Promotional Strategy

The idea of big savings for consumers on Black Friday may be nothing more than a "myth," according to a firm that specializes in tracking price points on behalf of the retail industry. 360pi Corp. is an Ottawa startup that tracked and recorded the pricing of more than 8,000 items offered at mainstream U.S. retailers between Nov. 15 and Dec. 2, a period that included last week's Black Friday sales. What the firm found was that not only are prices not competitive with those online, in some cases retailers raised average prices in anticipation of Black Friday shopping mobs.

Aggressive discounts on clothes and toys lured slightly more consumers into stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday this year, but budget-conscious shoppers spent less. Total spending from Thursday through Sunday fell 3 percent from a year earlier to $57.4 billion, with shoppers spending an average of $407.02, down 4 percent from $423.55 a year earlier, according to the National Retail Federation. The retail trade group said the number of people who went shopping over the four-day weekend that kicked off with Thanksgiving rose slightly to 141 million, up from 139 million last year. 

Apple earlier today launched its annual Black Friday sale, but rather than directly discount hardware, it's done for years, it offered gift cards of up to $150 with a purchase. And has become habitual, some resellers either slashed prices directly or bundled gift cards or larger amounts than Apple. 

According to eMarketer, online retail holiday sales will increase 15 percent this holiday season, seeing a rise from $53.7 billion in 2012 to $61.8 billion in 2013. With statistics like this, it's easy to understand the immense pressure that retailers feel to drive increased revenues during this time of year. However, building and getting more marketing campaigns out the door isn't the answer. Instead, marketers need to take a customer-centric approach to their holiday strategy, leveraging the data they have about their customers to individualize the customer journey.

Ad Age takes a look at one of the first Google pop-up locations in Manhattan.

A year-and-a-half-long gain in the U.S. housing market has led to an increasing number of consumers investing in remodeling efforts and, in turn, has benefitted Home Depot, which reported a stronger third quarter than investors expected. For the quarter, the company's revenue increased 7.4 percent to $19.5 billion, coming in above analysts’ average estimate of $19.2 billion. In addition, comparable store sales for U.S. stores increased 8.2 percent. Because of consumers increasing willingness to invest in home projects, the company saw the average purchase price per customer rise by 3 percent to $56.27.

Apple wants to make holiday shopping easier with the iPad's first-ever retail app, which comes loaded with features to make product discovery more seamless. The Apple Store for iPad is designed specifically for iOS 7, capitalizing on using gestures to find more products from Apple's online store. It essentially wraps up everything currently listed for sale on Apple.com and packages it up in one easy-to-navigate app. Since iPhone users typically use their devices to look up store directions and get information about products quickly, Apple created a different experience for the iPad with deeper swipe, zoom and gesture functionality.

Overstock.com now offers 24-hour flash sales starting at 10 a.m. MST, seven days a week. To power these flash sales, Overstock.com is searching its website for the most popular products in such categories as furniture, area rugs, bedding and electronics, then discounting them for a limited time up to 50 percent. The Daily Deals page shows a running countdown so that consumers know how long the flash sale will last (unless the product sells out first), and provides a sneak peek of upcoming deals. 

Holiday decorations have already been on display at retail stores for weeks, spreading the holiday cheer over longer than just November and December. Accounting for approximately 20 percent to 40 percent of retailers’ annual sales, it's no wonder they're making an effort to extend the holiday revenue spirit. In the run-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, retailers have few options to increase sales volume and revenue without conducting a major overhaul of their digital marketing strategy. They must think strategically about leveraging assets they already have, as well as after the festivities are over.

Just in time for Christmas, Amazon.com and the U.S. Postal Service are teaming to make "every day an Amazon prime delivery day." The e-retailer announced Monday that it will be rolling out Sunday delivery services in Los Angeles and New York to customers who are eligible for free, two-day shipping. In 2014, the service will be expanded to the broader U.S., to include such cities as Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix. For the cash-strapped Postal Service, news of more deliveries for one of the biggest retailers of the internet age can't be that bad.