in the WhatDoISell Business Growth Center!

When you hear the words “Halloween sales” your first thoughts are likely to be of costumes and candy.

And you probably think this holiday selling season doesn’t apply to you.

But no matter what you sell where you sell it there are many ways you can monetize this holiday and create a stream of income from Halloween sales.

You see, costumes and candy sales represent only a small fraction of Halloween sales each year.

Halloween has now become the second-largest decorating holiday behind the Christmas season.

In fact this year, shoppers are expected to spend $56 million dollars on everything from high-tech wizardry such as voice activated skeletons to Halloween clothes and accessories.

You can sell…

• Indoor decorations
• Outdoor decorations
• Halloween trees
• Halloween gifts
• Halloween themed dishes, cups, platters, bowls and utensils
• Halloween themed towels, sheets, bedding
• Picture frames, books, movies,CDs
• Halloween jewelry, lighting
• Halloween cookie cutters, cake pans, candles, placemats, buckets, bags
• Halloween bathrobes, pajamas
• Limited edition Halloween Webkinz

You get the idea!  There are a LOT of ways to monetize this popular holiday.

And what if you don’t want to sell physical products, but rather information products?

How about eBooks, DVDs, or special reports on…

• How to create a specific kind of Halloween costume
• A compilation of Halloween jokes
• How to throw a fun and scary Halloween party,
• Cool and clever Halloween treats
• How to turn an old Halloween costume into a new one
• A report on the most popular Halloween costumes
• Halloween recipes
• How to build a haunted house
• How to decorate your yard for Halloween
• Halloween party games

About three weeks ago at our local grocery store, I spotted these cool Halloween snow globes with skeleton heads inside a globe filled with gold & black snow. A really clever blend of two traditional holiday decorations.  The globes were on pedestals and priced at $29.99.  Three weeks later they were sold out.

Now of course if you read the media assessment of this year’s Halloween’s sales you’ll see sensational comments like “Halloween to be Frightening for Retailers” & “Halloween Sales Turn Ugly”.  C’mon folks!  This is a $5 billion dollar industry that expects to see a slight downturn in 2009.  It’s still a HUGE market.  With thriving sales.

Of course you have to have the products that people are looking for.  Like the Halloween Snow Globes.  Or the hot costumes of the year such as

Halloween decorating gives people a lift and also helps them connect with one another, a comforting trend during uncertain times…

So give it a try – find something Halloween related to sell this year!  You might find yourself in for a real treat!