The Quebec political parties to spend more this summer

Photo Jean-François Desgagnés

Gilles Brien

Sunday, 16 July, 2017 08:00

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Sunday, 16 July, 2017 08:00

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While the summer seems to have settled finally for good, the impact of the bad weather of recent months should push people to seek more pleasure, and say the research. On the eve of the construction holiday, The Journal was searched on the issue.

Buying an umbrella in a convertible, passing by the sale of soup, beer and electricity, a large part of the economy is feeling the effects of the weather. Consumption habits are changing with the mercury and the seasons, reveal research.

It is in the consumption on a daily basis that the impacts of the weather are the most visible.

A spring ugly

Take the wet spring of this year. When the spring is ugly, we note a certain catch-up effect in the consumption in the following months. As if people were looking to compensate. This effect is very strong in Quebec.

“People are rushing on travel packages and in the days of the cold “, explains Jean Collette, chair of the Association of travel agents of Quebec.

“The past season has been one of the best for several years,” he says. And, as if by chance, the winter was marked by record snow and ice storm.

Tourism, energy, food, and agri-food. All sectors of the economy are affected by the weather. The price of coffee has doubled ? Don’t look for the guilty. It is often the weather. How is your way of spending is influenced by the temperature ?

Glance on behavioral economics, a new field of study trying to make its place in the sun.

All in the Sun

Now that the rain and the downpours of the last few weeks have given way to the weather more summer, merchants rub their hands. Terraces, festivals, and amusement parks, preparing to make good business. “This will be a big season for tourism,” says Stephanie Fissette, expert in tourism and lecturer in management sciences at the University of Quebec at Rimouski. “The sunny weather leads people to be more positive and to take more risk, such as ordering a bottle of wine more expensive on a terrace,” says the specialist in organizational management.

The Journal recently reported that the Québécois flock to the travel packages in the South. All travel agencies are reporting significant increases since may. “It is a very, very good year,” said Steve Bouhadana, owner of the agency Tower-Wings, in Laval. “Record figures for 2017 have already erased the losses incurred in 2016, a very difficult year,” he said. However, 2016 was received, and the weather is extraordinary. The bad weather seems to be very good for the economy.

The rain sounds the caisse des cinemas

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Production companies film in Québec are among the companies most dependent on the weather. “The weather conditions may affect 30% of the box office, believes the distributor Patrice Roy. The worst thing is the snow storms. When the whole city is paralyzed, it can not be jostled not on the red carpet, ” he says.

But on the other hand, the sun scares away moviegoers, we’re told. Myth or reality ? To find out, she is a student at the école des Hautes études commerciales (HEC), Sarah-Émilie Chan, looked at the impact of sunlight on the cinema attendance for his master’s thesis in marketing. By crossing the data of inflow of 247 films screened in Québec and the archives weather, Sarah-Émilie has confirmed the myth. More nice weather, and more Quebecers shun the cinema. Vincent Guzzo, president of Cinemas Guzzo, known for a long time. “All the movies, when it rains, it helps a lot. “With the rain record of the spring and the beginning gloomy the summer, the company has increased its turnover by 65 % over the past year, said Mr. Guzzo.

80 % of business activities are influenced by the weather

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Are you looking for a barbecue ? Of garden items ? Summer clothes ? Wait for the temperature to reach at least 15 °C before you point to the store. This is the threshold where consumers start mode was. The traders know. This is why you lose sometimes a lot of time to search in vain for the insecticide and / or sunscreen in the full month of January, while you are travelling in the South the next day.

In France as in Québec, 80 % of business activities are influenced by the weather.

Women are more affected than men by this effect of the weather, according to Climpact-MetNext, a French company specializing in weather risk. According to the research carried out by the firm, if the temperature falls 1 degree below normal, the sales drop of 8 % in the ready-to-wear for women, compared to 2 % in the men’s department. However, if you sell beer, the profit is much greater. As soon as the mercury reaches 20 °C, each additional degree increase your revenue by 5 %.

Behavioral economics

The influence of the weather on the consumption reminds us that humans are not robots devoid of emotions. When we make decisions to buy or invest, it is our perception of the world that guide our choices. This feeling is influenced by what is happening in our environment. Even the color of the walls and certain odors, according to studies, would have the power to affect our intention to buy.

In Quebec, sales of 4×4 vehicles are still on the rise during the weeks of a significant fall of snow. And when the sun shines too strong, the buyers are moving from cars to the dark colors. This is what is called behavioral economics, a convincing proof of the influence of the weather and climate in the lives of the people.

The weather as a vehicle for promoting

More and more companies integrate the weather in the promotion of their products. Museums, ski resorts, amusement parks, will provide, for example, discounts based on the mercury. In Quebec, the chain of restaurants in Ashton sometimes offers discounts weather on their famous poutine. The intense cold of the winter of 2013 had nearly caused a shortage of potatoes in the region, according to the owner.

The weather influence on all sectors of the trade. “This includes the components of financial, marketing and operational of all businesses,” says Stephanie Fissette. It is a heavy trend. The studies dealing with business management, and weather are only beginning. “

List of consumer products the most susceptible to the weather

(products whose consumption varies more with temperature and season)

• Creams and sunscreen products
• Insecticides
• Specialties and ice cream
• Carbonated water nature
• Vegetables and salads
• Alcohol-free beer
• Sweet corn canned
• Frozen vegetables
• Sausages fresh
• Chocolate bars

Source : Climpact-Metnext