“Educational Grants” and Payment of School Fees.. New Sales Outlets to Attract Shoppers

Consumers reported that outlets offered discounts on the occasion of the back-to-school season, with various offers to give shoppers raffles for scholarships and the opportunity to pay school fees, in addition to purchase vouchers and prizes for various electronic devices when purchasing during the discount period.

They told Al-Emarat Al-Youm that these offers provide them with added value when shopping, and are one of the striking features in the markets currently, but they considered that their presence does not replace the introduction of appropriate discount rates to obtain the requirements for the new school year.

For their part, experts and specialists in the retail sector said that the increased competition in local markets, especially during seasons when demand increases, made discounts alone insufficient to attract consumers, which contributed to the recent introduction of “value-added offers” on a large scale.

In detail, consumer Ibrahim Zidane said that markets have recently witnessed the introduction of discount outlets with extensive offers on the occasion of the back-to-school season, which include granting consumers, when shopping during the discount period, raffles to obtain scholarships or prizes for various electronic devices, such as mobile phones, computers or television screens.

Consumer Adel Abdel Moneim confirmed that a number of outlets have recently launched expanded offers, compared to previous periods, including granting free coupons and a large number of purchase points, and entering raffles for various prizes, while other outlets have offered scholarships or payment of school fees for consumers who win raffles, indicating that these offers are positive aspects for consumers, as they provide them with added value.

Consumer Ahmed Al-Sayed considered that the offers of scholarship draws, purchase vouchers and gifts during the discount period are competitive offers that provide additional benefits to consumers, as they reduce the financial burdens on consumers during the beginning of the school year.

Consumer Samah Amer agreed with him that the offers presented are useful within the discount campaigns, but she pointed out that they are not the only basic criterion for choosing the outlets in which to shop, as the presence of these offers does not replace the introduction of appropriate discount rates to obtain the supplies for the new school year.

For his part, Dilip Vishal, Purchasing Manager at a retail chain, said that the offers of raffles for various prizes and scholarships are due to the increased competition in local markets, especially since discount campaigns alone are no longer sufficient to attract consumer families and stimulate sales during seasons characterized by high demand, such as the back-to-school season.

He added that “value-added offers” are one of the means of stimulating sales, especially when combined with discounts, noting that these offers benefit consumer families.

In turn, the sales manager of one of the retail chains, Avinash Deepak, stated that the sales outlets tend to adopt innovative methods from time to time, with the aim of increasing their market share and stimulating sales in light of the increasing competition, pointing out that seasons with high demand, such as back to school, are suitable for such offers, especially since the spread of discounts in the markets is no longer sufficient to attract consumers.

Retail trade expert Ibrahim Al-Bahr agreed with him that the high level of competition between sales outlets in local markets contributed to the diversity and increase in the offers presented in various forms, which ultimately brings positive benefits to consumers.

He stressed the importance of consumer families being keen to choose outlets that provide suitable offers in particular, in addition to other value-added offers with these discounts, which are an important criterion for families to obtain their needs at reasonable prices, especially during periods of high demand.

• Experts: Discounts alone are not enough in light of the increased competition during seasons when demand increases.