We’re all familiar with this marketing tactic, whether it be in retail stores or online businesses – the suggestion is that if you buy NOW you’ll save a bundle of money. Are they real, and if so who do they benefit?
Well, if the advertised special really was limited to the date range advertised, it could be argued that the customer benefits – by buying at a lower price than they might pay a few weeks later (for example).
However, how many times have you come back next week only to find that there’s a whole new “Weekly Special” that effectively offers the same deal – just the wording has changed. Last week’s offering may have been called the “President’s Day Special”, and this week’s offer might be the “Super Bowl Special” (or some other “occasion du jour”). In most cases, the offers are otherwise identical – so what does this tell us?
It tells us that the seller thinks we’re all stupid and/or gullible. They’re preying on the natural human reaction to a “bargain”, but the bargain really doesn’t exist. If it did, it wouldn’t be the same price all year round, would it? And if the seller can price their goods at (say) 10% less every time they publish a “Special”, doesn’t that suggest that their “list prices” are too high to start with?
The other disrespectful part of this tactic is that many online stores require you to enter some special code into the Checkout process to get the special price. This “extra step” therefore puts the obligation on YOU to remember to enter the code or you miss out. Some online ordering processes can be complicated enough as it is – without adding an extra requirement that some customers will undoubtedly forget to do.
Or maybe that’s the intention after all. Maybe it’s a subtle variation of the old “bait and switch” technique.
At Wizard Labels, we prefer to be completely honest and transparent about our pricing – on the simple basis that good relationships are built on trust and respect. Our approach is to deliver superior value at competitive prices….EVERY DAY.
Get your instant online quote for Product Labels here. No need to enter any identifying information – just specify the label details and get your prices instantly.