Retailers sharpening their pencils for back-to-school test
JULY 20, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
* Retailers will use the season to gauge consumers’ mood and try new sales strategies ahead of the holiday season
As shoppers head to stores for back-to-school clothes and supplies, retailers will be studying their every move and treating the season as a practice test for their final exams — the fourth-quarter holiday sales.
For national retailers, the back-to-school shopping season beginning in mid-July and running through mid-September is when they give new marketing strategies a trial run and assess the mood of the consumer before launching their holiday promotions.
Last year, retailers expected more-robust spending, and lower-than-expected demand left them with unsold inventory they had to clear out at deep discounts. Those discounts caused some shoppers to grab fall markdowns as Christmas gifts, and that hurt holiday sales.
At a time when retail is changing dramatically, with shoppers demanding the same service and deals whether they are in a store, on their computer or on their phone, back-to-school is a time for retailers to “get things ironed out prior to the holiday season itself,” said Dave Richards, senior managing director for the global consulting firm Accenture Retail.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/facing-back-to-school-test-1.1054266#sthash.KcoY8CeT.dpuf
