Several stores that news has spoken to report good sales figures in Christmas. – We are experiencing very good numbers compared to the same period last year, says Madeleine Schøyen Bergly, communications manager at Elkjøp. But even though the room Christmas sale has for a number of years pulled customers off the sofa in the days between Christmas Eve and New Year, it is no longer the low prices they are looking for, we are to believe the customers. Buy by need, not price – What, is it a sale? Halvor Spetalen asks wide-eyed. He is one of several news spoke to in the search to find people who went out of their homes to secure cheap white goods this Christmas. The leper is looking for a new TV, because his daughter has complained that the colors are too bad on his old one. – It’s probably too heavy for me to take it with me today, says Halvor Spetalen, who will have a TV whether it’s on sale or not. Photo: Milana Knezevic / news – And then I’m getting so old that I need a bigger screen, says Spetalen and smiles in his beard. But the rum Christmas sale, no, he hasn’t caught on to that at all. The staff steps over and points to a TV screen where the refusal is mentioned. – Oh yes, it wasn’t so easy to see, says Spetalen. news visited three different electronics stores, but did not meet anyone who was primarily looking for a good deal. – A saturation in the market Researcher at Oslo Met, Arne Dulsrud, believes that the customers’ reports to news are due to a saturation in the market. It has not been long since the last big sale, namely Black Friday. – If you have had many of these types of campaigns, it is also a form of saturation of the market, says the researcher. He believes that the increase in several large sales campaigns is making the consumer more bored. – I would say that the more these types of campaigns you get, the more tired the consumer gets, says researcher at Oslo Met, Arne Dulsrud to news. Photo: OsloMet – I would say that the more these types of campaigns you get, the more tired the consumer gets, says Dulsrud. According to Dulsrud, part of the more general strategy of large chains is campaign-driven. This means that their purchases are planned with the big sales and campaigns in mind, and that a higher price is kept for the rest of the year. – Yes, and you can say that the more such campaigns you have, the more consumers may start to wonder about the underlying strategy, says Dulsrud. Sale or no sale Several of those news meets at room Christmas shopping have simply been unlucky. – My washing machine smoked on Christmas Day, so I panicked a bit, says Hege Hansen. She wanted to secure a new one as soon as possible, in case there was a long delivery time. – Then it would be a good fit if there is some room Christmas sales in addition, says Hansen. – Would you have gone here to sell if yours hadn’t broken? – No, I wouldn’t have done that. Hege Hansen is happy when she realizes that she will have her clothes washed for the New Year. Photo: Milana Knezevic / news Another customer says that he is on the same errand, he too because the machine stopped working at Christmas. He needs a machine, sale or no sale. A woman with two younger generations in tow is going to buy a new TV. – On Christmas Eve, my television failed, and then I was out driving, says Elisabeth Steen. It is important for her to be able to watch TV during Christmas and she therefore wants to make a quick trade. – Price does matter, but I have to have a proper television as well. Whether it’s for sale or not, says Steen. On Christmas Eve, Elisabeth Steen’s TV stopped showing pictures. She wants a new one as soon as possible. Photo: Milana Knezevic / news Campaign-driven At the electrical giant Power, the Christmas and January sales are important periods for the chain. Due to competition concerns, we cannot see the turnover, but the chain’s communications manager, Monica Iren Fasting, reports that online sales so far this Christmas have more than doubled compared to last year. Communications manager at Power International says that interest in their campaigns has been great throughout the autumn. Photo: Power International AS She also says that customers like to pay close attention to the offers when their wallets get tighter, and that they have seen that trend for quite some time. – The customers are there, but they are far more aware of campaigns and prices, says Fasting. This is also confirmed by the communications manager at Elkjøp. – These are challenging times in Norwegian retail, but at the same time we see that our customers adapt and are happy to shop when the offers are good, as in this period, says Bergly. New rules for sale goods in Norway state that they must have had a higher price for at least thirty days in order for them to be advertised with a sale price. Dulsrud recommends that customers check the price history on, for example, prisjakt.no to see if they are actually getting a good deal.
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Room Christmas sales: Good numbers despite expensive times
