Normally winter would have been upon us by now but oh well, climate change I suppose. All the same, we are getting to that time when the weather tends to get chilly. This creates a platform for certain business activities related to cold weather. There is a wide range of products people can source and sell in or for winter and that is what I shall be discussing in this article. You will notice that most of the strategic products to sell are clothing-related. Then you must also be smart enough to note other directly or indirectly related products or services to what I shall discuss.
Winter Coats And Jackets
They are various designs of coats and jackets that can do for winter. You can also assess market readiness for things like trench coats. Hooded jackets or sweatshirts also fit into this category. We can also include cardigans, windbreakers (my favourite actually), and the like. (You should also note that clothing such as jeans, slacks, and the like also sell for winter).
Quilted-Wear
Clothing products made from quilting are a major hit during winter. Literally, anything from coats, jackets to small winter accessories can be made from quilting. Even blankets can be made from quilting. You can either quilt yourself if you have the expertise or you can source quilted winter products. I have noticed there are quilted woollen hats that are blended with a face mask design. That can be something that will sell a lot in winter.
Winter Accessories
Accessories are plenty and some of them are gloves, socks, scarves, woollen hats, and the like. It is important to source stuff for all age groups – stuff for the kids demographic tends to sell big time. We can also talk of hot water bottles which are especially vital for those susceptible to frostbite. Flasks become essential too; for things like keeping tea or coffee hot.
Night-Wear
I am referring to several things here, spanning from simple warm pyjamas to stuff like lingerie. We all know that winter sets the mood for lots of indoor hangouts so wearing alluring stuff can spice up those intimate moments. Pyjamas also become a bit more necessary since they add more warmth during, particularly chilly nights. Robes and gowns for the indoors are also something worth considering.
Bedding
Obviously, people might want heavier or thicker sheets, various assortments of blankets, duvets, comforters, quilts, and so on. You can also include things like fluffy or fur rugs – people love these nowadays. They tend to be used on floors in bedrooms or living rooms. I am not quite sure about electric blankets in Zimbabwe but you can do some market research. Usually, people tend to resort to hot water bottles but some might go for electric blankets.
Winter Foot-Wear
This is yet another wide range, it spans from winter boots to things like warm indoor slippers. Sole socks also come in here, especially the thick ones. Have you ever heard of shoe dryers? These are small gadgets used to dry shoe interiors since winter is characterised by humid conditions. You can look for them and see how the market reacts to them. Footwear can even be basic ordinary shoes like sneakers – basically anything that can buffer the feet from cold weather.
Heating
Electric heaters might not be a product that will sell in Zimbabwe but if you try an order-based approach you might find some clients. You can also look into gas heaters, I am sure a considerable number of people can prefer to get these. You can also explore things like charcoal or nicely chopped firewood for fireplaces; many people would need that. There are also those makeshift moveable fireplaces (mbaura in Shona), you can make some money-making and selling or sourcing and selling.
Cosmetic Products
There are cosmetic products that are suited for the winter. For example, greasy skin products have a warming effect on the skin; people can buy them because of that. People who struggle with dry skin struggle even more during winter, therefore money can be made from selling moisturising skincare products. Their demand tends to spike during winter.
Hot Beverages
You can realize money simply from selling hot beverages. You can bundle that with selling things like baked products which go along well with hot beverages. Some of the biggest sellers here are tea and coffee. If you can come up with branding or just presentable packaging you can sell big.
These are some of the major products you can source and sell for winter. You can actually start now to do some market research to see what sells. Then you start sourcing so that when winter starts hitting hard you will be ready to serve the market. One way you can strategically source and sell is by using an order-based approach.
