Now that it’s November, the stores are now pushing aside the Halloween decor and moving all the winter seasonal up front. And as they do so, they also are plastering various displays of great gift ideas and trendy or in-demand products. Many stores rely heavily on holiday sales to propel them forward, and as most people preparing for at least one special event during the end of the year, there’s a lot of cash to be had. And one store’s loss is another store’s gain, so every retailer is trying to convince shoppers they can help you cross off your shopping list. So what can we expect from the stores this year? Here are my predictions based on news reports and early observations.
Black Friday Never Ends
This seems like a tip I share every year, but this year, it seems particularly pertinent. While the last couple years the extended holiday deals was in large part due to problems with having items in stock, but now, it’s likely because of inflation as well as recession fears. Stores are going to want to hope customers either try to get ahead of any economic downturn, find things are going okay for them and spend some extra, or are spurred by a deal they can’t resist. Retailers are going to have a lot of events hoping that even if someone isn’t enticed on Black Friday, another day one of those reasons will win out.
Members Only Deals
If free, the company gets at least an email or phone number as contact information. If paid, customers are likely to spend more money to get use out of their membership. Stores are also allowing members to get first dibs on specials, including their doorbuster deals. You’ve seen this a lot recently, with examples being PS5 sales and Amazon having a second Prime Day.
TVs
If the latest anime seasons or video purchases haven’t been looking too sharp on your television, well, you’ll likely have a lot of options to upgrade your television this year. There are almost certainly going to be several sub-$200 options, including several around the 50″ size range. If you are looking for a more premier screen and features, you’ll still surely find several options with your requirements near or below historical lows.
Switch Fever
The Nintendo Switch is several years old at this point, but Switches and games are going to continue to be highly desirable for both giftors and giftees. No surprise since the consoles are cheaper than Microsoft’s and Sony’s offerings, and there are many family-friendly games. This year, though, Nintendo has two very good reasons to market their consoles and games heavily. First, of course, are the upcoming Pokémon Scarlet/Violet games, which are from one of their most popular franchises. Second is that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is due out next spring, and I don’t doubt Nintendo wants to create reasons to get hyped and cash in on merchandising.
Rewards with Purchases
Costs are rising, and that means stores either need to raise their prices to offset that or reduce the amount of discounts. But one way they have an advertised sale is to offer a coupon with purchase. “Buy $50 in our gift cards, get a $5 reward!” “Spend $100, get a $20 coupon!” Customers feel like they’re getting a deal, but these bonuses often have date (and other) restrictions on them, and so they’re very easy to forget about. That’s what stores are hoping for, as very few people are going to return what they bought if they lost out on their bonus. These coupons can also be limited to those who sign up for a store’s loyalty program, which, again, is beneficial for a store.
Pickup Deals
Free shipping is one of a retailer’s biggest expenses. Add in holiday surcharges from the carriers as well as delivery delays, lost packages, and damaged items caused by the holiday rush, retailers would rather discount products or offer a customer a bonus than deal with these potential issues. Plus, if a location can fulfill an order, that means less inventory clogging the store, but even if it’s a ship-to-store situation, there’s a high chance the customer will be lured to come inside and spend more money. So offering an extra percent off an item or a reward by choosing pickup is going to be popular.
Streaming & Other Subscription Deals
Another discount you probably have already seen making the rounds in the wild. With Disney+ raising rates and Netflix going to clamp down on out-of-household accounts, rival streaming services are sensing an opportunity. Subscriptions are also often one of the first things to be canceled when people face financial crunches, and platforms like Peacock and Paramount+ are trying to appeal to those budget-conscious consumers…and get them addicted. Other subscriptions, like all-you-can-read plans, are also likely to have deals, especially since people might be willing to try these plans while they have some downtime during their winter breaks/vacations.
