Bath & Body Works’ semi-annual sale ‘fell short of our expectations’
Check out the article...it's an interesting read.
My Thoughts about The Semi-Annual Sales:
The two Semi-Annual Sales (summer) and (after holiday) all begin with what is offered ALL YEAR long to become some of the offerings at the sales.
Pricing: Inflation or not, there has to be a point somewhere that you realize raising prices isn't the way to go to keep your core shoppers. We are noticing the regular pricing going up and up and while there are those occasional Body Care sale pricing events, the regular pricing plays a big part in SAS shopping when things go to a "percentage off" on sale.
And while we are on pricing... can I just say.... have we had enough with the faceted body care bottle packaging and the crystal look cut caps? It stops being a luxury item or special when EVERYTHING falls into that much higher price packaging.
It was great when Forever Red came back in it for Holiday...but I feel very few fragrances feel like they should be in that package. Next we're going to see Warm Vanilla Sugar in it. Or did we already?? Keep that special packaging for a Holiday Signature Release. And maybe a Mother's Day Special release.
And please, try and control the price bouncing that happens. Day one this price, day two higher...then lower. Set a price....sell down....reduce pricing lower and clear out...next floor set.
Availability: Load up the stores with products like you once did. We are noticing the lack of merchandise sent to stores. I speak of a simple Bath and Body Works store that still has the red awnings with checkerboard wallpaper searching for a quaint feel. Boy, do I miss the glycerine chunk soap bars. Nostalgia.
Distract us from the look of the old floor that was there since the mall was created and noticeably hasn't been updated since, with stacks and stacks of items. These kinds of stores always seem to lack the same merchandise that the bigger WB/BBW stores have. Those who shop these older stores feel like we are missing out and rightfully so when we see what's shared on social. Not everyone shops for body care so hit us with things we can supplement our purchases with.
Gone are the days with an overwhelming collection of Home Decor items...and I am not meaning $45 bare flower stems sticking out of a $70 vase. I mean those ceramic figural dust catchers filled with our favorite candle scents. Heartland.
Load up the stores with VARIOUS brands to collab with. Don't make us wait months hoping for another. We have had three already. Can we please have a WEDNESDAY collab for next Halloween? I mean I made a whole list of things including fragrance names...haha for it. Help yourself. Oh, and while I am on that subject...let's move the whole Halloween release stuff to say...late August.
Look at Goose Creek and all of the brands for candles they collab with. Pop Tarts Even!
Holiday is coming, will we have some kind of Grinch, ELF, Frosty, something Holiday-ish? I didn't buy the ELF candles from GC hoping that we could have something cute here. People are loyal to your brand...help us stay loyal.
Mother's Day is a perfect time to add special packaging/lids/labels for Mom in fragrances and patterns they might like. Lily Pulitzer is having a huge sale this week...I love Lily P......Mom's like Vera....., I like some of Vera's things....Vera Bradley is collabing with everyone. We need things that make great gifts....not only overpriced cardboard boxes with a set of three forms of body care in it. Toss a scarf in there, change purse, wallet...etc. What about an ice cream collection of scents for the gourmand lovers. Summer Boardwalk. Coastal collections. Beekman 1802 Collab was with Nestle's Toll House, Cookies and Milk single fragrance in all forms.
Okay, Back to the SAS thoughts.
Marketing: I've thought it since day one of the Bridgerton floor set release....it didn't fly out of the stores because of poor placement of the tables. Location, Location, Location!!!!!
It should have been at the front entry in every store. And it should have had more body care...but I digress. SAS needs to smother the store in Red and Yellow SALE Signage ---- Yellow rubber duckies everywhere....hey collab. with the duckies. Make Duckie Tote Bags to buy, Candles, Home Decor, Wallflowers, Pocketbac Holders, Pocketbac refills....Lip Balms....you get the idea. What would a yellow duckie fragrance smell like? No, not rubber. Amber Woods??? Juicy Fruit, spicey...vanilla???
Bags....my store didn't have a sas paper duckie bag to give me when I went to check out at the cash wrap. They run out of paper bags often. Every holiday should offer at cash wrap a paper themed bag to take your purchase home in - I loved my Halloween Bag and Mother's Day special bag.
And why not sell more canvas branded bags.... I have some canvas bags still from the Fresh Picked era. I still use those fold up nylon feel bags you once sold for all holidays and everyday. I use those every day.
Target marketing for the sale earlier with bounce backs in the bag. Coupon on it, or not...get the word out. Don't count on the SAS mailer coupon to be delivered. They don't always make it to the mailbox.
Listen: to your core shoppers. They ask over and over and over again what they want brought back and receive the same scripted response that they will "tell the team." Um, where is this team exactly because they aren't being told. Dig into the archives of fragrances that sold above and beyond your expectations and compare those with the daily list of Bring It Back fragrances people ask for. Why leave the secondary markets sell off old fragrances from under Nana's sink cabinet at high costs to people desperate to enjoy something they miss??
Bring back the true Fall Traditions fragrances; the Holiday Traditions always make it back. Give us Destinations fragrances again...and expand on the scents more than the same old scents with different names. Paris, Italy....these were some of my favorite collections that I spent the most shopping for.
Fill the store all year, so that when the SAS time comes...the tables are stocked. And maybe limit the sale for 1 Week. Day one fragrances get cleared out quick and then it seems like forever before the next floor set hits and the store is empty looking. Supply enough fragrance mists to last. They always sell out first.
And when you want to bring back fragrances --- add in a few special surprises for the bring backs.
TRUE BLUE Everything!!!
Aroma everything!!!
Leaves
Autumn
Orchard Leaves & Blue Sky
Among the Clouds
Velvet Sugar
Freesia
Hibiscus Paradise
Wild Honeysuckle
Black Amethyst
Saltwater Breeze
Sunset Glow
Forever Sunshine
Golden Sunflower
Dark Kiss
Endless Weekend
Sunshine Mimosa
Summer Melody
Sensual Amber
White Tea & Ginger
Midsummer Dream
Cucumber Melon
Pink Chiffon
Paris Amour
Honey Wildflower
Beautiful Day
Poppy
Lovely Dreamer
Amber & Argan
One In A Million
Plumeria
Pearberry
Country Chic
French Lavender & Honey
Sunripened Raspberry
Brown Sugar & Fig
Mango Mandarin
Juniper Breeze
When you do the Purchase with Purchase sales --- the kind you offer at Black Friday, Super Saturday, and an occasional Spring/Fall Sale...... change it up. If your promoting a New Release fragrance, not everyone will be able to wear the scent, or want what's in the bag/box.
I am not a big fan of the boxes....I like something I can reuse, gift, and not fill the recycle bin with.
Again... I like the totes.... Could we ever try to offer the tote....with "Your Choice Of" body lotion, body wash, fragrance mist, hand soap, pocketbac core holder, pocketbac refill.
We have done those Fill a tote sales before and whatever fits inside it was a 40% off price on those items.
Why not a fill a holiday tote with those select forms? I'm not talking shimmer mists and body scrubs and all the high price stuff. The basic core items in a choice people like to eliminate the "exchange procession" that always seem to happen after Black Friday.
If we can't get a Your Choice ---I am looking forward to seeing the Holiday Perfect in Pink Signature Body Care and Home Fragrance Collection launch and hope it is offered in a pretty pink tote for Black Friday.
There is so much more that can be thought of to do to make a clearance sale fulfill your expectations. Start with what your customers are asking for...and if you didn't deliver it in floor sets all year, surprise them with it at sale.