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Are Retailers Ready For Juneteenth?
This weekend promises to be a big one for retailers as Americans celebrate not one, but two, holidays with Father’s Day on Sunday and the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday on Monday.
Shelley Kohan, associate professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology and a RetailWire Braintrust member, points out on Forbes.com that the two holidays falling back-to-back will lead to a long four-day weekend for many.
Prof. Kohan writes that total consumer spending the week of Juneteenth jumped 24 percent between 2020 and 2021. Spending went up another 15 percent in 2022. A similar sales pattern is expected to continue in 2023.
Americans are projected to spend a record $22.9 billion to celebrate Father’s Day this year, according to research from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., was designated as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021 with, as The New Tork Times reports, “a noticeable increase in Juneteenth celebrations across the United States over the past few years.”
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia currently recognize the holiday with state government offices closed for the day. Many mark the day with celebratory parades, family gatherings and prayer services.
Retailers and brands are looking for tasteful ways to celebrate the holiday as more Americans commemorate the nation’s second day of independence. Food, clothing, sporting goods, gifts and other products are candidates to see a bump in sales.
WWD reports that Signet Jewelers has collaborated with the Black Employee Network BRG to create a special-edition pendant honoring Opal Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” for her efforts to have the day designated a federal holiday.
The pendant, which is being sold by Zales and Kay Jewelers, “features a lab-created black opal cabochon set in sterling silver, a band of polished 10-karat yellow gold and a star-shaped back plate design with the year ‘1865.’” A percentage of the pendant’s sales will be donated to the Black in Jewelry Coalition, a group dedicated to helping Black professionals in the jewelry business advance in their careers.
Ms. Lee walked 1,400 miles from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., at the age of 89, garnering signatures on a Juneteenth petition. Ms. Lee, who began her walk in September 2016, had more than 1.5 million signatures when she reached the nation’s capital in January 2017.
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: How should retailers approach Juneteenth from a merchandising and marketing perspective? Do you expect the holiday to continue growing in importance at retail?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
I think Juneteenth’s impact will be most felt in segments like food and outdoor entertaining. Traditionally this holiday has been observed with picnics and family get-to-gathers. Retailers should approach this holiday with messaging about family and outdoor activities. At the same time, they need to be respectful in their messaging, remembering the reason we are celebrating.
As with any long weekend, we can expect to see an increase in spending as people get out and about. Having two holidays back to back will certainly boost foot traffic, especially as people may want to avoid the heat outside.
Marketing and messaging should center around family and freedom, and have a similar tone to Memorial Day— celebratory yet cognizant.
The May retail sales numbers were boosted by the Memorial Day holiday as people splashed out a little. As Juneteenth is now more widely observed it, too, will have a positive impact on spending. Although it has to be said that, perhaps because it isn’t as well established as of yet, Juneteenth doesn’t seem to have the same kind of energy behind it from a retail perspective. I am sure this will change over time and let’s hope it remains respectful and recognizes the significance of the holiday.
Retailers have a difficult decision to make regarding Juneteenth. Unfortunately, it carries overwhelming political connotations that are not universally accepted and, in many cases, rejected.
Treating it like Memorial Day, July 4, or Labor Day will offend a good portion of customers. I advise retailers to tread very carefully and focus on Father’s Day.
Yes, I think George danced around the (obvious?) question: how many retailers actually pay attention in the first place?
The ironic upside to this, tho, is that it can be celebrated – or honored – free from the commercialization that marks so many other holidays.
Many retailers have expanded their assortments to include and emphasize Black-Owned and Founded Brands. Ulta is a great example of that. I can definitely see an increase in the sales of these brands for this weekend’s holiday!
Juneteenth is a celebration but retailers need to be respectful in how they celebrate it.
Juneteenth National Independence Day is a time of celebration, but retailers need to truly understand what this day commemorates before planning events around it.
We get so many holidays wrong. Memorial Day isn’t about mattress sales or barbecues, but you’d never know it from how it’s marketed. Ask random people what Memorial Day is and I guarantee you plenty will get it wrong.
Juneteenth has such deep meaning. I hope that retailers will commemorate this day with the honor and respect that it deserves.
This year with Juneteenth being celebrated on Monday it will have a much bigger impact on retail than next year when it falls on a Wednesday. Retailer’s must focus on encouraging their team members to celebrate and honoring the reason for the Holiday. It will be a difficult holiday for retailers to plan based on its proximity to Fathers day and being a Holiday that moves across the weekday year over year. As federal holidays go this will probably the least impactful to retailers bottom line.
One major retailer executive told me in March, that Juneteenth will simply be another national holiday for government workers and a small segment of the private sector, and it won’t make much difference in retail sales.
The same retail executive said that after a while consumers get fatigued with all the special days. He said the year begins with Martin Luther King Day, then the entire month of February is Black History Month, and then Juneteenth.