Online Retailers Step Up Campaigns in Time for Holiday Spending

Major online retailers are stepping up their game in time for the holiday season. Online spending for this year is expected to at least match that of last year as more shoppers discover the advantages of shopping online and endeavor to escape the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping.

One such retailer is Komplett. The etailer’s Irish branch is currently running a “You’re not an idiot… Right?” campaign in newspapers, magazines and billboards and advertising competitive pricing like there’s no tomorrow. Aside from the fact that Komplett.ie just opened a customer pick up point in Dublin and wants us all to know about it, what is it that’s making online retailers step up their campaigns at this particular time?

Christmas would be the obvious answer. The amount of money spent during the Christmas period in the UK and Ireland is astronomical, and yet, this year, there seems to be more of a focus on spending and finances than ever. The current global economical crisis means that job losses and rising bills are pinching everyone’s finances. Shopping at home is one way to get away from the money hungry high street retailers and avoid impulse buying as much as possible. While some say you can’t beat the bargain bin in local branches of top name stores, Komplett’s competitive pricing posters are sure to catch the eye of the consumer as well as other companies.

In a recent release, Komplett Ireland said that in preparation for the campaign, an employee was removed from a Harvey Norman store for researching store prices. Harvey Norman sales staff removed Rafal Cyranski from their Blanchardstown store after noting that he was checking their prices against Komplett’s own. Upon questioning, Cyranski informed staff who he was and who he worked for and, according to Komplett, was “escorted out whilst being lectured on price by a clearly agitated Harvey Norman sales employee”.

Punters have reportedly been appearing in the Harvey Norman store with Komplett leaflets demanding an explanation for the price differences between the bricks and motor store and the etailer. “I’m just very disappointed that Harvey Norman staff are of a mindset to remove any quiet Komplett employee from their store in an attempt to hide their massive mark ups from consumers who are looking to stretch their euro to cover Christmas for their families this tough year,” Aaron McKenna, Country Manager for Komplett Ireland commented. Harvey Norman has stores in the Republic of Ireland as well as Northern Ireland and reportedly has plans to expand to the UK.

It looks like etailers will be giving bricks and mortar stores a run for their money this year.