Why Do We Buy Gloves and Socks at Christmas?

In the U.K. the weather plays an important role in our behavioural mannerisms, dictating what we wear, how long we stay outside in the elements and even affects our personalities. When the clocks go backward an hour on October 31st, it is a preliminary indication that the season is changing and that it is officially winter. With the change of season status, along with the days getting darker and more dreary, comes the need for a new wardrobe accessorised with scarves, gloves and a number of warm woolly hats.

As soon as the weather turns, and we wake up on a cold and frosty morning, we naturally dress for comfort and warmth with style taking a backseat. The shops on the high street acknowledge the three aspects of buyer behaviour when laying out their store in hope that the buying behaviour can be manipulated in some way. The three aspects are behaviour, environment and cognitive processes. These function separately or as one, and with appropriate marketing, a shop can affect how a buyer behaves.

Weather is a mixture of behaviour and environmental factors, as the weather affects a buyer's behaviour as a buyer wants to keep warm and dry, yet, with the coldness and the days being darker, shops can seem appealing by being bright and having a warm draft at the entrance.

There are stores that very much rely on season change to make their money, as it is reported that airlines advertise flights when there is a 5 degree drop in temperature. Specialised accessory companies are very much winter sale orientated, as there are specialist gloves and socks companies that rely on seasonal trends and the Christmas season to make their sales. We are all aware of the infamous pair of socks at Christmas time that are slight more lavish than our every day socks. Well, there must be a reason why it seems that every person in the U.K. gets a pair of socks at Christmas time? The impulse to buy distant family members a pair of socks is a behavioural and environmental influenced decision. The environmental factors are that stores will have more fancy woollen or cotton socks strategically positioned around the store. Reason for this, the behavioural factors have altered due to the... weather! It all interlinks in winter.

Gloving companies have similar marketing strategies with Christmas time being their key business time as many consumers look for luxury gifts yet don't know what to buy, so opt to go for accessory clothing, which can essentially be interpreted as a behavioural purchase.

So before you buy a pair of leather gloves or a pair a colourful striped woollen socks as a stocking filler, take a moment and think, why am I actually buying these accessories...?

JG Ireland is a marketing professional for a Midlands Marketing Agency and has focused experience with buyer behaviour campaigns for a number of stores. Currently looking into the seasonal trends of a gloves company and how specific marketing activity can affect sales.