Last-Minute Readiness

Customers increasingly are challenging the clock with last-minute purchases. Sometimes your marketing efforts drive last-minute purchases, but the trend is occurring even in companies that don't encourage it.

For instance, customers have been shopping later in the season for the past few years with jewelry and home décor cataloger Ross-Simons. "We don't promote last-minute sales, but we make it a feature," says Ross-Simons spokesperson Dante Bellini. "If you order by a certain date, we guarantee that you will receive the gift by the holiday."