Coupons, Sales Drive Holidays Shoppers In Store

When it comes to getting holiday shoppers in the door, coupons and sales remain the most successful tool merchants are using.

This holiday season, retailers are faced with both an opportunity and challenge when it comes to attracting shoppers, Farla Efros, president of HRC Retail Advisory, explained in a recent article for Chain Store Age.

Efros said that, with more shoppers opting for eCommerce and a lower number of doorbuster offerings, retailers must rely on price as a way to draw in consumers.

According to Efros, 89 percent of consumers surveyed by HRC Retail Advisory said that discounts were a key factor in deciding which stores they planned to shop in during the holiday season.

“Sales and coupons are more influential than any other tactic in motivating a consumer’s decision to enter a store this holiday season,” she said. “Already, since Black Friday, we’re seeing retailers comply with heavy in-store discounts well below what we expected, as they look to eliminate their excess inventory and drive top-line sales.”

Another significant motivator for consumers, Efros noted, is store window displays. Nearly 87 percent of the survey respondents said these displays would influence their shopping decisions.

“And 79 percent of consumers surveyed said they would be influenced on what stores to visit this holiday season based on a retailer’s website,” she added.

“This is a very interesting time for retail, as we’re in the midst of a generational shift of consumers. As Generation Z begins to gain a foothold in the consumer-spending environment and millennials mature, their expectations are transforming the retail landscape,” Efros said. “In order for retailers to remain competitive, they must begin to develop a balanced approach to serving baby boomers and Generation X (who still have the vast majority of the spending budget), while positioning themselves to best serve the emerging and future consumer segments for longer-term success.”