Introducing the 72-Hour Day
THIS BELONGS IN EVERY BUSINESS LIBRARY!
Presidents Day. Labor Day. Thanksgiving. National holidays can always be counted on for big retail sales.
I’ve even heard of MLK Day and Juneteenth gaining momentum as big retail opportunities, with a particular focus on black-owned businesses taking advantage.
Regardless of the owners’ race, though, you can typically count on major holidays providing huge deals and discounts in diverse categories, including cars, furniture, food, and clothing.
Last month I received an oversized postcard from Macy’s for their one-day July 4th sale. No surprise there, right?
But what caught my eye was the sale dates were July 1-3. Now I’m no math wiz, but it seems to me their one-day sale was THREE DAYS LONG!
Hmmmm.
Granted, I get the whole “Give it a sense of urgency” concept, but this just seems a bit disingenuous. Macy’s clearly had other options, but they were lying from the get-go.
Why didn’t they just say it’s a 3-day sale?
Or they could have announced it as a 1-day sale to get customers to rush in, then add an air of exclusivity by giving those customers a special coupon that extended the sale by two more days.
Arguably, this would have encouraged additional shopping, getting these exclusive customers to bring a few friends back with them.
Here’s the thing: sales promotions like this are meant to (wait for it) promote sales. But playing games with the facts calls your veracity in general into question.
So if you are also considering doing a promotional program to increase your revenues, be sure to examine every piece of the program from the consumer’s perspective to ensure your message is being heard the way you intend.
Because if people think you’re playing fast and loose with the details, they may be inclined to question what else you’re not being straight about. Is your refund policy really as good as it seems? What about your privacy policies? And are you merely discounting a price you jacked up last week?
Let’s face it; whatever you sell, you’re certain to have loads of competition. Increasingly, closing any deal is ultimately going to come down to a customer trusting their relationship with you.
And I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust a merchant who doesn’t know how to add.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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Make your sales efforts count more. www.askmrmarketing.com.