You read it here first! Back in mid-January I wrote about a new kind of sales pitch-one with a "safety-net" attached. I first saw it employed by Hyundai but since then many other companies have adopted similar policies. Companies that sell big-ticket items are no longer the only ones using this strategy. Yesterday I was booking a flight & noticed that JetBlue had built a safety-net structure for booking airline tickets. Not only is this creative & adaptive marketing but also it is good PR since it puts the company on the side of the consumer.
A Sales Pitch Or A Gamble
Similar to rebates, my bet is that that most companies using this sales model are betting that once the purchase is made, the statistics swing in their favor. Right now it's hard to get people to part with their cash but psychologically, once the item is in hand, it's becomes harder to return the merchandise. Rebates are an appealing inducement to consumers at point of purchase because the companies believe that either a. most people won't even bother mailing in the rebate form or b. will do so incorrectly [ex. mail it in too late, forget the sales slip, or other requested information]. Times like these demand creative marketing. Not surprisingly, those who adapt will thrive & those who don't will get left in the dust.
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