Shop Direct invests 7.5 million pounds in Holiday campaigns

Shop Direct is gearing up for the holiday seasonal rush and has reportedly invested nearly 7.5 millions pounds in promotional campaigns for its brands, which are set to run until the year's end.

The multi-brand digital retailer unveiled its 'Step into Christmas in Style' campaign for Very.co.uk and debuted its Aladdin pantomime inspired Christmas advert for sister label Littlewoods yesterday. The retailer also revealed plans for its week long promotional campaign for Black Friday, which takes place 28 November.

Shop Direct has invested 6.5 million pounds in its Christmas campaigns and will invest close to 1 million pounds in its promotional week, which will cover all its brands, during this year's Black Friday in the hopes of winning over price-conscious customers.

Shop Direct "set for record Christmas trading"

The investment in promotional campaigns comes after Shop Direct first Black Friday deal last year brought it a record number of order for Very.co.uk, with 10,000 orders made during its peak hour. “We've found the market to be bumpy in the last few months. It’s a tough environment but we're set for record Christmas trading,” commented Alex Baldock, chief executive of Shop Direct.

More and more UK retailers have been introducing promotional campaigns for Black Friday, a US retail bonanza that has made its way overseas and traditionally occurs after the holiday Thanksgiving, signaling the kick-off for Christmas seasonal shopping. Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Black Friday and is said to be a day when many retailers offer online promotions.

The multi-brand retailer plans on launching its advertorial campaign 48 hours before Black Friday and will run hourly promotions for its fashion arm Very.co.uk. After Black Friday, Shop Direct will start running ads on 'Sofa Sunday' in anticipation for its 'Cyber Week,' during which the retailer will offer one-day-only promotions.

“If anything, customers are even hungrier for deals this year so it’s a logical next step for us to roll out Black Friday across all of our brands,” explained Jon Owen, Shop Direct's retail brands and trading director to Retail Week. “And by extending the event over a further seven days with Cyber Week, we think we’ll have something to offer every member of the family in the run-up to what we're predicting will be another record Christmas for Shop Direct.”

Shop Direct investment in promotional campaigns is part of the group's personalization strategy, in which the retailer has been working on offering its customers a uniquely, tailored shopping experience. Baldock noted that the group was already reaping the benefits of offering personal shopping content to its customers.

The retailer's pre-tax profits have more than doubled in the year to 30 June, to 64.6 million pounds, and the group reported its strongest sales increase in three years, up 3 percent to 1.74 billion pounds.