Summer doesn’t immediately bring up images of shopping. After all, wouldn’t most consumers rather be at the pool than wandering store aisles? But savvy retailers and manufacturers are taking advantage of mini shopping seasons—from summer to the Super Bowl and even Heart Health Month—to drive sales and impulse buys all year long.

The hot days of July may never compete with December for sales, but as the temperature creeps up, you can help send your brand’s sales in the same direction. It just takes a little design and branding know-how to create a seasonal marketing strategy. Here are three ideas to get your creative sweat, umm we mean juices, flowing:

1. Summerize your packaging. You wouldn’t walk around in a wool sweater on a 90-degree day, so consider giving product packaging a seasonal update, too. To boost summer sales a few years ago, Kleenex introduced boxes that resembled slices of fruit, such as watermelon and orange. This clever approach made people re-consider tissues during this product’s slower sales season.

Coke rolls out a creative summer campaign each year. For 2013, the brand’s 12-pack boxes invite consumers to “open for picnics” or “open for adventure” while the cans themselves feature roller coasters, baseballs, surfing and road trips. Each design plays off the classic Coca-Cola swoosh and gives shoppers another reason to stop and buy.

2. Consider brand and line extensions. The right brand extension might jump your product into a new category and increase its seasonal appeal. When Frappuccino sales were flagging a couple years ago, Starbucks offered customized drinks in its stores, but it also launched a new brand extension with Frappuccino ice cream. Snickers improved its seasonal appeal when it introduced Snickers Ice Cream Bars.

This year Oreo introduced a clever summer line extension with watermelon flavored Oreos, and the unusual limited-edition flavor created excitement—and drew media attention—as people clamored for a taste test. Just make sure there’s a solid strategy (not just a season) driving your extension: Start with our study on 10 Ways to Extend Your Brand.

3. Go to summer school. The kids are on break, but you still need to do your homework to boost summer sales. A seasonal marketing plan requires consumer insight, advanced planning and partnering with retailers. You need to make sure your products are in the right place at the right time and figure out how they best fit into a mini sales season. Are you targeting the back to college dorm crowd? Or just helping people beat the heat? Take yourself on a few store trips right now to research how others brands sell the hotter months.

Then start brainstorming ways to make sure next summer—or another mini shopping season—sizzles for your brand. As this year’s overhead signage at Target reads, Summer Up!

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The Key to More Impulse Buys? Mini Shopping Seasons That Open Wallets All Year Long