Working for a patio furniture company, one of the many questions our friends always ask (after can you get us a discount) is when is the best time to buy patio furniture? It’s a good question and a number of factors can influence when is the best time or season to buy.
Of course, patio furniture is generally viewed as a seasonal purchase. So, when the sun shines, we love to buy it. And that is very much the case here at Lazy Susan too. Our sales skyrocket during the summer peak season but even more so when the weather is warm and sunny.
But is that the best time to buy new patio furniture? Well, that is something we want to try and answer today.
This isn’t some hard sell or the start of our latest promotion too, although that is one of the factors we will discuss. We want to try and present the facts in our industry as we see them.
Because, of course, the best time to buy is when you can afford to spend the money and all your ducks are in a row. And by ducks, we mean anything and everything from having a new patio installed to being home to take delivery, etc.
For example, with Christmas just around the corner, is now the best time to buy? Maybe not if you’ve got presents to buy for the kids? Or maybe it's a perfect time if you want to buy it as a Christmas gift or beat the rush and have it built and ready on your patio for the start of summer?
We generally associate patio furniture with sunshine and the sizzle of a BBQ but that doesn’t mean we can’t purchase it online all year round from specialist manufacturers such as our good selves. If you’ve got one eye on summer 2023, then you might just be asking yourself whether you’re more likely to bag a bargain now or wait until the peak summer season starts.
There are pros and cons to consider for each season; including things such as quality of product, service, delivery times, cost, etc. In this article, we’ll hopefully help you make a decision that works for you, your family and your pocket.
The patio furniture industry seasonal calendar
We’ll start with a disclaimer of sorts. None of the seasons/months is hard and fast here in the UK. We can see a mild sunny autumn followed by snow in springtime and that will impact us and the wider garden and patio furniture industry.
However, the months of the year act as a guide to where we are often at, what we’re focussed on here at Lazy Susan HQ, and what our competitors are often up to too.
Off Season
Our off-season generally runs from around the start of November to the beginning of February. Whilst sales naturally slow down, in many ways the off-season is as busy as the peak summer for the Lazy Susan team. It is the perfect opportunity for us to review and plan for the next.
When the leaves are falling, we might not be using our gardens, but many see this as an opportunity to start searching for new patio furniture. We don’t always see the sales but we do see a large spike in those researching with an increase in newsletter registrations and social media followers, etc.
That said, we do still see a savvy few who will purchase now to beat the summer rush and ensure their new patio furniture is in place and ready for the start of peak season. Plus, there’s a bigger chance of grabbing a sale bargain at this time of year.
In peak season lead times could be longer due to high demand or low stock in our warehouse. The off-season may also see us running promotions or selling off any clearance lines.
On the high street, the chances of finding stock are slim to none. Most of the large home and DIY retailers will clear space for Christmas. They may have a period where they’re selling off the stuff that didn’t sell but the choice is often extremely limited as this is generally the stuff people didn’t want. That said, you could strike it lucky and find a diamond in the rough.
Pre-Season
Both our pre-season and that of most in our industry tend to run from around March to May. That is when the January blues are a distant memory and we start to see the first signs of spring.
Milder temperatures mean we can start tackling home and garden improvement jobs and our sales (and those of companies across the wider DIY/Home Improvement sector) will also start to pick up. People focus on making changes inside and outside the home and here at Lazy Susan the team will start gearing up for our busy peak summer season.
Generally speaking, you are less likely to find a bargain at this time of year. As an industry, we are focussed on summer, and it’s the time new products/styles will be launched or we're getting them ready to launch. At Lazy Susan, there are still opportunities to grab a great deal during the pre-season though, with our bundle deals running all year round.
Peak Summer Season
Here in the UK, we find the busiest months for sales are June through September. The better the weather the better the sales too. Makes sense. If we see a lovely sunny weekend, then we will also see a massive spike in activity on our webshop.
Here at Lazy Susan we generally hold a large amount of stock across our warehouses, especially of our best-selling ranges such as our June, Catherine, Alice or Mia patio furniture sets for example.
That said, we would still advise you to shop early if you want to get the set you love delivered and on your patio for the summer. High demand also means that we could see some items in our shop showing as “You Missed It” (more on that below).
The other big advantage of buying at this time of year is that you have the perfect warm sunny weather to set it up on the patio. Order in the off-season and you may have to pop those boxes in the garage or shed until the weather picks up.
End of Season
Our season generally tends to finish around the end of September. The kids are back at school, university, etc and the nights are starting to draw in. This is also when you’ll start seeing our end-of-season sales, Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, etc.
Buying new patio furniture at the end of the season can be the perfect time to grab a great bargain. However, if there’s a specific set or item of furniture you want from our collection, then you’re taking a big gamble. It could be sold out by the time summer is over.
Plus, are you sure that a sale bargain is a real bargain? Many people will hit the clearance aisles at their local DIY/Home store but always look at the quality and ask why hasn’t this sold in the summer.
When is the best time to buy patio furniture from Lazy Susan?
In our opinion, the best time to buy is pre-season. This is when we are most likely to have the set you love in stock. It will be shipped quickly and it will be delivered in milder weather so you can get outside and get it set up on your patio ready for the start of summer.
However, it is important that works for you. At Lazy Susan we follow a seasonal calendar but we sell patio furniture all year round. When you’re ready to order, you can order from us.
To be honest, whenever you decide to buy your garden furniture, there will be pros and cons, but the important thing we say is to never compromise. Get the set you really want. We often see customers who pick up a sale item that is similar, replacing it with the set they actually wanted a few years later.
Take your time, shop around, and do a little research. Starting the process in pre-season means you are shopping from the full range, there’s much more choice and availability, and you can make an informed purchase decision.
In terms of grabbing a bargain during the pre-season, here at Lazy Susan we tend to be quite proactive, even though many in our industry wait until the end of the season.
We still run a number of promotions, discount codes and competitions, and our price promise is there for all-year-round peace of mind. To find out more about our promotional activity, our how do you save money on outdoor furniture article is a great place to head after reading this.
As we mentioned earlier, in peak season we can run out of popular lines. If a product is showing as “You Missed It” (as above for our Madison set), then that means that the product is currently out of stock, that we are not taking any orders at the moment, and that our production team are working hard to ensure that we have stock asap.
You’ll then need to keep an eye out for the option to pre-order the item, which is activated as soon as we have a confirmed restock date (as shown above for our Gloria set). You’ll see that marked on the main product image and in an information box and we’ll publish a date of when we can start taking new orders.
At any time, if you have any questions about our patio furniture collection, or if you want to get an update on an item you’re keen to order, then please just give us a call. Our Customer Service Team are always happy to provide you with any information they can.
And just remember a bargain is not always a bargain. Buy cheap buy twice as they say. Make sure you don’t compromise and get the exact set you want.
If you have any questions about our furniture, sales, promotions, competitions or discounts, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team.
If you have or when you get your new Lazy Susan garden furniture in situ, then we’d love to see a few photos for our Do Some Good charity campaign. You can tag us @LazySusanFurniture on Instagram or Facebook or email them to us at [email protected].