When peak hours become ‘happy’ hours

MUMBAI: The next time you go out shopping or dining, you may be pleasantly surprised at being handed out a ���happy hour��� freebie or a discount coupon during peak hours.
The concept of happy hours, typically a lean period phenomenon (late afternoons between Monday to Thursday) used by marketers to boost sales, is undergoing a transformation. Suddenly, peak hours are becoming happy hours, thanks to the current economic environment.An American Express study shows that everyday spends have increased over the weekends compared to that on weekdays.
Catching up on movies, mall visits and eating out takes place on weekends. This trend has not changed. What���s changed is the perception of marketers. Some marketers have realised that providing value to customers during peak hours is more beneficial than trying to lure them on lean days. Discounts/offers are no longer available during off-season time alone. The Future group introduced something called ���Fashion Fridays���, where discounts between 5-30% are offered on its fashion line. The Van Heusen brand from the Aditya Birla group, predominantly a menswear range, ran a special weekend offer last month, targetting couples to promote its womenswear range. On every purchase of a Van Heusen menswear, the women could shop for free.
������This was aimed at growing our womenswear range. We had the campaign on weekends, because most of our good customers do not get the time to walk in on week days,������ said Shital Mehta, COO, Van Heusen. American Express��� card member behaviour indicates that over 50% of retail spends occur on weekends. The bank, along with its merchant partners, decided to launch a new programme called American Express Xtraordinary Weekends. The programme is designed to provide value to consumers on everyday spends during peak time i.e. from Friday to Sunday.
Said Sunil Sachdev, head of merchant services business, American Express:������Xtraodinary Weekends programme was introduced as our findings indicated that in the current environment more and more card members are becoming discerning with their spending; they spend more over the weekends for shopping and dining out.������ The idea behind the programme was to ensure larger customer traffic to merchant partners.
������In the current environment, we found that while most consumers have made cut backs in their discretionary expenses, everyday spends have been comparatively insulated; in fact everyday spends significantly increase over the weekend,������ said Sachdev.
TGIF, too, latched on to the concept of offering happy hours during peak hours. ������Weekends have now emerged as the new reason for celebrations and, for marketers, it is a opportunity to tap captive customer base, by providing added benefits through smart partnerships to drive loyalty and repeat purchases,������ said a spokesperson.