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Winter Blues Got You Down? Best Time to Shop Report Geared Toward Helping Moms

Dan Shepard
Dan Shepard is the managing editor for studies and surveys at LendingTree. In this role, he edits studies and surveys for LendingTree and its subsidiaries ValuePenguin and DepositAccounts.
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Xiomara Martinez-White
Xiomara Martinez-White is a copy editor at LendingTree and its associated companies. She is a graduate of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.
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Content was accurate at the time of publication.

It’s no surprise that moms are reaching a breaking point. Many mothers are suffering from burnout as they deal with child care gaps while balancing work and remote learning — all while handling typical household duties.

For moms who like to plan, the new Best Time to Shop report from Seattle-based e-commerce platform Zulily aims to help.

The report — highlighting Zulily sales data in conjunction with Google keyword searches, as well as several surveys fielded in 2021 — pinpoints when moms are most likely to purchase sought-after items, and how they can snag the best deals.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Spring: Home decorating is a form of self-care

So what tactics are moms employing to lower their stress load? According to a Zulily survey fielded in November 2021, mothers are switching up their home décor early and frequently to create a sense of joy.

In fact, 2 in 3 moms (67%) decorate their homes every season, with 1 in 5 decorating months in advance. Respondents even say that home decorating brings them more joy than:

  • Doing a face mask (43%)
  • Drinking coffee or tea (41%)
  • Indulging in their favorite movies or TV shows (37%)

To land the best deals on spring décor — think succulents, fake florals and other decorative flourishes — Zulily data shows that sales begin heating up in February before ultimately spiking in March.

Summer: Shopping for essentials offers vacation vibes at home

As moms transition from spring decorations to summer essentials, it’s clear that many need a break — and the top reasons they say they need a vacation are to spend quality time with their families (38%) and to get a break from pandemic stressors (28%).

But while summer essentials like one-piece swimsuits, swimsuit cover-ups and sunglasses typically go on sale at brick-and-mortar retailers at the end of the summer, Zulily’s sales intensify in March.

To enjoy some laid-back summer vibes, moms say that vacation-themed wardrobes help them get into that easy-breezy, break-free-from-routine mindset.

Beauty products offer a low-cost, emotional lift

Vacation vibes often include wanting to look good and stylish. In fact, 58% of respondents express that beauty product purchases are a small and inexpensive way to boost themselves emotionally.

So what’s the best time to go makeup shopping? Zulily data finds that beauty product sales spike in March and November. In March, sales peak on makeup sets, lipstick and brow grooming products. Meanwhile, November is when you’ll find peak sales on smaller, bolder details — hair extensions, eyelash accessories and hair and body mist.

However, Zulily does note a split on exactly what moms want, beauty-wise. Nearly 6 in 10 moms (59%) say they’re still into minimal beauty buys, while more than 4 in 10 (41%) report growing bored of them. In addition, the top beauty trends moms say they want to try out are patterned nails (28%), structural hair (22%) and neon cheeks, lips or eyes (14%) top the list.

Fall and winter: Buying new workwear, office supplies for a ‘fresh start’ feeling

Once you’re past the summer — especially if you live in a colder climate — it might be time to replace workwear or workplace gear. And whether they need to or not, many moms say they buy new shoes and desk supplies once a year to reset.

According to the Best Time to Shop report, sales for women’s pumps spike in October, while office supplies sales (for items such as desk organizers, desk lamps and paperweights) peak in the late fall and early winter.

Notably, more than half of moms (54%) say they’ll never wear athleisure for a job interview, but 27% are on the hunt for outfit-of-the-day essentials after they’ve landed the job. For yoga pants, running shoes and leggings, Zulily sales hit their peak in March and November. Meanwhile, sales of sleepwear essentials peak in November.

But while sales can certainly help your dollar stretch, the created sense of urgency, limited offers and too-good-to-be-true deals could make you spend more than you intended — or can reasonably afford.

If you find that you need to curb your spending, set alerts once you hit a threshold (i.e., $50 or more), or consider temporarily freezing your card while you cool off. If you’re buying spring (or summer, fall or winter) essentials, you could also consider a credit card that offers the best cash back rewards to put money back into your pocket.

Methodology: Zulily analyzed a year’s worth of sales data across 50-plus categories — along with more than 368 million Google keyword searches — to reveal the best times of the year for moms to shop, for both essentials and must-have items. Further, researchers pulled Zulily sales data from October 2020 through September 2021. 

Also included were findings from two surveys field by OnePoll:

  • June 2021 with a sample of 1,000 U.S. parents and their children (ages 5 to 18)
  • November 2021 with a sample of 1,000 U.S. moms