---
title: "Five Swords to Break the Ice of the Off-Season"
description: "In the FMCG industry, seasonal transitions bring mixed fortunes. To avoid a sluggish off-season, distributors can wield five strategic swords: developing new customers, launching new products, intensifying promotions, extending distribution efforts, and enhancing in-store displays."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
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published: "2014-12-23"
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# Five Swords to Break the Ice of the Off-Season

> In the FMCG industry, seasonal transitions bring mixed fortunes. To avoid a sluggish off-season, distributors can wield five strategic swords: developing new customers, launching new products, intensifying promotions, extending distribution efforts, and enhancing in-store displays.

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In the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, every seasonal transition brings mixed fortunes: some quietly rejoice as their main products enter the peak season, while others sigh as they slip into the off-season. The passage of time and the change of seasons are natural laws that are hard to avoid. When sales face the off-season, what should be done? How can one achieve "a non-sluggish off-season"? In my view, equipping oneself with the following five swords can break the ice of the off-season:

**Sword One: Customer Sword – Develop Blank Markets, Adjust Old Customers, and Cultivate New Customers.**
Developing blank markets, adjusting distributors, and cultivating new customers are not without opportunities in the off-season. Insightful distributors understand the importance of building a foundation during the off-season for market development and product popularity. Replacing old customers who are not adapting to the market with new ones can leverage the network of new distributors, who typically have a distribution period when entering the market. With the help of new distributors' networks, product distribution and promotion can be smoothly achieved, effectively driving upstream manufacturers' production and sales, thereby helping to weather the frozen period of the off-season. This is especially effective when developing new customers in blank markets.

**Sword Two: Product Sword – Launch New Products.**
Whether it's a completely new product, a replacement product, or merely slight changes in flavor, weight, packaging, or specifications, these can create a stir in consumers' psychology of seeking novelty and difference, attracting their desire to try and purchase, and forming new growth points for consumer demand. At the same time, due to the opacity of new product pricing and generous channel profits, it also helps to mobilize the enthusiasm of all sales links, thereby driving sales growth. In actual sales work, based on thorough market research, one can either introduce old products that the company has not yet launched in that market or request the company to develop competitive products tailored to the market. For example, in the summer candy market, despite the overall off-season, small-packaged casual candy series sell well in hot weather.

**Sword Three: Promotion Sword – Intensify Promotional Efforts.**
This is the most common method used by manufacturers and sales channels. Examples include increasing the bonus rate for general distributors and incentives for key accounts; raising commission rates for sales personnel; offering cumulative discounts, rebates, and lucky draws for second-tier distributors and retailers; and providing in-box gifts, out-of-box promotions, box recycling, and packaging (bottle cap) returns for consumers. I won't elaborate further here. However, it is important to remind that the intensity and methods of promotions should be appropriate to avoid the awkward situations of "no promotion, no sales" or "promotion without sales."

**Sword Four: Distribution Sword – Extend Distribution Time.**
Master Kong has a sales motto: "Distribute, distribute, and distribute again." During the off-season, especially with rising oil prices, distributors may only hope that second-tier distributors and retailers come to pick up goods, and original delivery and door-to-door services might only happen every three to five days or even once a week. If the manufacturer has product lines that can compensate for the off-season through the same sales channel, or if the distributor's own product portfolio can complement each other, it may be easier to persuade distributors to strengthen delivery of this product during the off-season. However, for distributors dedicated solely to the company's products, efforts can be made in the following areas: (1) Communicate with distributors that off-season sales are the key to determining market success—build the market in the off-season to create sales in the peak season; (2) Inform distributors that although overall demand decreases in the off-season, other distributors' lax delivery is precisely our market opportunity; (3) As factory representatives, participate in distribution and promotion alongside distributors, strengthen communication with second-tier distributors and key customers during the off-season, manage their files, strive to improve the success rate of actual distribution, and enhance distributors' confidence; (4) Factory representatives can communicate with the company based on market conditions and consider providing certain fuel subsidies to distributors facing greater difficulty, based on distribution days, kilometers, and sales performance (this should be communicated with the company in advance; it's just a variation of promotional methods).

**Sword Five: Terminal Sword – Strengthen In-Store Promotional Displays and Signage.**
During the peak season, it might be "fast-moving radishes don't need washing"—just deliver goods without worrying about the terminal. But in the off-season, it's crucial to pay attention to and refine terminal execution. No matter how good the product or how big the promotion, what's the use if consumers can't see it? 70% of consumer purchases are impulse buys. Therefore, strengthening in-store promotional displays and signage is extremely important. In urban supermarkets and malls, upon entering, decorative POP (point-of-purchase) displays such as balloons, hanging flags, hanging tags, corporate product cartoon images, and decorative stickers can create aesthetic appeal, arouse consumer interest, and attract their attention. In the dedicated sales area, with so many dazzling displays, well-crafted sales POP such as product display cards and special price tags can capture consumer attention and drive purchases of this product. At the same time, in terms of product placement, strive to occupy prime positions such as end caps and stack bases at the front of main aisles, and use vivid displays to maximize consumer attention. If necessary, assign dedicated merchandisers. In the broad circulation channel, second-tier distributors and mom-and-pop stores may not face as fierce competition as urban supermarkets and malls, but in rural areas, many shops use open-shelf sales. To boost sales in the off-season, place the company's products where consumers can easily see them and where both consumers and sellers can easily access them. Also, display the packaging's selling points, such as printing "Gift in Box" or "Free Gift Inside" on one side, and face that side toward consumers. Additionally, through profit incentives and relationship maintenance, encourage store owners to recommend this product more.

With these swords in hand, why fear the off-season?

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