Birds chirping. Grass turning green. Baseball’s spring training. Clocks springing forward. March Madness. Warmer weather. Longer days. The dreaded tax season. Most would recognize these events as signs of spring’s imminent arrival.

Many would argue that a list of spring-related things would not be complete without including the time-honored tradition of spring cleaning. But is this really still a “thing” in 2023, or is spring cleaning something that only older generations participated in? The answer to this question is important to marketers, as the spring can be a time for specific products and services purchases. Therefore, it’s key to understand what spring-specific activities consumers participate in.

Is Spring Cleaning Still a “Thing” in 2023?

Yes, without question, spring cleaning is still a meaningful event in the United States. According to a recently conducted CARAVAN omnibus study by Big Village March 3-6, 80% of Americans do some sort of spring-related cleaning to help spruce up their home and clean it out from being inside all winter. In fact, one-fourth of consumers thoroughly clean their homes as part of their spring cleaning, which is a practice they plan for and carry out every year.

As more Americans are working from home, having a clean living space is likely becoming more important. So, it’s not surprising that spring cleaning is something a significant portion of the population plans for and does. The implications for manufacturers, retailers, and marketers are obvious. At a minimum, they should closely consider special sales and promotions with featured signage and end caps in stores to help spring cleaning-related products fly off the shelves. According to the Big Village data, the following are the most purchased products to assist with spring cleaning:

• Special-formula cleaning solutions and detergents
• Non-electric mops
• Upright vacuum cleaners

Spring cleaning entails doing a deeper home clean and involves cleaning areas that don’t typically receive as much attention. Of those that do in fact partake in spring cleaning, more than 40% dust and/or vacuum light fixtures, dust window blinds, wash shower curtains/clean shower doors, wash kitchen cabinets, vacuum/wash windowsills, or vacuum upholstery. If you manufacture, sell, or market any products associated with these cleaning tasks, promoting them during a special spring-cleaning event could definitely help to increase sales.

What Are Other Spring Opportunities?

In addition to spring cleaning, there are other spring-related activities that manufacturers, retailers, and marketers can work to strategically promote and capitalize on during this time of year:

• Almost half of consumers indicate they are more likely to start a new landscaping project and/or begin a lawn fertilizer/seeding program. This certainly represents an opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to create bundled packages or cross promotions for these related products.
• Similarly, almost half of consumers say they are more likely to plan a vacation during the spring. As such, wouldn’t it be wise for businesses like travel agencies, travel destinations, hotels, and airlines to digitally advertise on websites featuring March Madness NCAA tournament brackets or that feature other spring-related content?
• Speaking of spring cleaning, one third of consumers are more likely to purchase a new floor cleaning appliance in the spring to help get their home ready for the busier spring, summer, and fall seasons.

Spring and all that it represents – renewal / a fresh start – presents a huge opportunity for certain brands to fulfill consumer demand that is specific to this time of year. Understanding consumer behavior related to seasons and other macro-economic conditions and trends can be extremely helpful to businesses as they look to grow sales of their products and services.

Want to make sure your business has a pulse on understanding changing consumer behaviors? Our CARAVAN Omnibus surveys get you the answers you need – fast and reliable. Contact us now to get started today.

Written by Matthew Conrad, SVP, Insights at Big Village