A Porsche(保时捷汽车) Cayman Coupe normally sells for $49,400. But if you’re lucky, you can buy this opulent(阔气的) sports car from American Express for a mere $5,000. How For two weeks after Nov. 28, the credit card company will sell similar hot items to its 76.5 million U.S. cardholders, at unheard-of prices, through a Web site.
"It’s like Black Friday--we’re creating the frenzy and excitement of the holidays and giving our card members the opportunity to buy highly sought after items," says Elizabeth Rutledge, senior vice-president for merchant marketing at American Express. The company is also clearly hoping to bolster the ranks of its affluent membership, which has an average annual household income of nearly $100,000, according to American Express.
Consider it a byproduct of the shopping fever that grips many people during this time of year. With long gift lists for friends and family members, shoppers jam-pack malls and shops. Clearly, retailers want to capitalize on this eonsumerist fervor. Toy manufacturers showcase their latest hot products and stores trot out their best discounts.
Part of the fever, of course, is induced by retailers--many of whom make their first profits of the year in November and December. For many retailers these two months are critical because they account for as much as 50% of the year’s profits and sales. "Everybody wants to use promotions to build awareness and differentiate themselves from others during this season," says Patricia Pao, founder of retail consultant the Pao Principle in New York.
Clearly, everyone wants to exploit the shopping phenomenon--even a staid(保守 的) financial services enterprise like American Express begins behaving like a retailer at this time of the year. And some other companies want to make sure they aren’t left out of the party. Card is giving away two homes in its "Home for the Holidays" promotion, in which members who use their cards between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2006, have a chance to win a home. And Continental Airlines has a promotion in which online shoppers at many stores can earn miles for each dollar spent.
For New York-based American Express, which started the wish list campaign in 2003, the promotion offers a way to build membership and cultivate brand loyalty among its highly coveted customer base. From Nov. 28 to Dec. 14, the card company will post discounted items such as the Porsche at certain times: noon, 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. Card members who spot it and are first to click an "I want" button and complete the transaction will get to buy the items. Card members can also submit their own wishes; the company will select and grant three on the promotion’s final day.
According to American Express, ______.