Summary

  • It might seem late to be writing a blog in August about the use of coupons for sun care products. After all, aren’t we nearly done with summer?
  • Why should anybody be concerned about marketing sun care products now? Read on to learn why.

But, that’s exactly the point. It isn’t late – or, at least it may not be late.

Our coupon redemption analytics team recently published an interesting infographic highlighting some truly curious facts about the use of sun care coupons. What was most curious was the way the data questioned the assumption that promotional efforts for sun care products should peak in the summer and fall off during other seasons.

It’s true that the market for sun care products tends to be seasonal and peaks in the summer.1 And, the month-to-month timing of coupon usage fits that overall pattern with a nearly perfect bell curve that peaks in July.

But

The top three states where we see coupons for sun care products being redeemed are major vacation hot spots, like Hawaii, Florida, and Nevada. And, each of those three states have their peak tourism seasons outside the peak season for the sale of sun care products and the redemption of sun care coupons.2,3,4

All of this begs the question of why the use of sun care coupons should follow such a perfect bell curve. If marketers were effectively tapping into the tourism segment, shouldn’t we see more overall redemption from April to December when the top states for the redemption of sun care coupons are getting the most visitors?

Perhaps, then, promotional efforts for sun care products should not be following a bell curve that peaks in the summer. So, maybe, just maybe, August is not too late to be thinking about promotions for sun care products.

I say “maybe” and “perhaps” because the data we’ve looked at so far doesn’t really tell us why there seems to be a disconnect between when and where sun care coupons get used. That would require a deeper custom analysis. But, the data is truly curious and does raise important questions about whether marketers of sun care products might be missing some important promotional opportunities.

For a broader look at how marketers and consumers are using grocery coupons, check out our market update for the first half of 2021.

Chris Baldwin, a lead data analyst at Vericast, has more than 13 years of experience designing innovative analytical packages for retailers and manufacturers of consumer packaged goods. Chris has been providing analytical support for our coupon redemption solutions since 2012.  He began his career at Nielsen after receiving his bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University with a dual major in Probability & Statistics and Political Science.

1 Sandler, Emma. “How sun-care brands are strategizing to avoid the off-season slump,” Glossy Daily.
2Hawaii sees considerably more tourists during certain times of the year,” Hawaii Guide.
3 Tingley, Judith K. “Cheapest Time of the Year to Go to Florida,” USA Today. October 24, 2017.
4 Quezada, Zeke. “The Best Time to Visit Las Vegas,” TripSavvy. Updated 2/24/21.