The Power of Word of Mouth

Ever heard of the chain store DavidsTea?

Really cute, blue, has tons of teas and hundreds of stores throughout the United States and Canada? 

Well, after opening a location in Burlington, VT, just up the street from where I work, I finally decided to try the place out.

The store had initially caught my eye the few weeks before it opened, sporting a giant sign on the front saying, "Hey Ben, hey Jerry! Have you heard of David?" an instant call for competition, considering it opened up two stores down from the Ben & Jerry's on the corner of Cherry Street.  

However, I hadn't taken much thought in actually trying out the store myself; that is, until two DavidsTea employees strolled into the Bath & Body Works where I work with a goodie bag for all of us employees, filled with candy canes, small chocolates, and a coupon in the shape of a Christmas stocking for a free cup of tea.

Sporting matching bright blue parkas and DavidsTea beanies, the two employees were so cheerful and welcoming in presenting us with the bag of goodies. They spoke so highly of the new store that had just opened up down the street and when I complimented them on their parkas (which were absolutely adorable) one of them replied, "Thanks! The company got each of us employees one!"

A company that cares about their employees and shows great customer service even when I'm not in the store? Yeah, sold. 

 So yesterday during my lunch break, I decided to stroll down to DavidsTea to redeem my free cup of holiday tea, as promised by the coupon and the cheerful employees that brought them to my store. I strolled into the store, instantly awed by the display of tea and decor. I was once again greeted by a group of very happy and excited employees who took so much interest in it being my first time in the store; they offered me samples of their newest teas, provided recommendations on teas that they might think I like, and showed me a demonstration of their newest color-changing seasonal mugs.

Needless to say, a cup of tea and a purchase of 2 mugs for $24 later (hey, it was a BOGO deal that I just couldn't pass up), I can officially say I have jumped onto the DavidsTea bandwagon and it feels amazing! *takes sip from my new mug* 

Festivities and Flash Sales

If there is one thing I have discovered about my own consumer trends this year while taking marketing, it is that I am a sucker for flash sales.

I didn't even realize how bad it was until I found myself online shopping on a friday night, unwilling to leave my room because I knew leaving my shopping cart unattended for even five minutes would give the thousands of other girls, also online shopping in their dorm rooms somewhere else in this world, the opportunity to steal the last indigo crocheted crop top in a size medium that I had just taken an interest in.

Sounds crazy, right?

 I couldn't agree with you more.

You see, I thought flash sales were the bee knees, but after a certain reading in my marketing book, I discovered that flash sales, sales that involve cutting prices for only a few hours, often deceive customers about "the size of the deal they are getting or whether they are even getting one." Because these flash sales happen so quickly, consumers are unable to take the time to work out the math of the sale and can end up making "bad, snap-decision purchases.”

I can definitely relate.

As a college student, I really enjoy and appreciate a good deal or discount when it comes to shopping; I very rarely purchase anything full price, or so I think, and try my best to limit my spending when it comes to buying clothes.

  

Notorious for their affordable prices, Forever21 is one of the most popular retail chains amongst young women and men alike. They have a large selection of clothing with prices ranging from as low as $3.00 to $150.00, which I think is a great example of a Tiffany/Wal-Mart strategy, a form of marketing segmentation that “offers different variations of the same basic offering to high-end and low-end segments.”

Forever21 has online flash sales quite often, but they are only marketed to the consumers that are signed up to receive their daily emails. I believe this helps to create a trend of loyal consumers, which further promotes the 80/20 rule, “a concept that suggests 80 percent of a firm’s sales comes from 20 percent of its customers.”

Overall, flash sales have become, and are still becoming, a very successful form of promoting a firm’s use of online sales. Although they may offer very good deals, I am learning the importance of actually reflecting and figuring out the discount value before making snap-decision purchases and wasting my money on things that I don’t need.