By Whitney Hardy, VP, Account ManagementRetailers have very effectively trained me when and how to shop and I sometimes wonder whether I will I ever pay full-price again.
I live very close to the Natick Collection and go there often. I shop like I’m a woman on a mission – when I’m at the mall, I know when to go and where to go to get the best deals and savings . You’ve seen it and probably have been trained, too – every store has their discount on display in their window and their e-marketing teams are working overtime. When I logged into my Yahoo account yesterday, I counted 20+ emails from retailers begging for my business that day. Subject lines included: “30% off all Outerwear ,” “Take 20% off a single item – 1 Day Only!,” and “Whitney, Only two Days Left! 20% OFF Ends Tomorrow!”
By keeping an eagle-eye on my email box, scouring sale racks, and faithfully perusing off-price department stores, I walk away with clothes and labels that I’ve spotted on celebrities in some of my favorite magazines. I honestly don’t remember the last time that I bought something full-price. I know that my expectation for buying quality goods at discounted prices has been a gradual development – the economy (of course), greater financial responsibility with a growing family, and maturity were probably all nails in the full-price retail coffin in my life.
I wonder if this will ever change. Will there be a day that I comfortably and confidently walk out of the mall with a big, glossy, luxury department store shopping bag full of full-price stuff? Is that ten years down the road? Twenty years? Ever?
For a believer in the power of building a strong, aspirational brand, I struggle with what retailers and brands will need to do to stop the cycle and train us to be full-price shoppers again? How will they deliver value that is as meaningful to consumers as “dollars off”? Convenience? Service? Quality? But what if we’ve been trained to expect it all?
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