In Britain, we love to talk about the weather and are more driven by seasonal trends than we’re aware. We complain about winter and while the exercise fails to warm us up it makes us feel entitled to feel miserable and not guilty at all about our carbon footprint when we turn up the heating. Yet, as is human nature, by the time summer comes around six months later we have forgotten our winter woes of when we fantasised endlessly about heat waves and baking our skins lobster red during our lunch hours. Because when we are baking in the tubes and dehydration is imminent, we struggle to think positively of blue skies and sunshine and portable air conditioner rental services seem an invention by God.
Aside from all of this, the weather and new season trends are wonderful conversation topics for lifts and lift clubs; they change all the time so we can talk about them constantly and at the same time we feel we’re doing our bit for Britain.
The weather and seasons also have an effect on consumers, although on a more subconscious level, and marketers are well aware of this. Marketing according to seasonal trends takes every holiday season and change in weather and exploits it within an inch of its life and we fall for it because, let’s face it, in winter there is nothing as beautiful and perfect as a cashmere coat or a large mug of hot chocolate. When it rains, we love our customised wellies and Mary Poppins umbrellas and the heat means floaty summer dresses and cotton shirts. In fact, fashion takes its main cue from seasons and trends.
This predictability in behaviour is reflected on the internet too which shows us, via Google Trends, how seasonal events, such as heat waves and the recession are directly affecting us and our consumer behaviour.
Seasonal Trends in portable air conditioners, UK 
The heat waves of 2006 and 2009 are clearly reflected in Google trends where searches on portable air conditioners went through the roof during the hottest summer seasons in a decade. However, searches on portable air conditioners were dramatically lower during the cooler summers of 2007 and 2008.
Seasonal Trends in portable heaters, UK
Similarly, in portable heaters, the largest spike for searches was at the end of 2005, which was reported to one of the coldest winters in years. During other years, searches followed a steady pattern; starting to rise in September and peaking during the mid-winter months of November and December.
Effect of recession on holiday property, UK
It’s no secret that people have less money to play with these days, and this is reflected in the seasonal trend for holiday property searches in the UK. In 2009, searches for holiday properties were less than half of what they were before the recession, in 2004.
Effect of recession on the best restaurants, UK
Interestingly, the same does not apply to spending money at the best restaurants. Searches for the best restaurants have remained steady in the last five years, which illustrates what economists have been telling us: while people can no longer afford mortgages and expensive cars, they are still not cutting back on smaller luxuries such as eating out and splurging on clothes. In other words, comfort spending is well on the increase.
While these seasonal trends show us that people cling to predictability like barnacles to rocks, they also show us that we may start following more unpredictable patterns, like spending more on expensive dinners when our disposable incomes are falling dismally. However, the weather is something no-one is immune to and the seasonal trends of air conditioner units and heater sales is largely dependent on forces of nature.