Why are people more likely to buy at the end of the year?
Updated 23 July 2026 by Chanelle Segerius-Bruce
Launching a new programme at the end of the year feels counterintuitive, and most people talk themselves out of it because they assume nobody has any money left. That assumption is wrong, and it is expensive. This guide covers why buyers are unusually receptive at the end of the year, why selling now takes less effort than selling in the summer, and how to use the window to plan and pre-sell the year ahead.
Quick answer
People are more receptive to buying at the end of the year because they are taking stock and planning the next one. They are working out what did not work, what they want to change, and where they need help, and then going looking for it. They are also already in a spending frame of mind from Black Friday and Christmas. Selling in this window takes noticeably less effort than selling in the summer, when everyone is away and fatigued. So rather than shutting down in November, use it to sell, to plan the coming year around the life you want, and to plant what you will harvest in January.
People are planning their next year, and looking for help
At the end of the year people start taking stock. What worked. What did not. Why it did not. What they want next year to look like, what they want to create, how they could be better at what they do, how they could improve the business, which skills they are missing, whether it is time to start something new.
Then they go looking for help with all of it.
So if you teach something, or you sell something that solves a problem, this is the moment your ideal client is actively hunting for you rather than being interrupted by you.
One of my clients, a photographer, launched two workshops at the end of one year, then launched and sold out another in a new location. Extra income arriving before January is not a bad thing.
The end of the year is not the time to shut up shop
In South Africa the culture is that everything closes. From the middle of December, forget it.
Friends of ours bought a house in J Bay and went to a furniture company for the last few pieces. They were told no, sorry, we are finishing off existing orders, anything new will have to be next year. That was in November.
It is extraordinary that a business would turn down income right before Christmas. Think about what that money would do in your hands over the festive season and into the new year.
It is genuinely easier to sell now
Around August, business is notoriously slow in the northern hemisphere. People are away, winding down, a bit fatigued. Whatever the reason, they are not primed to buy.
The effort required to make a sale at the end of the year is far lower than in the summer months. I have watched private clients try to launch in-person workshops in the UK during that stretch. You can feel the interest, and it still takes a great deal more work to close.
By the end of the year people are already in a buying frame of mind. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have had them scouring the internet for deals, Christmas is coming, they are buying gifts and going out more. The mood is different.
When I launched my social media company, I did it in December. I sent twenty emails to people I knew in the UK wedding industry, and by January I had five retainer clients on done-for-you services. It never occurred to me that December was the wrong time, which is probably why it worked.
One of my group programme members pre-sold spots on her online programme before she had even built it.
It is the right time to plan next year's sales
This is not the moment to sit back. Be careful of the November mindset where you decide things are slowing down, and be more careful of leaving all thought of sales until you open the laptop in January.
You might assume nobody will buy a new programme now. That assumption costs people a quarter of their year.
Treat the end of the year as the time to plan and plant, so there is something to harvest in the new one. Nail down the marketing, get visible, email people about your offers, put them out on social, and actually tell people what you are selling.
Plan the whole year, in that order
Map the year around what you want your life to look like first. If you want a holiday, it goes in before anything else does.
Then lay in your goals for the year, including when you intend to launch. Break that into quarters, then months, then weeks, so what you are left with is a plan you can act on rather than a set of intentions.
Mind who you are around right now
Plenty of people are tired by the end of the year and ready to write it off, and that is contagious. Some of it is genuine fatigue and some of it is mindset.
Spend this stretch around people with energy. The coaches and mentors I spend time with sell hard at the end of the year, and it shows. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, as Jim Rohn put it.
There are few better feelings than payment notifications arriving on your phone in December.
Key takeaways
- End of year buyers are reviewing the year and planning the next, which makes them actively receptive rather than merely available.
- They are already spending, thanks to Black Friday and Christmas.
- Selling in August takes far more effort for the same result.
- Closing down from mid-December gives away a quarter of your selling year.
- Plan next year around the life you want first, then fit the launches around it.
- Break the year into quarters, months and weeks so it becomes actionable.
- Energy is contagious. Spend this stretch with people who are still selling.
Frequently asked questions
Is the end of the year a good time to launch?
Yes, and it is consistently underrated. People are planning the year ahead and looking for help with it, so they are receptive in a way they are not in the middle of summer.
Won't people have run out of money before Christmas?
It is the assumption that stops most people selling, and the spending patterns around Black Friday and Christmas say otherwise. People are buying. The question is whether you are asking.
When is the worst time to sell?
Around August in the northern hemisphere. People are away, winding down and fatigued. You can feel the interest and still find it takes far more work to close.
What should I do if I am not ready to launch yet?
Use the window to plan. Map next year around the life you want first, then fit the launches in, and break it down into quarters, months and weeks so you have something you can act on in January.
Can I sell something I have not built yet?
You can pre-sell, and it is often the smarter order. One of my group programme members pre-sold spots on her online programme before she had built any of it.
What if I am exhausted by November?
That is real, and some of it is mindset picked up from everyone around you. Choose who you spend this stretch with carefully.
Launching into the new year?
If you are going to sell into this window, the plan wants to exist before December does. The Launch Project Template, the A to Z of live launching, maps every phase, task and email into a plan you run on every launch. Not sure your offer is ready to sell yet? Book a call to see if we're the right fit, and we'll look at it together.
