How lockdown has given us some of the best summer sales in years

When the UK entered lockdown in March, spring-summer clothes were still fresh on the rails. By the time shops across the country reopened some 12 weeks later, they were on the brink of sales season, and those clothes - for the most part untouched - were about to be crowded out by new-season deliveries.

Brands and retailers were clear that they had to shift their spring-summer collections. Where they differed was on the delicate question of how to do so. Pitching a sale as the mother of all retail clear-outs would be tawdry and cheapen the brand perception. Any hint of inviting shoppers to go on a bargain bonanza risked seeming tone-deaf and alienating customers who may have struggled with income insecurity, health concerns or any number of pressures through lockdown. But the need to reduce stock excesses was real.

Selfridges has turned that imperative into a less frenzied proposition, pushing “investments” rather than plain-old bargains. With so many shoppers having foregone holidays and other such expensive commitments over lockdown, they reasoned, there could be no better time to commit to that handbag, those boots, that status luggage - any piece the owner could expect to treasure forever, or at least long-term. 

"Historically, our messaging has centred on see, want, must, have and get it before its gone ideas, associated with the buzz and excitement of the sales shopping experience," explains head of womenswear, Jeannie Lee of the need to not push items that no one really wants. "For summer 2020 it's a message of seek a treasure, love it forever. Lockdown and the closure of our stores has altered the retail landscape in a way that has brought about a total change in the expectations and needs of our customers, as well as having a seismic impact on the industry itself, precipitating an urgent call to reset and rethink."

One of the boldest forays into the new world of mega-sales came from Harrods, whose seasonal sales have become destination events. Executives at the luxury emporium decided to move sales stock out of Harrods’ Knightsbridge home and into a dedicated space. The closure of Westfield’s Debenhams store in April provided the ideal opportunity for the birth of a new concept: Harrods Outlet.

The Outlet, being spread across two floors and 140,000 square feet of selling space, offers plenty of scope for socially distanced shopping; it’s also fully merchandised and will take delivery of weekly product drops through the end of the year.

“It’s important that our customers are treated to the renowned Harrods experience whilst shopping at Harrods Outlet, and this comes from the strength of the edits available in the new concept store,” Harrods Fashion Director Lydia King says. “We are known for providing the ultimate in luxury, and the Outlet offering will be no different.”

Beyond the luxury department stores, specialty brands and independent retailers are getting creative, too. Ancient Greek Sandals, a summer-holiday-centric brand if ever there was one, surprised newsletter subscribers in late March by offering them a free pair of sandals with every purchase - an effective way to nudge shoppers to buy. It also handily cleared out twice the stock, without the brand having to resort to straightforward discounting.

"We wanted to give our existing customers a little incentive to invest in a great new pair of sandals,” says Nikolas Minoglou, the brand’s co-founder. “Sending them a free surprise pair felt like a nice treat to offer people during this time.” During the first five-day offer, the brand registered a 70 percent sales increase. They expect an even higher rate of engagement when they repeat the promotion in August (high season for sandals).

Rixo also offered existing customers a boost, this time in the form of a private sale. The brand sent out access codes unlocking a 48-hour preview of the brand’s 50 percent-off sale, only for subscribers.

The limited-time-only nature of the campaign created urgency. It also made access to the sale seem like a gift available exclusively to those who were already supporters - a little thank you in a difficult time. 

And you weren’t imagining a surge in archive sales, as brands seized the opportunity to clear out past-season stock to a captive audience of stuck-at-home shoppers while stores were still closed. Many of these greatest-hits sales included a charitable element. Sleepwear brand Yolke donated all the proceeds of its Instagram Live archive sale to nonprofits Malaika and Under One Sky; Prism donated 50 percent of the profits from its archive sale to London food banks. 

Of course, there’s a debate about whether clothes should go on sale at all. Some brands and vendors are producing and buying in smaller quantities to avoid the exposure of being left holding excessive stock at the end of a season. Brownsfashion.com hasn’t been on sale in two years; Gucci doesn’t reduce prices either, not even after lockdown.

Whether or not the markdowns are ideal, all the most successful sales strategies succeed by making shopping feel personal again. When lockdown was announced, Anna Park, owner of the Anna mini-chain of boutiques, immediately reduced prices by 25 percent. She ramped up her Instagram activity and shared more personal content, including recipes and customer selfies.

“Our sales increased massively and our customers returned to shopping in store” once they reopened, she says. It’s a matter of loyalty, with a little assist from the seasonal sales.

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