Flash sales at every occasion is retail mantra for visibility

Black Friday and Christmas to monsoon, retailers lure buyers with offers through the year

- Sowmya Ramasubramanian

From Republic Day in January to Christmas, not a single month goes by without a flash sale advertised on social media. Retailers, especially direct-to-consumer companies, are increasingly banking on flash sales—when substantial discounts or promotions are offered for a very short period—to drive revenue and increase purchase frequencies throughout the year, hoping to remain visible in the eyes of potential consumers at all times. Every opportunity, even a traditional US concept like the Black Friday sale, is leveraged.

Black Friday marks the beginning of the Christmas season and has emerged as the busiest shopping day in the US. It is believed that the name signifies that businesses operate in the red until this day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, when massive sales allow sellers to make a profit or turn 'black'.