The snowstorm that blanketed much of the eastern U.S. washed out "Super Saturday" for many stores in those regions and apparently caused some retailers to rethink final-days marketing strategies.
The last Saturday before Christmas is said to be the biggest shopping day of the year an estimated $15 billion spent. The Northeastern corridor, stretching from Virginia to Massachusetts, accounts for at least 25 percent of those sales, The Wall Street Journal reported. Still, many reports showed the sales over the weekend were solid across other parts of the country.
To combat any lost sales, some retailers may extend promotions into Monday and Tuesday to attract shoppers, NRF spokeswoman Ellen Davis told Bloomberg.
Target as well as Borders extended store hours in states affected by the storm through Wednesday. "The majority of our stores in hard hit areas will open one hour earlier than originally planned and remain open until midnight," Troy Risch, its executive vice president of stores told the Journal. Some retailers, such as Macy's, already had planned to be open round-the-clock in select regions during the final week.
With many retailers touting online specials early Saturday morning with guaranteed Christmas delivery, online sales are also expected to benefit by being able to reach snowed-in shoppers. Many are offering extra incentives for procrastinators. Amazon, on Tuesday, extended free one-day shipping on all Kindle orders for shipment in the continental United States made on December 23rd.
A few speculated whether the storm could increase the importance of post-Christmas sales. On Monday, Target said all stores nationwide will be open from 7 a.m. on December 26 while JC Penney said stores would open at 5 a.m. - the earliest opening on the day after Christmas in its history.
The International Council of Shopping Centers stuck by its estimate calling for holiday sales to rise one percent.
"At this time
of year, bad weather does not generally reduce demand," said chief economist
Michael Niemira told Dow Jones Newswire. "It shifts it to another
time. The rest of this week will be crucial."
The National Retail Federation likewise kept its forecast that retail sales would fall one percent this holiday season, noting that any drop-off in the East won't overly hamper large retailers' national sales.
Scott Krugman, spokesman for NRF, also said the online option helps buffer any shortfalls.
"Retailers have really invested in creating a true multi-channel strategy and this is when it comes in handy," Mr. Krugman said. "If this had happened ten years ago, it would be a lot worse."
Discussion Questions: How do you think last weekend's storms affected holiday selling? How can post-Christmas selling and online be used to the best advantage? Overall, what last-days strategies do you think optimize holiday selling?