David Jones is set to stage its 'Event of the Year' sale four days prior to Black Friday.
From Monday 21 November, customers will be able to shop special early bird offers across fashion, home, electrical, accessories, kids and toys before rolling out across all categories on Wednesday 23 November both instore nationally and online at davidjones.com.
The department store will be offering a variety of shopping services including free standard click and collect, extended store hours and complimentary express delivery on orders over $50. New offers will be introduced throughout the week with many one-day only offers launching on Black Friday.
David Jones, CEO Scott Fyfe welcomed an earlier start date to the campaign.
“The Event of the Year at David Jones is one of our favourite moments in our retail calendar and we are so thrilled to be able to reveal our special offers across fashion, home and beauty to our customers.
With the introduction of our ‘A World of Wonder’ Christmas campaign, our stores are an exciting place to be at this time of the year and the Black Friday sales is a fantastic opportunity for customers to complete their Christmas shopping early, taking advantage of some incredible offers."
Festive retail sales forecast to crack $60 billion for first time, according to a forecast from the National Retail Association (NRA) today.
The NRA predicted $60.6 billion spend in the pre and post Christmas sales period (November 14 – December 31), which is up 3.9 per cent on last year.
Interim CEO Lindsay Carroll said according to its Consumer Sentiment Report, shoppers are preparing for the bumper sales season by changing their spending behaviour to be able to afford special Christmas events and gifts.
“For shoppers conscious of their household budgets, the sales events are the ideal time to make Christmas purchases.
“We found 71 per cent of Aussies are taking measures such as cutting back on day to day spending, seeking out discounts and offers or switching to cheaper brands to deal with increasing costs this season.
“With inflation and interest rates yet to take full effect, almost half of consumers reported feeling confident and one in five plan to outspend last year.
“It’s clear people still want to feel special and have those great experiences but rather than indulging in costly goods and services, shoppers are planning ahead to score bargains in the upcoming sales events.”
Online retail is anticipating another strong year of growth due to evolving consumer behaviour and the growing popularity of events such as Cyber Monday.
“Consumers are wanting to tick off their Christmas shopping earlier than December, and bargain sales events such as Cyber Monday are becoming major events on the retail calendar, providing consumers with the accessibility to research and purchase items anytime, anywhere.
“Even though Boxing Day remains the biggest sales event of the year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are gaining moment with 45 per cent of consumers likely to purchase or will definitely purchase items at these events.”
While ecommerce is definitely here to stay and evolve, 50 per cent of consumers reported that they prefer to spend in-store.
“Consumers still want those unique in-store retail experiences. They look for excellent customer service, with free delivery and returns, loyalty programs and friendly staff ranked as the most important retailer services among consumers.”
Carroll said the Christmas season is the most crucial time of year for retailers.
“Businesses have been battling record levels of labour shortages and supply chain issues, but retail sales have been performing quite strongly in the lead up to Christmas.
“What this means for retailers is that there are still customers out there willing to spend their money this season, but more than ever they are looking for bargains, for great shopping experiences and for smooth transactions.
“The challenge for business owners and their staff is greater than ever to have the right products, the best service and sharp pricing.”