We took a stroll along Brighton seafront on Easter Monday. Battered with rain and wind and chill, we remarked how different the climate was from just a few days back. I’d been sat out by the briny in shirt sleeves only 5 days ago. I saw people with sun burn too last week, when the sun was bright and the mercury was up near 20 degrees. Apparently, it was hotter than the Med down here on the Sussex coast. The hottest recorded temperature was in Aberdeenshire, near Aboyne.
Not now though. From my desk, as I write, I can hear the waves bombarding the beach and the churning pebbles. The rain is pelting down and the wind whistles down my street. I might put the heating on.
On the prom earlier, she said: “A very bad day for Brighton. All the seafront shops and cafes are empty.” And she was right. Noone came to Brighton today. “They need the business. It’s so sad.” Referring to all the business people who need the sun to shine to turn a shilling.
“A great day for eBay sellers though,” I remarked. “The ecommerce prayer is: make it rain.” And then we went and had a drink in a cosy pub and toasted ecommerce.
How does the weather affect your ecommerce enterprise? Do you pray for rain? Or do you need the sun to shine to sell your products?
14 Responses
Cornwall is much the same as Brighton. We need the Sun to shine to bring in the Visitors. I was listening to BBC Radio Cornwall and several commentators commented on how quiet the roads were. Obviously in this day and age most of our visitors come in by car.
As to ecommerce improvement when it rains. I have seen little or no improvement. Obviously Books might not be more attractive because of the weather.
Knowing the state of Cornwalls economy I just have to hope that our Summer is long and hot(unlike the last few) and brings in vast numbers of visitors.
Newquay is only a few miles down the road and obviously Newquay really benefits from a good summer. Although it does benefit from having sandy beaches unlike Brightons.
Years ago I used to cover Brighton Wholesaling Books. One of my publishers brought out 2 x Books coverinmg Brighton. 1 was on Southdown Buses and the other was Brighton & Hove Buses. I went from Bookshop to Bookshop in Brighton selling several at each shop. I also had to deliver a lot of each to Southdown itself.
Oh Happy Days.
“Do you pray for rain?”
Yep. The less visitors the better, this is why I leave Cornwall every summer.
Humbug.
we dont sell brollies or sun cream so the weather has no effect on our e bay sales other than if its bad wearther in the UK we may get a few more uk bidders,
Heavy drinking, that’s what affects my sales… old duffers sitting behind their computers bored making impulse buys.
I sell a great deal abroad and was going to alter the end times to suit my antipodean punters, but now realise that would be madness…
Well im liking the retro picture at the top of the page, thats what I have to say and then prey for rain while im at work, then sun when im not lol