What makes a great sale?

A discussion I had last week at the Shop.org Digital Summit in Philadelphia found its way around to the constant barrage of e-mails, commercials and other communications that consumers receive about the latest sales event from retailers selling everything from armoires to zucchini. How many of these events really stand out in the mind of consumers and result in more than a short-term gain (traffic, sales, profits)? The answer based on the small group discussion was: not very many.

In grocery, it was suggested that Publix's BOGO private label sales met the criteria of a promotion that worked in both the short and long-term. ShopRite's (Wakefern) Can-Can sale, which promotes its private label canned goods line, was also mentioned as good program. The group found it interesting that the examples that came to mind involved private labels and not national brands.

In truth, our small group struggled to come up with examples of sales events that were real difference makers. Perhaps the criteria was too stringent?

Thinking back to younger years, the one promotion that stood out for me was Barneys New York's annual warehouse sale. Working in advertising in my mid-twenties at a firm where clothes were believed to make the man or woman, it gave me the opportunity to wear higher quality suits without breaking the bank.

The Barneys event, in my mind, qualified as a great sale for several reasons:

1. It provided a clear perception of value that persuaded large crowds of people to shop;
2. It regularly fell at the same time on the calendar, leading shoppers to plan their shopping trips on an annual basis;
3. The quality of clothing introduced "aspirational" buyers to Barneys, with a percentage eventually trading up to its regular apparel as their careers and incomes advanced.