Washout summer highlights need for flexibility

17th Sep 2009 A passion and truth by Tom

Photo by g-hat

Now, I haven’t held a barbeque for many a year due to a disastrous attempt at a family party a while back, but even I considered popping down to the local convenience store and buying a throwaway job in the Spring in anticipation of the great British Summer we were all promised. However, I should have known what was coming as the Summer failed to deliver on promises... so much so that the Met Office announced a reforecast at the end of July.

Being a native Briton, I enjoy talking about the weather as much as the next person, but it seems that the elusive barbeque summer has affected us more than just fuelling conversations at bus stops. We live in a society that moves faster and faster (emphasised by the rapid sales of the Apple iPhone 3GS…your life in your pocket and 24-7 connectivity), and as such, spontaneity is likely to play an increasing important role in consumer decision making, and the rare appearance of the Sun this year made this more apparent.

The holiday industry is one which partly depends on long range weather forecasting, and particularly this year as, back in April, those looking to beat the recession sacrificed their holidays abroad, instead opting for a ‘staycation’ for a bit of UK sun, based on the promises of ‘Southern Mediterranean’ type weather. However, as the rain came down on the chances of anything like this occuring, there was a surge in demand for last minute deals for foreign holidays as people gave in on the UK and looked abroad once more. Expedia saw increases in foreign bookings in July, with searches for Croatia and Costa Dorado up 129% and 119% respectively, with lastminute.com experiencing sales up 30-40%.

The flexibility of holidays this Summer, due to the emergence and success of lastminute.com, and other websites such as laterooms.com, has given the consumer an opportunity to still find the sun even though all looked lost. As people are living for the present, this flexibility is something that other industries might be able to learn from.

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