Limited Time Offers

There are any number of reasons a company might advertise a limited time offer. Limited offers can signal a seasonal sale over a holiday weekend or during the winter holiday season. These limited time offers are designed to get buyers into a store in the hopes they will buy the item on sale and other products as well.

Limited time offers that relate to seasonal buying are also designed to move the seasonal merchandise purchased by the retailer specifically for the 4^th of July, Halloween or Christmas. There is nothing worse for a retailer than to end up with a lot of seasonal merchandise to store at the end of a season, especially since that merchandise may very well be out of style by the time the next holiday season arrives.  

Some limited time offers are designed to move inventory quickly in order to make room for newer products or inventory. In this case, the retailer does not have the time to wait for the stock to move because the business must clear the shelves before they run out of space.

Limited time offers can also stimulate a poor retail environment by offering special deals or limited products during a time when buyers are unwilling to buy at retail prices because of an economic downturn or other financial stress.  

A limited time offer in your local movie theater may mean that a film screening will have a limited in order to judge audience opinion, perhaps with the goal of preserving or changing the ending to a movie or stimulating word of mouth buzz for the upcoming full release.  

When an airline or cruise line announces a limited time offer or limited products, they are typically trying to make money on excess capacity during a seasonal downturn. You can bet the offer will be rescinded during popular travel seasons.   

To take advantage of limited time offers you should have a good idea of the products and services you need or want and what the retail prices are for that item. When the deal is announced you can then move quickly to take advantage of the limited offer and snap up the products you want at a discounted price.