Retail giant Macy's resurrects 'Summer Black Friday' discount promotions
Macy's, Target, and Walmart are transforming the traditional summer sales landscape by blending extended sales periods, data-driven personalization, and emotional branding strategies.
During this season, retailers are stretching traditional sale periods into longer events, such as Macy's "Black Friday in July" and Target's "Back-to-School-idays." These extended sales periods create a sustained shopping momentum, providing customers with a wider window to take advantage of the deals.
To further enhance the shopping experience, retailers are leveraging AI and consumer data to tailor offers and shopping experiences in real-time. This can include personalized discounts, curated product recommendations, and adaptive marketing campaigns that respond to shopper behavior patterns.
Strategic holiday positioning is another key strategy. Retailers are not just offering discounts during these sales events, but also creating emotional connections with customers. This involves carefully emphasizing certain holidays and tailoring marketing messages accordingly to build customer loyalty and drive quick sales.
A multi-channel approach is also being employed, with promotions driving traffic both in stores and online. There is evidence that midweek visits increase during these events as shoppers target big-ticket items, reflecting strategic timing of personalization and incentives to maximize conversion.
Summer sales also serve as stress tests for pricing models and supply chains, encouraging dynamic adjustment of deals based on consumer demand and competitive positioning.
Macy's, for instance, reported a 31% increase in credit card revenue for Q1, reaching $154 million. However, the company's Q1 net sales fell about 5% year over year to $4.6 billion, and Q1 comps declined 1.2%. To counter this, Macy's is offering holiday-inspired deals and exclusive offers in July, aiming to drive sales and volume.
Target is currently running its "Back-to-School-idays" sales event from Sunday through Aug. 2, offering deals on clothing for men, women, kids, accessories, jewelry, beauty, and home. The event coincides with Amazon's Prime Day, indicating a competitive approach to summer sales.
Walmart, too, launched a five-day mega summer sales event on Thursday. The availability of consumer data has opened up new opportunities for retailers to tap into shopper data, enabling them to offer more targeted and personalized shopping experiences.
In summary, Macy’s, Target, and Walmart are personalizing summer shopping experiences by combining longer, strategically positioned sales events with AI-driven, data-informed personalized marketing and merchandising that target shopper preferences and behaviors, enhancing engagement during key seasonal moments.
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/06/23/how-retailers-are-adapting-to-a-new-world-of-summer-sales/?sh=6d59623a5e8a [2] https://www.fierceretail.com/retail/how-retailers-are-making-the-most-of-back-to-school-sales [3] https://www.retaildive.com/news/how-retailers-are-adapting-to-a-new-world-of-summer-sales/611176/ [4] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/06/23/how-retailers-are-adapting-to-a-new-world-of-summer-sales/?sh=6d59623a5e8a [5] https://www.retaildive.com/news/how-retailers-are-using-ai-to-personalize-the-shopping-experience/604110/
- The summer sales landscape is being reformulated by retailers like Macy's, Target, and Walmart, who are integrating extended sales periods, data-driven personalization, and emotional branding strategies.
- To boost shopping momentum during this season, retailers are elongating traditional sale periods into events such as Macy's "Black Friday in July" and Target's "Back-to-School-idays," providing customers with a broader period to avail of deals and discounts.
- To improve the shopping experience, these retailers are employing AI and consumer data to deliver personalized offers, recommendations, and marketing campaigns, thereby enhancing the lifestyle and home-and-garden shopping experiences.
- During these sales events, retailers are strategically positioning themselves for elections and deals, aiming to create emotional connections with customers, grow their base, and generate quick sales — a testament to the digital transformation in the retail sector.
