August has a unique rhythm, doesn't it? It's the low tide of the business year. The frantic waves of the first half have receded, and for a brief moment, the seabed of our industry is exposed.
This quiet period is our chance to walk the sand and see the underlying structures we usually can't: The shifting channels of influence, the new habits etched into the consumer landscape, and the foundational cracks appearing in old strategies.
This isn't a checklist to interrupt your holiday. Think of it as a field guide for that beach walk—an exploration of the most significant things the August low tide is revealing this year, giving you a crucial advantage before the tide of business rushes back in.
Checking Your Equipment—Is Your Gear Seaworthy?
Before you explore, it pays to check your own kit. Are the tools you rely on still fit for purpose, or are they showing signs of wear and tear?
The AI Question: A Trusty Compass or a Shipwreck's Siren?
It's often worth peeking over the side of the ship at what's happening in B2B marketing; it can be a bit of a future landscape for what's heading our way in B2C.
Over there, they're moving on from what we'd call 'personalisation'—you know, just using a first name and company in an email—to something far more potent: AI-powered relevance.
The core idea, as this MarTech article points out, is to stop using AI to just get better at selling and instead use it to genuinely assist a buyer on their journey. It’s about anticipating their next question and providing real value, building trust through helpfulness rather than just shouting louder.
Reading The Ripples—Understanding The New Tides of Customer Behaviour
Looking out from the shore, we can see how the water itself is behaving differently. What are these new patterns telling us?
The Wellness Customer: One Journey, Many Streams
We see separate streams of interest: 'sober curious', 'fitness festivals', 'hyper-personalisation'. But the penny has dropped—these aren't separate streams. They are all flowing into the same river: a single customer on a holistic wellness journey. The brand that wins is the one that becomes a trusted companion for the entire journey, not just a single stop along the way. This requires us to see the whole map, not just a single tributary.
Read: Health-Conscious Consumer Trends Drive CPG Market Innovation, by Abbie Witherington, Mintel
The Delivery Expectation: The Shift to An Ebb Tide
For years, customers have been waiting for the delivery tide to come in. Now, with two in five UK adults using parcel lockers, millions are choosing the ebb tide—collecting on their terms. This signals a deep desire for autonomy and control. It's a powerful current of consumer behaviour that goes far beyond a simple delivery choice. How can you harness that desire for control elsewhere in your brand experience?
Read: Two in five adults in the UK use parcel lockers, by Pleuni Jacobs, Ecommerce News
Mapping The Horizon - Charting The Deeper Strategic Waters
Finally, let's look further out. What are the deep ocean currents that will define our voyages for years to come?
The Amazon Conundrum: An Ocean Or An Archipelago?
Amazon has completed its shift from being the biggest ship on the sea to becoming the sea itself—a vast ecosystem of advertising, logistics, and seller services. It's no longer just another vessel to compete with; it's the very water we sail on. This forces a profound, strategic question: How do you chart a unique course when the ocean itself is your most critical partner and your biggest expense?
Read: Amazon’s other businesses continue to outpace retail, by Daphne Howland, Retail Dive
Your Voyage Plan: Charting A Course for Growth
All these observations should inform your voyage plan. Are you just sailing day-to-day, or are you charting a course with a clear destination? A truly resilient strategy balances all three modes of sailing:
The Core: Optimising your current vessel for maximum speed and efficiency
The Increment: Sending out small scouting boats to explore nearby islands
The Invention: Investing in a new kind of ship to reach distant, undiscovered continents
Enjoy The Calm
The tide will inevitably rush back in. The frantic energy of September and the final push to and Black Week year-end is coming. But by taking this time to walk the seabed and understand the forces beneath the surface, you're no longer just reacting to the waves; you understand the deep currents that create them.
Now, go and enjoy the rest of the summer. A mind cleared by the sea air is the best tool for navigating the waters ahead.
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