Why Do Clothing Retailers Constantly Offer Discounts?

CAMDEN, U.K. - Oct. 13, 2013 - PRLog -- We all at some point take advantage of these discounts whether it is for 10% off flights or 50% off lingerie with free delivery thrown in and we make no apologies for having offers on women’s clothing on our own website and via the usual social media sites such as Face Book and Twitter.

But what does this say about the brands? Does the fact that some retailers seem to have permanent sales and offers de-value their brand? Does the information “we have extended our sale for another seven days” reek of desperation or is it just a clever psychological way to get shoppers to keep buying before the bargains dry up?

We represent top quality retailers on our website, some offer discounts and others don`t so each retailer obviously sees their products and business models in a different way.

Many retailers will offer a discount for a new shopper to their store website or once you have signed up to their newsletter but could this then be misconstrued that this is really the correct price they should be paying in the first place and the original price was just hiked up to allow them to offer a reduced price?

It seems that in quite a few industries there is basically a permanent discount situation where nobody ever pays or expects to pay the correct price for their goods.

In the clothing industry, this could be a correct tactic since it is heavily lead by what is fashionable. There is no real need for clothing manufacturers to make products last for a certain length of time since the buyer is likely to wear it for just a season then it goes to the back of the wardrobe or to a charity shop to be replaced by the next latest thing.

This is where buying at discount prices has its advantages for the buyer. They are not buying the product because they want it to last for years and they can hand it down to their children. No, they may see that a dress that was £70 is now available at £15 in a flash sale so they go for it as it will be ideal for the party they will be attending next week.

Once it has been worn it will probably be consigned to the scrap heap.

Not so if you are buying a new designer watch or coat or something of high value. It is very seldom that you would see any of the top designer watches, coats or jewelry on sale or a voucher code arriving in your inbox saying “guess what, we have extended our sale on diamond rings so instead of you paying £12600, you only pay £11400”.

What a bargain and how could anyone pass on this fabulous discount? Well you would have to miss out because this type of store would not offer discounts. Their marketing approach will be based upon value selling so they expect that anyone interested in buying their products will expect it to last longer or hold its value better or will be 3 times shinier than its nearest competitor.

There are certain products that will always be discounted and products that will never be discounted as there is no need to as the demand is always there so why discount?

If you are offering a niche product there is no need to compete on price with the others as there are quite often customers who are willing to wait for delivery of their purchase as it may be a handcrafted pair of leather shoes or a bespoke necklace that is unobtainable from any other supplier.

In this instance the retailer would be crazy to offer any discounts.

If they were competing against fifty other suppliers of handcrafted leather shoes whose quality and delivery were all similar, then you have guessed it, the retailers will have to offer incentives as a reason to buy so then commences a price war were none of the retailers really wins.

Eventually, neither do their customers as sooner or later, companies go under as they cannot operate at the reduced margins forced upon them so competition becomes less so prices go back up.

So will discounts ever stop? No, there will always be companies tempted by this technique and there will always be customers willing to take them up on their offers and if a company goes bust, another one will take its place which is the way of the world in a free market.

It is our opinion that if you want that real bargain, look for the middle ground companies sat between the “sell at any price quantity over quality” and the niche “ you will pay what we say you will pay” companies.

These companies will very often have genuine reductions on stock that is no longer the latest trend for the season so they are simply shifting their products.

You will know who these retailers are because it will be a surprise when you see that they are having a sale and it is probably over six months not 6 minutes since their last one.

If you have any comments on this article or women`s fashion and lifestyle please contact us via our website http://www.abiento.co.uk/