We are two weeks into January, and you have probably already been exposed to a number of sales advertisements. “SALE” lights up and flashes everywhere. Now the stores want you to buy a lot – and believe that you are making a good offer.
But how good are the offers – only a month and a half after this year’s big sales week – Black Week?
– It is of course possible to make some good purchases during the January sale, but the chance of hitting the mark is greater during Black Week, says Are Vittersø, Norwegian manager for the comparison service Prisjakt.
– Many of the products that are on sale now are also on sale in other periods during the year, so there are few unique offers, he points out.
– Do not let yourself be stressed by promotions
Vittersø refers to the price development in the last two months. All prices get a pretty good drop during Black Week and Black Friday, and then go up again, before getting a small drop again during Christmas and January sales.
– But this is minimal if you compare with the end of November. This trend is consistent in all previous years as well, he says.
If we compare the prices now with the prices on November 1, however, we see that the prices are about one percent lower now – if we see all products in all categories in one.
Vittersø believes that the price statistics are proof that it is a good idea to check the price history of a product, to check if you are making a good purchase.
– It also says something about the fact that you do not necessarily have to be stressed by offer campaigns for fear of not getting the same offer again, he says.
Also read: Christmas shopping amounted to almost NOK 130 billion
These categories stand out
There are two categories that stand out the most in the price history. There are cell phones and beauty products.
– These categories are a little below average, but still not as good as during Black Week, says Vittersø.
He also points out that the beauty category also consists of a number of products that fluctuate greatly in price, and have many ups and downs during the year.
– So even though beauty products seem to have good January sales, these are products that are most likely to be put down again in other periods as well, Vittersø points out.
Also read: You must never do this in a job interview with the Nille boss: – That is the worst thing
Fewer offers in January
Amund Espelien, general manager of the price comparison service Prisguiden, also says that there are fewer offers in January than in the last week of November. He still believes there are many good offers now.
As of now, 1100 of a total of 7000 offers in the Price Guide are record cheap.
– In other words, there are many good offers to choose from, even though the number of offers is somewhat lower than in Black Week and during the Christmas sale, he says.
At the January sales, however, there are often a number of other items than what we usually see in Black Week, Espelien points out.
– Right now, the categories “Clothes and shoes”, “Sports and leisure” and “Appliances” have the most offers, he says.
– Limited what customers can believe in
NHH professor Øystein Foros says that it is limited how many times a year you can have sales before it loses credibility.
– There is a limit to what you can get customers to believe in – that it is more important to shop today than later, he says to Nettavisen.
However, this is especially true for products you buy on a rare occasion, which should be for several years, such as skis, refrigerators and slalom shoes.
When the industry establishes clear sales periods, it is a double-edged sword for them, Foros believes.
– When prices are very low during these campaigns, many people move their consumption until then. Black Week has probably taken over for the Christmas sales and the January sales. It is in a way negative for the industry, he says.
Foros explains that in previous years, the shops sold slalom shoes at full price before Christmas, because people bought Christmas presents, and consumers thought it was annoying that the shoes went on sale over Christmas.
But at the same time, he thinks people can be a little less price sensitive before Christmas, because you should buy Christmas presents anyway. However, he points out that it may be a good idea to check the price history before buying expensive things that will last a long time, to see if you are “tricked” by the January sale or if there is actually a better offer now than during Black Week.
–
