When most people think of e-commerce "holiday sales," they think of Black Friday and Christmas. Well, they shouldn’t, and we are here to tell you why. Savvy Shopify merchants know summer is packed with sales opportunities. Word on the (hot) street is this: with a smart strategy, Summer can get just as prolific as Winter, in terms of sales. 

Between Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, summer clearance events, travel essentials, swimwear launches, and “Back to School” prep, there’s plenty of warm-weather spending. Trust us, we have seen it all, especially in Affiliate Marketing. 

To make the most of it, you need the right tech stack - tools that drive traffic, lift conversions, and keep customers coming back long after the sun sets.

Here’s your ultimate toolkit for summer e-commerce growth, with actionable ideas you can implement right now.

1. Drive Summer Traffic with Affiliate Marketing

Why it’s critical

Ad costs can spike during big summer campaigns (and Meta/TikTok CPAs are especially volatile). Hello, they spike across the year. Affiliates help you tap into high-trust audiences at a predictable, performance-based cost.

Tool to try

👉 BusinessLeague.com

• Make an account & start your campaigns
• Work with the Marketers who have experience in your category
• Reward them
• Monitor clicks, sales, and payouts from a single dashboard in BusinessLeague, as all stats are 100% transparent

Summer take-away

Maybe Create a “Summer Ambassador Challenge” - reward affiliates who drive the most sales with extra payouts or free products.

2. Capture Seasonal Interest with Email & SMS Campaigns

Why it’s critical

Summer shoppers are impulsive. Heat does that, lol. They might see a swimsuit on Instagram at brunch and buy it before dessert. Email & SMS keep your brand top-of-mind and help seal the deal.

Tools to try

• Klaviyo - Use dynamic segments (e.g. “purchased swimwear in May”) to target with follow-up sets or beach accessories.
• Brevo.com - Build multi-channel summer flash sale campaigns with email + SMS.
• Clevertap.com - Boost Customer Lifetime Value with engaging Push Notifications

Summer take-away

Automate cart abandonment & back-in-stock flows tailored for short-lived seasonal items. Summer shoppers won’t wait long - if you don’t remind them, they’ll forget.

3. Increase AOV with Bundling, Cross-Sells & CRO Tools

Why it’s critical

When customers shop for trips, parties, or outdoor upgrades, they often buy in groups. Help them say yes to more.

Tools to try

• Honeycomb Upsellholidays - Suggest matching accessories (flip flops, hats) post-purchase.
• Flocker.com - Social Media Wall for Websites and Displays
• Optimizely.com - A/B test summer hero images vs. evergreen styles.

Summer take-away

Create bundles for vacation-ready kits (“Beach Essentials: Towel + Bag + Sunscreen”) at a small discount to raise your average order value.

4. Strengthen Customer Loyalty for Off-Season Wins

Why it’s critical

Use the summer rush to lock in repeat business. Customers you delight with seasonal orders are primed for fall & holidays.

Tools to try

• Smile.io - Build a loyalty program that rewards summer spending with points they can use later / Built for Shopify
• Recharge - Great for consumables: customers can subscribe to sunscreen, vitamins, or outdoor snacks.
• LoyaltyLion.com - Deeper analytics to spot your best customers.

Summer takeawayand

Run a “points booster” event in July where purchases earn double points, keeping engagement high through slower August weeks.

5. Track What’s Hot (and What’s Not) with Better Analytics

Why it’s critical

Summer buying patterns can be unpredictable. Strong data helps you spot breakout products and double down on campaigns that work.

Tools to try

• Glew.io - Break down revenue by channel, product, and customer segment.
• TrueROAS.com - For tracking & growth.
• Looker Studio (Google Data Studio) - Build custom dashboards to compare summer vs. last winter.

Summer takeaway

Use these insights to plan “summer closeout” campaigns that clear stock before autumn - while keeping margins healthy.

🌴 🌴 🌴 Putting It All Together: Your Summer Growth Stack

Final Takeaways

Summer is a golden opportunity. Shoppers spend freely on outdoor fun, travel, and fresh looks.

Stack these tools smartly:

• Let affiliates & influencers drive traffic (BusinessLeague.com is the way to go here).
• Use CRO, SMS, & upsells to boost order values.
• Build loyalty so new buyers come back in fall.

Start with the foundation: launch your affiliate program on BusinessLeague.com - and turn your customers & influencers into your best marketing channel this summer.