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Ghosts and goblins may be gone for now, but that doesn’t mean some favorite retailers aren’t returning from the dead ahead of this holiday shopping season.
Circuit City, The Sharper Image, and Linens ’n Things are a few of the defunct retailers who have come back to life in an online-only presence, ready and waiting to take your holiday orders.Gift cards from the old stores don’t work on these new sites, but consumers will see many of the same items that were offered at the former brick-and-mortar stores. The new virtual stores have expanded product lines and revamped Web sites for easier customer navigation, as the new players who bought the old retailers seek to capitalize on well-known brands."The Internet is becoming a very popular place to shop and get good deals," said Gilbert Fiorentino with Systemax, an online electronics retailer that acquired Circuit City and Comp USA in the past 18 months. Indeed, around $25 billion of the total $437 billion in holiday retail sales is done online, according to figures from research analyst comScore and the National Retail Federation.While Internet holiday sales were down slightly last year, analysts and retailers alike expect strong growth this holiday season. J.C. Penney expects online sales to be its fastest-growing area this holiday season. Kohl’s predicts a 30 percent increase this year as a result of increased advertising through sponsored home pages at AOL, Yahoo and MSN.Online retailers have already started to be a boon for consumers this holiday season. Amazon.com, Wal-Mart and Target recently competed head to head in a bestselling-book price war ahead of the traditional shopping season.And online retailers are stumbling over themselves to get out in front with discounts and door-buster deals similar to what is traditionally seen on Black Friday, the shopping day after Thanksgiving."We’re already seeing a lot of deals," said Mike Allen, founder of Shopping-Bargains.com. "Every Friday this holiday season will be a Black Friday."Last week, Sears announced a "Black Friday Now" marketing concept, under which it will offer Black Friday-type deals every Saturday through Christmas. The retailer started its deals on Halloween with discounted diamond stud earrings, tool sets and lighted Christmas trees. One of the deals this Saturday is a 42-inch Zenith plasma TV for $499, around $150 cheaper than its regular price. The retailer said customers can avoid the crowds by pre-ordering on Sears.com.Wal-Mart is responding with its own Saturday-only deals, including an Xbox for $199 with a $100 gift card on sale tomorrow. Saks also beat the Halloween rush last week by launching a 36-hour holiday sale open only to those who registered their e-mail address with the retailer. A similar sale is slated this month for those on Saks’ e-mail list.Beyond sales, the Web is predicted to influence 3 in 4 holiday sales, according to an National Retail Federation survey. Consumers are increasingly turning to the Internet for product reviews, deals and coupons, and price comparisons.
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