Stores juggle to hold price on Mother’s Day; see gifts

Mother’s Day is no longer the same. The second most important date for the national retail, only after Christmas, the ephemeris lost the vice-leadership in recent years to Black Friday, in November.

This doesn’t mean that children, in general, are neglecting the date, but they have been less excited to spend a lot. Allied to this behavior is the current double-digit inflation: the most recent IPCA-15 data showed an accumulated increase of 12.03% in 12 months, the highest since November 2003.

Hence the “juggling” of some retailers and industries to try to maintain the same “entry price” as last year for this year’s celebration: the cheapest gift options start at the same level.

These are the cases of Morana jewelry and accessories (R$39.90), the perfumery L’Occitane (R$39.90) and the fashion retailer C&A (jeans at R$89.90). For this, it is worth reducing the profit margin a little, renegotiating inputs with suppliers and even looking for raw material in China.

“We had an increase in costs with raw materials, logistics and freight in the last year. But our business is to offer fashion at competitive prices”, says the vice president of sales at C&A, Francislei Donatti. According to him, the company went after weavers for a direct negotiation, in order to bring fabrics from Asian suppliers to supply the brand’s partner clothing in Brazil.

“With that, we were able to adapt our costs to this new scenario and we were able to put jeans on sale, for example, at the final price of R$ 89.90, the same as last year”, he says. The same type of negotiation involved knitwear, which allowed this year to offer blouses from R$20.

‘Son wants low price, but also looks at cost-effectiveness’

According to Donatti, despite the concern to maintain competitive prices, the retailer has observed a demand for products with a better cost-benefit ratio – and not necessarily the cheapest.

“They are versatile pieces, which can be easily combined with other items in the wardrobe, and also tailored pieces, which are more classic and, therefore, with a longer useful life”, he says. In the case of tailoring, the average ticket is above R$ 200.

Another trend observed by the retailer is the search for colors – something that is not common when it comes to the current autumn-winter collection, which usually presents more sober tones. “Our colorful pieces [azul, lilás, rosa, roxo] have gone well. I think it’s a reaction to the quarantine period, people want to express joy.”

In the Morana jewelry and accessories chain, with around 280 stores in the country, the rule was also to respect the consumer’s tight time and maintain the entry price of last year’s Mother’s Day campaign: R$ 39.90 . They are bracelets, earrings and necklaces from this value.

“We decided that it was necessary to deliver a good assortment at the same starting price as last year, otherwise the consumer won’t even enter the store”, says Danilo Assumpção, executive director of the Ornatus group, which controls the Morana and Balonê accessory chains.

“The cheapest item is important to attract the buyer, who often, in the case of Mother’s Day, ends up taking a gift of greater added value”, he says. In this case, the BRL 39.90 item works as a gimmick or can compose the most expensive gift with another piece, she says.

All parts of the net receive a rhodium plating, which inhibits allergic processes and increases durability. “The price of raw materials also went up and our alternative was to reduce the profit margin on some pieces, gaining more expensive pieces, up to R$ 400, and also making different compositions with stones, to guarantee a competitive final price”, says Assumption.

The brand’s campaign stars TV presenter Ticiane Pinheiro and her mother, Helô Pinheiro.

At the perfumery L’Occitane au Brésil, with around 200 points of sale in the country, the choice to keep gifts at low prices in this year’s Mother’s Day campaign was to renegotiate with suppliers, according to André Abramo, the brand’s communication director. . The campaign stars Déa Lúcia, mother of actor Paulo Gustavo, who died last year as a result of Covid-19.

“We tried to assemble compositions to be competitive as well as last year, with kits of hand creams and soap, for example, at R$ 39.90”, says the Executive. Often, according to him, these souvenirs are dedicated to other mothers – mothers-in-law, teachers, friends, etc. “But the mother herself usually gets gifts with a higher average ticket”, says Abramo.

Discount on the purchase of meat through the app and electronics through Pix

Anyone willing to offer a barbecue on Mother’s Day can take advantage of the Bassi brand campaign, from the Marfrig group, which is offering a R$40 discount to those who spend at least R$300 on the app this week.

In the chain of electronics and home appliances Fast Shop stores, with 86 points of sale in the country, the expectation is for an average ticket of R$ 2,200, an increase of 22% over the previous year (without discounting inflation).

“We bet on Pix, which offers even more discounts, even on products on offer, and ends up being advantageous for both the store and the customers”, says Eduardo Salem, director general of operations at Fast Shop. At Pix, the discount usually exceeds 5%.

Among the products with the biggest discount this year are computer items, such as webcams, backpacks and notebooks.

For Mother’s Day this year, LG launched a promotion for the online store, which grants a 5% discount on the first purchase, an option to pay in up to 12 interest-free installments and free shipping.

Mother’s Day Gift List

THE Sheet highlighted a list of gift suggestions at competitive prices, in different categories –accessories, clothes, shoes, small appliances, cosmetics, perfumery, chocolates, flowers. Check out: