Customer Retention in a Down Economy

[mandy]

Companies that rely on consumer dollars are pulling out the stops in an effort to keep their customers coming around while the economy slips into dark times. They're turning to incentives -- from freebies to discounts -- to retain their customers...

Aggressive markdowns on prices are also occurring much earlier than in the past, she notes, with fall merchandise already being advertised at 60 percent off at the start of October. "[Stores] are going to start doing markdowns [on Christmas items] by the middle of November" rather than waiting until the traditional day after Thanksgiving.

Says Pao: "I guarantee you're not going to see Black Friday anymore."...

full article: http://ecommercetimes.com/story/Keeping-...64729.html