marketing

Big Sign, Little Saved

May 15, 2017

shopping trigger

That orange sign is a lot bigger than the white one.

I was in the store the other day when I stumbled upon this display.  The orange sign immediately caught my eye, especially the price listed on it—$1.00!  At first, I stopped in my tracks.  After all I can’t recall the last time I was in a store (that wasn’t a dollar store) and saw something advertised for $1.00.  My old shopaholic tendencies immediately resurfaced and I began to reach towards the display, eager to grab at least 1 or 2 of the Lip Smackers that were on sale.

Then I looked at the orange sign again, and my hand paused in mid-air.

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Different Day, Same Sale, Or Almost

November 17, 2016

11-17-2016_01

How long has this dress really been on sale?

It’s the middle of November and the holiday shopping season is approaching fast.  This is the time of year when retailers step up their promotion game and I won’t be able to go anywhere or watch anything without seeing an ad for a sale.

But are these sales really as “new” as they sound?

Not always.  This pink A-line dress is listed on the retailer’s website as a “new markdown” item.  But when you shop as much as me, you learn all of the strategies that retailers use to get customers to buy.

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It’s (Sort Of) On Sale

September 5, 2016

9.5.2016

It’s on sale….maybe…

I noticed this sign at a retailer over the weekend and shook my head.  At first glance, it sounded like everything was on sale for 40% off.  When you re-read the sign, you realize that it stated “almost everything”, which means that most items, but not all, will be on sale.  Ok no biggie right?  I’ll just look for the sale items, which should be the majority of those pieces in the store.

But…

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The Cost Of Free

April 4, 2016

Making the offer of getting something for “free” is a retailer’s way to lure a shopper to make a purchase, provide their personal information, or sometimes even both.  This is a common strategy that retailers use, especially with cosmetic products.

During a recent shopping trip I found myself at the make-up counter faced with this prospect.  I was in the store on a Thursday night and everywhere I looked were signs for a “free gift with purchase of X dollars.”  And if I spent even more, the items and value of the free gift increased.

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Don’t Ask, Just Give

February 7, 2016

I was out in the stores shopping recently.  At the check-out counter the cashier points to the credit card pad and said, “Just hit OK so that I can complete your transaction.”  Luckily I glanced at the screen and noticed that the “OK” option was for me to give out my personal email address to sign up for coupons and special discount offers.  I looked at the worker and said, “No, I don’t want to do that.”  She looked surprised, then fumbled around and hit a few keys to complete the transaction.

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Sweater/Pullover Weather

October 29, 2015

 

Encouraging to own more, more, more.

Retailer’s encouraging to own more, more, more.

I recently stumbled upon this advertisement on a retailer’s page.  My first reaction was to agree with the statement, indeed one can never have too many.  The cold weather is quickly approaching my area and once it hits, we’ll have months of endless cold days.  One day after another, after another, after another.  When you know that the cold is going to hit and stay there for a while, the thought of using lots of pullovers sounds like a really good idea.  My fingers hovered over the link to look at the latest pullovers available for purchase.

Then I paused for a moment.

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“I Need This In My Life”

September 20, 2015

I was recently shopping for boots for an upcoming holiday when I heard this phrase:

“I need this in my life.”

Curious, I wandered closer to see what this magical item was that just HAD to be owned.  After all, if it was that special, maybe I should get it too?  What was the item in question?

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Don’t Forget To Shop

July 30, 2015

Walking around the brick and mortar store while shopping my favorite sale, I noticed a variety of subtle (or not so subtle) reminders to shop, shop, shop.  The store was decked out in signs, both big and small, every where I turned.  But it wasn’t just the sheer number of reminders that caught my eye, but the wording themselves.

A reminder to start shopping.

A reminder to start shopping.

The more I find, the better I feel

Well, isn’t that a nice way to justify to shop for more, and that it’s ok.  Here are a few more.

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I See Therefore I Want

May 3, 2015

Drapey Trousers/Pants from Banana Republic

Drapey Trousers/Pants from Banana Republic

I’ve been noticing a lot of drapey/slouchy style bottoms in the stores lately.  This style is available both as trousers/pants , such as the pair from Banana Republic above, and in jeans, such as the pair from Gap below.

Drapey Jeans from Gap.

Drapey Jeans from Gap.

As someone who sports jeans daily, I was really interested in trying out a new style of jean.  After all, if I’m sporting the latest and greatest jeans style, then I must be looking good right?

Wrong.

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