Shopkeeper bets on exchanges of gifts to increase sales

The week between Christmas and New Year must be busy in malls and street stores. With the exchange of gifts that did not fit, did not please or came defective, the period is traditionally one of increased sales, say trade associations.

If she had a choice, Elaine Luzio, 47, would have avoided going to the mall this Sunday (26) after Christmas, but the pairs of sandals she got as a gift had the wrong numbering for her. “I only came today because I’m going to travel. The stores had huge lines for exchanges, everything disorganized and with little option”, he says.

In the two stores where she had to go, Elaine could not find the number she was looking for. Decided to choose other products. With the difference in prices, he ended up shelling out more and buying other shoes. Of the two that she took to change, the consumer left the mall with four new pairs of sandals.

The trade is betting on this type of purchase, made in the wake of the exchange of gifts, to raise revenue — especially compared to the same period in 2020, when restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic made the sector record losses.

According to Luis Augusto Ildefonso, institutional director of Alshop (Brazilian Association of Shopping Shop Owners), the exchange movement in the post-Christmas week is essential for the performance of commerce and services in malls

“Because it concentrates several segments — leisure, services and commerce —, changing a green blouse for a blue one, for example, can make the customer decide to eat a snack. This brings an increase in sales volume compared to normal periods”, he says .

With the advance of vaccination, the movement of customers grew in shopping centers. Abrasce (Brazilian Association of Shopping Centers) projects that sales between December 19 and 25 will reach R$ 5.6 billion, a nominal increase of 16% over the same period in 2020. The consolidated numbers should be released this week.

For Guilherme Marini, executive director of Shopping Center Norte, the movement in December allows for optimism. “Our evaluation endorses Abrasce’s forecasts, which noted an increase of more than 11% in the average ticket compared to last year”, he says.

At Center Norte, store openings and food service were optional on Saturday (25). On Sunday (26), stores opened at noon to start exchanging items.

The expectation, however, is that the gift exchange movement will gain strength from this Monday (27), with stores opening from 10 am to 10 pm.

The expectation of street commerce in the capital of São Paulo is also of greater movement as of this Monday, since the doors were closed during the weekend. Marcel Solimeo, economist at ACSP (Sao Paulo Commercial Association), says that the week also starts with post-Christmas promotions, which should last until the end of January. “It is an opportunity for more sales and companies usually offer many promotions”, he says.

“One of the difficulties that commerce faces is taking the consumer to the store. Exchange policies favor the consumer’s visit after Christmas.”

FecomercioSP (Federation of Commerce) expects São Paulo retail to grow 8% in 2021, causing sales to exceed 2020 revenues by R$ 65.3 billion. The clothing, fabric and footwear sector should lead the recovery, with high of 19%.

For the federation, however, growth is taking place on a fragile basis since, in 2020, the sector registered a decline of 1%. “[A queda] it was not greater as a result of the injection of emergency aid into the economy, without which revenue would have suffered a reduction of 6% in annual terms”, says a note from the entity.

​For CNC (National Confederation of Commerce), Christmas 2021 should generate BRL 57.4 billion in sales, which, with the discount for inflation, results in a drop of 2.6% compared to 2020, the second year followed by recoil.

In online commerce, Neotrust estimates that, between December 10 and 24, 14.6 million orders were placed, with an average ticket of R$420. Projected revenue was R$6.1 billion, an increase of 11 % before 2020.

Stores are not required to make all kinds of exchanges.

Anyone who is exchanging a gift needs to keep in mind that, although the Consumer Protection Code guarantees the basic right to exchange products, shopkeepers are not obligated to replace any items.

Exchanges due to dissatisfaction, such as a color that did not please or a product that was not expected, for example, are not guaranteed by law.

In these cases, the consumer has to rely on the replacement policy of each establishment, even if, by habit, stores tend to maintain more flexible rules to please the clientele.

“There is no obligation provided for by law to ensure this right to the consumer when the purchase takes place directly in the physical store”, says Bianca Caetano, a specialist at Proteste (Brazilian Consumer Protection Association).

“The great thing about exchanging, for the merchant, is that he serves the consumer in an extremely friendly and practical way, and can increase his sales”, says Ildefonso, from Alshop.

Bianca Caetano says that the Consumer Defense Code provides for the guarantee of adequate, clear and preventive information regarding the rights of customers and repair and exchange of products that are defective within the warranty period.

For her, however, the rules still need to be improved. “I understand that there is a need for regulation to classify items that fit the essential product profile so that immediate exchange is possible when a defect occurs within the warranty period,” he says.

By law, the exchange of a defective product has a term of up to 30 days, for non-durable goods, such as food and clothing, and up to three months, for durable items such as electronics and furniture, for example. If there is a defect, the consumer can choose three alternatives: replacement of the product with an equal one, money back or discounting the price in exchange for another item.

When shopping online or over the phone, the right of repentance can be exercised within seven days after receiving the product. For this, the package must not have been opened.