If national forecasters are correct, this holiday season should be a little brighter for area retailers. And retailers everywhere seem to be pulling out all the stops to beat last year’s holiday revenues.
The National Retail Federation partnered with BIGResearch to conduct a survey of likely holiday shoppers and found that this year’s gift-givers plan to spend an average of $688.87 on holiday-related items, up from $681.83 in 2009. Overall, the NRF expects holiday sales to increase 2.3 percent to $447.1 billion. The survey polled 8,767 consumers and was conducted Oct. 5–12.
National shopper-traffic counter, ShopperTrak, predicts a 2.9 percent increase in retail sales for the 2010 holiday season. Those numbers are derived from statistics compiled by the U.S. Commerce Department and ShopperTrak’s own intelligence on shopper movement and sales statistics.
“All the predictions for our industry seem to think there will be some increase,” said Fred Terry, co-owner and operations manager for Lawrence Photo & Video on South Campbell Avenue. “It may be that it won’t be as much as some manufacturers would have you believe, but I certainly bought for an increase.”
Terry is optimistic that Lawrence Photo will experience a 5 percent increase in holiday purchases compared to last year.
“We are up for the year, and that’s been tremendously encouraging,” Terry said, noting that annual sales are up 8 percent through Nov. 1 despite a dip the last two months.
Of course, all retail eyes are on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which has collected the highest revenues of any day on the calendar the last four years, according to ShopperTrak. Lawrence Photo has taken out a variety of ads in print and on television to attract the Black Friday crowds, Terry said.
Lawrence Photo won’t open shop before dawn as some retailers are known to do, but Terry said his store will operate 8 a.m.–8 p.m on Black Friday, and an additional 5 hours per week during the holiday season.
One trend that has caught the attention of many would-be Black Friday shoppers is the leaked ads that several Web sites now share before the marketing blitz hits, according to Kathy Grannis, a spokesperson for the NRF.
Web sites such as
www.blackfriday.org,
www.blackfriday.info, and
www.black-friday.net already have released details on featured discounted items for like Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and other big-box stores.
“Leaked Black Friday ads are something we’ve only seen in the last five to 10 years,” Grannis said. “To get ahead of that, many retailers are now using social networking sites to announce to their customers what their ads are going to be.”
Black Friday promotions by Springfield-based Bass Pro Shops have appeared leaked on a few Web sites.
Among the reported specials: a RedHead fleece jacket for $19.94, a Browning graphite fishing rod for $88.88 and an Eagle fishermen’s GPS for $229.
Bass Pro’s Manager of Communications Larry Whiteley said the company has been reaching out to its customers for the last four years by hosting its Great Turkey Campout.
“It begins at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and customers are invited to bring their tents and camp out on the parking lot if they want,” Whiteley said.
As part of the event, campers have access to hot cocoa and s’mores, and a Bass Pro Shop gift card will be given away every half-hour. Camp out attendees also can enter a drawing for a chance to win a one-year lease of a 2011 Toyota Highlander or a Coleman tent and grill package.
In addition, Bass Pro’s flagship Outdoor World store on South Campbell Avenue will host Santa’s Wonderland through Dec. 24. At designated times, children can take a photo with Santa for free, play arcade games and drive a kid’s train in the holiday-themed area.
Whiteley said the company’s continued efforts to be a destination retailer have helped keep its profits afloat during the recession. While he declined to disclose revenue goals, he predicted this year would exceed last year’s sales.
“If we keep on the pace that we are on, we will be very pleased,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]
