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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

How to Approach Promotions This Holiday Season

Retailers sitting on piles of unsold merchandise have little choice but to ramp up discounts. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to attract bargain hunters.
Woman stands in front of Urban Outfitters store during Black Friday.
Retailers have little choice but to offer discounts earlier, wider and steeper this year. (Getty Images)

Forget Black Friday. This holiday season, if you’re timing your big sale to catch the post-Thanksgiving shopper, you’re weeks too late.

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Further Reading

Why Fashion Can’t Escape the Discount Cycle

Last year, American retailers seemed to have broken their habit of relying on deep promotions, thanks to limited inventory and pent-up demand. These beneficial circumstances, experts say, may be disappearing in 2022.

The Double-Edged Sword of Discounting

Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are slated to break yet another record this year, but retailers are facing growing pressure to begin promotions well before the end of the season.

About the author
Cathaleen Chen
Cathaleen Chen

Cathaleen Chen is Retail Editor at The Business of Fashion. She is based in New York and drives BoF’s coverage of the retail and direct-to-consumer sectors.

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