The wonderful world of sales!
Posted by Michael Coffey on December 19th, 2006This year I decided to step outside my comfort zone to see what the online world had to offer. In all honesty, I was very impressed by what I found. Every site I went to said SALE, SALE, SALE! and this was two weeks before Christmas! Everywhere I turned there was FREE SHIPPING, 60% OFF, BUY 1 Get 1 Free! I thought I was dreaming, but you really can save money when you purchase your gifts online. I know that I will never stop going out and kicking off the Christmas season with shopping downtown, but I do believe I will think twice about those larger purchases. I know now that I can make the same purchase, at a discount, online - and have it shipped anywhere, in time for the holidays.
This really started to make me think, if I’m getting these great deals on merchandise, I’m sure that I will be able to get some great deals on wine for the holidays. So I grabbed my hot chocolate, turned on the computer, lit the fire and went to some of my favorite wineries’ sites. As I was waiting for the site to appear I was imaging the great holiday sales and gifts that I could purchase as gifts and for my family. But to my dismay, this was not the case. Most of these sites had not changed at all. There was nothing that made me think about Christmas, nor purchasing anything for those that I loved. I wanted to be told what to buy and why, and instead I had to search for the wine I already knew. Eventually I just left - and with a true feeling of Bah Humbug!
This little life lesson left me realizing how much we are driven, as buyers, by incentives. During the holidays, people want to spend money. For any product, it is the producer’s job to capitalize on this time of year. To make the consumer feel that they are being gifted when they spend money. Send them a little something extra, it’s really not free, but it’s that added value that earns you repeat business. I urge every business to take note of who is selling this holiday season and why. Use their good ideas and make them your own, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!
