Like everything else in 2020, the fourth-quarter selling scene is looking very different from the usual routine. In-store events and merchandising efforts are curtailed by the drop in foot traffic, store lotteries for highly allocated items have moved online, and the promotion of impulse purchases has become a much tougher nut to crack. In all, it doesn’t seem to be an ideal scenario for a big holiday sales run. But as customers make plans to safely celebrate the holidays, retailers remain hopeful, and producers have launched an array of upscale, giftable items to help create the path toward a year-end surge. Our Holidays feature on page 28 explores a variety of retailer strategies that aim to make that happen.
The on-premise channel, of course, remains a big area of concern,…
