Sales Promotion

Internet Communication

For many years consumers typically became aware of sales promotions in passive ways.  That is, most customers obtained promotions not through an active search but by being a recipient of a marketer’s promotion activity (e.g., received coupons in the mail).  The Internet is changing how customers obtain promotions.  In addition to websites that offer access to coupons, there are a large number of community forum sites where members share details about how to obtain good deals which often include information on how or where to find a sales promotion.  Monitoring these sites may offer marketers insight into how customers feel about certain promotions and may even suggest ideas for future sales promotions.

Clutter and Need for Creativity

In the same way an advertisement competes with other ads for customers’ attention, so to do sales promotions. This is particularly an issue with inserted coupon promotions that may be included in mailing or printed media along with numerous other offerings.  The challenge facing marketers is to find creative ways to separate their promotions from those offered by their competitors.