Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale - Cause for Celebration?

by 
Ethan Chernofsky
 on 
August 22, 2019
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale - Cause for Celebration?

The Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is a nearly month-long opportunity for one of the top apparel retailers in the US to drive serious consumer interest. Yet, there are a variety of components that make the sale especially interesting. 

From extended dates that risk limiting the urgency leveraged by other major sales, like Amazon's Prime Day, to having multiple periods with the first week focused only on Nordstrom card members.

With the 2019 iteration in the books, we took a look back to see what the data tells about the Anniversary Sale’s performance in 2019.

Summer Peak

The Anniversary Sale has become an important part of the Nordstroms calendar with the event producing a peak that is only surpassed by the holiday season. The four weeks that overlapped with the event in 2018, produced weekly visit numbers that were 30.5%, 30.7%, 20.3% and 21.5% above the baseline for the period between the start of 2018 and July 11th of 2019.

2019's effort didn’t disappoint, with the four weeks producing visit rates that were 20.0%, 23.4%, 16.5% and 18.9% above the same baseline. While this does demonstrate a dip from 2018, the drop is also related to store closings, and a more integrated online effort.

Additionally, the Nordstrom Rack brand also saw the last two weeks of the sale drive better than normal visits, taking 'away' some of the shoppers.

Changing Shopping Patterns

Yet, beyond showing the ability to drive visits during an otherwise quieter period, there are unique attributes to the shopping that takes place during the sale event. Comparing the normal breakdown of visits of the period from January 2018 through July 11th, 2019 (blue), there is a different shopping pattern during the sales event (red). 

Throughout the period from January 2018 through July 2019, visits disproportionately come on weekends. 23.6% of visits during the baseline period come on a Saturday and 15.7% on a Sunday. These numbers drop during the sale period giving significant bumps to weekday traffic. Monday visits are 12.5% higher than normal, while Tuesday and Wednesday visits are visits 28.2% and 19.1% higher, respectively. This presents a unique opportunity not only to Nordstroms but to their neighbors who have the chance to tap into greater than normal weekday traffic patterns.

Another difference comes in the length of the shop itself. Visitors during the sales period look to be more mission-oriented leading to a greater percentage who stop in for a short visit than normal. While an extended stay is normally a goal for a retailer, it is interesting to see that the ability to create demand in the build-up to an event can potentially produce a more efficient shopper.

Conclusion

Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale is a huge event in the retailer’s calendar driving major boosts in traffic to physical locations. Yet, the impact of their success goes beyond purchases to one specific retailer. Significant jumps in mid-week traffic and in-store shopping behavior create opportunities for other brands to latch onto. The ability to effectively understand and leverage these trends can help retailers improve conversion throughout the year.

Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter

Great! Prepare your inbox for data-driven insights...
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
All Eyes on Eyewear
Northwestern U.S. Grocery Dive
Return of the Lunch: Salad Chains Are Thriving
Retail Media Networks – Off the Beaten Track
Bet Your Bottom Dollar: Discount and Dollar Stores Drive Foot Traffic
Ulta & Lululemon: Discretionary Spending On The Up
The Score After Q1: Sporting Goods Chains
Who Uses NYC Airports: Biting Into The Big Apple’s Main Transport Hubs
Off Price: Strength in The Face of Retail Challenges
Visits Improve for Home Improvement
Walmart, Target & Wholesalers in Q1 2023 – The Return of Mission-Driven Shopping?
Department Store Roundup: Q1 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: April 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index, April 2023 – A Rebound on the Horizon?
How Will Bed Bath & Beyond’s Bankruptcy Impact the Retail Space?
Buffet Restaurants: Filling Up on Foot Traffic
Thrift Stores: Vintage Visits Drive New Age in Apparel
The Windy City: A Hub of Post-Pandemic Opportunity
Diving into Dining Traffic - Q1 2023
Bring On The Joe
A Dollar (or more) For Your Thoughts: Five Below and pOpshelf
Dining Out With The Cheesecake Factory
Retail Foot Traffic Recap – March 2023
Digging Into 2023: McDonald’s and Chipotle Update
Placer.ai Office Index: March 2023 Recap
How Did Key Retail Categories Perform in Q1 2023?
Northeastern USA Grocery Dive
Movie Theaters Storylines for 2023
Ollie's Bargain Outlet: Discounters are Evolving
Leveraging Brick-and-Mortar Retail in 2023
America’s Evolving Work Patterns: A Deep-Dive into New York and Chicago
Placer.ai Mall Index March 2023
Tuning Into Record Stores
Five Franchises To Watch in 2023
What’s Next For Domestic Tourism?
It’s Showtime! Movie Theaters in the Spotlight
5 Limited Time Offers (LTOs) Driving Restaurant Traffic
Department Store Deep-Dive: Belk
Regional Grocery Chains Staying Ahead of the Competition
Five Chains that Rightsized for Success
Unlocking the Potential of Offline Retail Media Networks
Dining Out With Darden
What’s in Store for Self-Storage?
Nike & lululemon Update: Strong Performance Amid Expansion Plans
Many Ways to Win: Midwest Grocery Deep Dive
Retail, Reinvented: The Rise of the Pop-Up Shop
Navigating a New Normal in Business Travel & Commutes
Placer.ai Office Index: February 2023 Recap
Retail Categories Staying Strong in Volatile Environment
Ulta Beauty: Poised for Success into 2023
Placer.ai Mall Index February 2023: Reasons for Continued Optimism
Catching Up With DICK’s & Hibbett
The Miami-Dade Arena: An Advertising Slam Dunk
Car Washes Revving Up Visits
Tuesday Morning and Sunrises in Home Furnishing
Dining & Valentine’s Day Recap
2023: The Year of the Discount Store
Aldi’s Success Highlights Growing Demand for Value Groceries
5 Retail & Service Categories Holding onto Pandemic Gains in 2023
Visitor Insights from Super Bowl 2023
2023 First Look: Home Improvement Update
How Are Target, Walmart, and Wholesale Clubs Faring in 2023?
Department Store Deep-Dive: Nordstrom
Off-Price: Taking Off in Uncertain Times
Checking in On Middle-Class Hubs
Who Attends the Super Bowl?
Placer.ai Office Index: January 2023 Recap
Focusing On Fitness: Q4 and January Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: January 2023 – Returning Mall Normalcy?
Location Intelligence Insights Into Concert Attendance
Winning Dining Strategies for 2023
In-N-Out Burger: What to Expect as the Brand Moves East
Location Intelligence Breakdown: Coffee Caps-Off 2022
Digitally Native Brands Lean Into Brick & Mortar
Washington, D.C. Population Changes & Migration Trends
A Location Intelligence Perspective on Macy’s Rightsizing
Amazon-Powered Shopping: The Future of Brick-and-Mortar Grocery?
Cold Weather, Hot Visits: Diving into Winter Resorts
Wawa and 7-Eleven: Leaning Into the “Slurpee Effect”
2022 and Beyond: Catching Up With McDonald’s & Chipotle
Let’s Have Some Fun! Going Out Is In
Placer.ai’s Q4 2022 Quarterly Index
Placer.ai Adds Industry Executives to Leadership Team To Drive Company's Next Phase of Growth
5 Emerging Retail Formats: 2023’s Brick-and-Mortar Evolution
Grocery Update: Zooming in on the Lone Star State
2022 Office Recap: The Year of the TGIF Work Week
What Lies Ahead for Brick-and-Mortar Luxury in 2023
Placer.ai Mall Indexes: December 2022 Recap
Looking Back on 2022’s Holiday Shopping Season
Post-Pandemic Migration Trends in New York
Top Retailers for 2023
The Live Sports Advertising Opportunity
Domestic Migration to the Mountain States: Small Shifts with Big Implications
New Year, New Food: 5 Dining Trends For 2023
Announcing Placer.ai’s COVID RECOVERY DASHBOARD
This is Why Shop-in-Shops Are Everywhere
Super Saturday 2022 Recap
The San Francisco Shift
Grocery Year-End Update: Publix in the Spotlight
Three Ways Retailers Can Think Small to Increase Store Impact