Flash Sale Sites Lead to Full-Price Purchases

Flash sites like Gilt can grab attention when their emails land in your inbox. Flash sales like the Jason Wu for Target can grab media attention when they hit the stores. But when you look through a Gilt and find most of the stuff isn't what you'd want anyways you stop browsing (pun intentional).

When shoppers show up at a Target for the flash sale to be disappointed, the brand loses equity and customers, as I wrote in my blog.

Gilt and Rue La La have laid off people and the furor over daily discount sites seems to be ebbing. The serious shoppers showing up in your bricks and mortar stores are there to buy something they can't live without, not respond like rats to the cheese for the deal. Premium luxury brands should take heart from that.

Bob Phibbs, President/CEO, The Retail Doctor & Associates

The data presented in the article leads me to believe that flash sales of luxury items could help lift full price luxury over time. When a customer gets a taste of a luxury brand, they want more. The key to flash sale marketing is moderation and a mix of marketing approaches. Flash sales can be used as part of the solution for a luxury brand to grow their user base and acceptance, but needs to be mixed with other approaches.

I would be interested in understanding how luxury brands follow up with flash sale buyers. Do they promote another sale, or do they promote the luxury brand as an experience and drive consumers to full price web sites? The later is the approach I would use.

John Boccuzzi, Jr., SVP National Retail Sales, Affinion Group

When a woman wants a high-style COACH purse, she wants an authentic high-style COACH purse ... and she is willing to pay a high price for the assurance that she will be getting the "real" thing.

Flash sites are tempting to such a customer, but not so much as the trust that the product is authentic and not a second. That trust emerges mainly from the parent company ... and the stores are fun to shop in.

Gene Hoffman, President/CEO, Corporate Strategies International

This research indicates that sales are up; little more. In 2009 and 2010, flash sales sites burst onto the scene, drawing great consumer interest. Those sites could not sustain 100% year over year growth. At the same time, sales were down, if not depressed, at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Consumers have been trained to look for deals. That does not mean that they won't buy at full price.

It's overall good news that consumers seem to be spending again. Let's see how retailers adapt their promotional strategies.

Max Goldberg, Founding Partner, The Radical Clarity Group

The meteoric growth of luxury flash sale sites like Gilt was the direct result of the perfect storm that occurred fourth quarter 2008. Too much supply and too little demand resulted in a whole bunch of cheap, high-end goods sold at fire sale prices. The normal brick and mortar overstock discount retailers couldn't handle the load and the internet entrepreneurs were there to take up the slack.

Luxury retailers took a shellacking on margins and a lot of luxury buyers started questioning the value behind the high prices they were paying at full retail. It seemed like full retail luxury was dead and the discount flash site was on a straight line trajectory up.

But, like most straight line thinking, it just hasn't panned out that way. Turns out the real luxury consumer still values quality and will pay for it. Add a little scarcity into the mix and, voila, it's a little bit of 2007 again; luxury consumers buying luxury goods at full price.

So, while online flash sites will continue to exist and even grow in some cases, their success will be more the result of the fact that they are giving the luxury brands another channel to sell off their overstocks than an entry point for the true luxury consumer.

Marge Laney, President, Alert Technologies, Inc.

I think flash site sales lead consumers to full price luxury purchases. The consumer gets exposure to the luxury brand then the "NEED IT NOW" behavior leads them to a full price purchase.

Using the example above, the consumer might have three Marc NY dresses in her closet, but one she paid full price for because she needed it for an event. Same with me; while I love the deal, it may not sync up with timing of when I need the merchandise.

Robert DiPietro, VP Product Services, Affinion Group

My uncle owned a Chevy dealership for 30 years. His business mantra was "If I can get you here, I can get you." This marketing philosophy goes doubly for luxury/indulgence categories. People already know they want the merchandise but they also know they don't need it, so they try to stay out of harm's way. But those flash sale sites (or anything else that screams "but you can get such a good deal on me today!") lowers those barriers. And once the fish swims into the net....

Ben Ball, Senior Vice President, Dechert-Hampe

Consumers flocking to luxury stores and paying full price are shopping on brand -- something Apple and Coach successfully implemented at anchored malls.

I bought an expensive luxury designer item at a web site -- the experience was nothing like going to North Michigan Ave in Chicago, the salesperson in a suit fetching it and personally wrapping it up and the look on other people's faces as I left with the luxury branded bag.

I think flash deals should probably be relegated to stores like Norstrom Rack, TJ Maxx or Marshalls, IMO....

Ed Dunn, Founder, (Stealth Operation)

A classic chicken/egg research problem: Although this fact may be true, there's no evidence that flash caused the increase. It's likely that luxury sites choose flash because their agencies think it's cool. But any sales increases have many other explanations -- including the reality that sites that invest in flash very likely do so as a RESULT of their success in which case flash is not the cause of it.

Shame for publishing flaky research. I recommend a solid reading of "The Halo Effect" which shows the tremendous flaws in business research like this.

Doug Garnett, Founder & CEO, Atomic Direct

Fashion is emotional. The latest styles are more attractive than leftover sale items. The higher-end the fashions, the more this is true. Hence, the successful conversion of high-end fashion retailers of full-price transactions.

Differentiation leads to loyalty. Loyalty drives purchases. When a shopper is targeted with the latest style, that are attractive to her/him, then the purchase is executed.

This isn't rocket science, as opposed to other aspects of retailing. The bargain hunters will remain bargain hunters. The fashion-forward shopper will be the first to dive in and pay full price.

Ralph Jacobson, Global Consumer Products Industry Marketing Executive, IBM

Without question: flash sale sites train customers not to pay full price more than they lead them to full-price luxury purchases. The only exception is the true luxury customer who sees and knows the difference between promotional goods and the real thing(s).

There are too many flash sale sites offering too many goods that are more befitting an off-price retailer than a luxury merchant. But then again, most retailers are pursuing a discount strategy above all else anyway. Just look at Neiman Marcus!

Phil Rubin, CEO, rDialogue