Summer sales have kicked off in Euskadi, with the center of Bilbao witnessing the starting gun. From early morning, people were seen waiting for shops to open on the Gran Vía, the city's main commercial artery, though without large crowds, awaiting the anticipated surge of shoppers by midday.
Although traditionally discounts began on July 1st, since the sector was liberalized in 2012, major fashion chains advance sales to the last days of June to boost sales and attract more foresighted consumers. Most offers started yesterday on online channels and arrived in physical stores today.
The general trend among shoppers is a mixed strategy between online and physical. Many people take the opportunity to check websites and apps the day before, only to find that many items are already sold out. "We were already looking at the website yesterday, and quite a few things were sold out," comment some young women while searching for a top in one of the stores.
This new shopping habit leads many to place an online order and then visit the physical store the next day to continue browsing. "We already placed an order yesterday, but it never hurts to look in the store today too," explains one of them. Despite having clear objectives, there is also room for improvisation.
Some consumers come with a set idea but do not close the door to new purchases. "We're going for a few specific things, but we might get surprised," they indicate. This strategy seems to be encouraged by the brands themselves, using online sales as a lure for customers to visit establishments, where they often find that the products they wanted are no longer available online.
On the other hand, local businesses are fighting to survive. Stores like La Pecera Concept Store cannot compete with the aggressive discounts and the calendar of the large chains.
Despite the difficulties, traditional commerce has the support of its regular buyers, who value the personal service and local products, such as those created in Euskadi. "The regular shopper from other large retailers also values the effort made in closer commerce," explain those in the sector. By inertia, these stores also see an increase in visitors during sales and have a loyal clientele.
