Nov 25

Written by: IRI Blog
11/25/2009 10:26 AM

As consumer confidence is slowly reinstated, more are willing to open their wallets wider, though selectively, than the 2008 holiday season. As we mentioned in the holiday retail survey results released in September, shoppers are taking a more strategic approach to shopping this year by heading into stores with shopping lists in hand and a budget in mind.

Putting last year’s dismal holiday sales results behind them, retailers are also being more strategic this year and have put a new twist into the traditional “Black Friday” kick-off to holiday shopping.  In an effort to attract more shoppers, retailers have rolled out what’s looking more like “Black November” with deals being announced as early as the beginning of November as opposed to Thanksgiving weekend – a major shift in strategy when compared to years past. Retailers are offering deals that consumers cannot refuse – from $59 GPS products to $249 flat screen TVs – hoping to grab a piece of the market as consumers start to emerge from the caves of recession.

How have your strategies shifted this year as compared to last year while preparing and targeting consumers for the “busiest shopping day of the year?” What are your expectations for this year’s holiday shopping season?

Some retailers are advertising Black Friday deals even before products are in stock while others have limited stock of each item, resulting from the cutback of production by manufacturers which may leave a shortage of products on store shelves.  It’ll be interesting to see if this strategy shift will stick around for years to come or if this is a reactive decision to help retailers salvage their profits for 2009.

This year’s holiday shopping season will be drastically different from previous years and we’d love to hear your insights and observations about how your businesses have been impacted.

Best,
Thom Blischok, President, IRI Shopper Marketing and Innovation

Tags: