Winter sales caught in the flu following the craze of websites?

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Until a few years ago, at the launch of sales, on the street or on the news, we used to see impressive gatherings in front of store grids that were still closed, people who arrived early to be the first to buy cheaper products. This year, although the kiss was slow to come, the crowd does not seem to be rushing…

Today, with the craze of websites allowing online shopping, without moving from his sofa, the lack of time (and sometimes desire) of customers tends to result in an internet purchase. Amazon, Cdiscount and others have imposed their models: wide choice, better prices, speed of delivery, simplicity of orders … For some sites, arrivals, promotions are permanent and have accustomed, or even saturated, customers, desensitizing them to promotion. The game of rarity remains: the scarf that a customer has seen on a site benefits from a 20% discount, and it’s the last! Enough to give the desire to buy before the product escapes him ….

This marketing phenomenon tends to work well online, to the detriment of physical stores that see a decline in sales during sales periods, or during the holiday season. They are more used to taking advantage of sales almost all year round. The desire to save time and expense has really made the difference between e-commerce sites and physical stores. With all the discounts that customers receive over the internet, average spending per household tends to decrease, because they can filter their search, think, come back… While in a store, the customer can buy a product that was not intended, or a compulsive purchase. Customers have unconsciously found the parade by simply “boycotting” the shelves, which may explain the tendency of supermarkets to increasingly “mix” the shelves at the store’s reception or at the head of the gondola.

However, some products are more bought in stores than on the internet, such as cosmetics that customers like to test, but also for customer service with the advice of sellers, something that is more difficult on the internet, even if pure players compensate more and more with chatbots.

In Bordeaux, people who had moved to the major shopping centres or Rue Sainte-Catherine were not rushed as usual, and were able to carry out their purchases in peace for the holidays. The winter sales do not seem to excite them any more at the moment. The situation has changed, it is up to us to reinvent ourselves to “find the right remedies”.

AK/AZ – Bordeaux Business

Sources:
Arte Info

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