by Juan Leer

Created on: March 29, 2007   Last Updated: July 27, 2009

It is very common in all industries of business that things will be busiest and profits will be highest in the fall and winter, especially in the months of November and December. There are many reasons for this, and most of them are actually quite logical.

One big reason is that a lot of business tends to slow down in the spring and summer months simply because the weather outside is warmer and people are more likely to be active and doing things outdoors. Who wants to go to a mall and shop inside on a gorgeous summer day? Many people would rather picnic, go for a walk, ride their bike, etc. None of those things help businesses make money, and things slow down.

In the winter, a lot of times people will just go to the mall or other places to shop simply as a leisure activity. If the weather is really cold out, doing something outside isn't really an option, and people don't like to just sit inside the house all day. So, as an activity they'll go out shopping, spend money, and that will obviously do a lot to help business. There are less activities for people to engage in during the winter (especially depending on where you live), and so shopping is an easy activity to engage in alone or in a group as a social activity.

In the summer, there are many things to do outside. With the weather being nice, you don't have to go to the mall or go somewhere else to shop because there are plenty of other things to do for leisure activity. You can go for a walk, go play golf, go take a swim, etc. There are a number of things to do outside, and for the most part people would rather be out in the nice weather instead of inside shopping and spending money.

Another reason is because during the winter months it becomes more of the holiday season. With Christmas in December, most people save their shopping for the end of the year, or last minute type of situation. That leaves people scrambling to buy gifts in November and December, which helps increase the business cycle during this time of the year. If Christmas were in July instead of December, we might see a reversal to a degree of the business cycle.

So that is why business tends to slow down in the spring and summer months... people are outside enjoying themselves more, and they're spending less time indoors and spending money. With those factors, it's not hard to see why business will slow down during the spring and summer months.

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