Released: October 27, 2008

E-tailers push email discounts to lure shoppers

Source: Anne D'innocenzio | The Associated Press (Free Registration)

NEW YORK - Online retailers - grappling with a sharp drop in consumer spending from even their most gung-ho Web enthusiasts - are becoming pushier with e-mails that pitch the latest deals.

With pleas like, “Last chance to save 20 percent,” or “Hurry, final sale ends,” retailers from pure online players to land-based stores with a Web presence are hoping to get consumers to open their wallets - quickly and in a cost-effective way.

AnnTaylor Stores Corp.’s recent e-mails promote knit tops as low as $9.99, while Saks Fifth Avenue’s e-mail messages tout up to 60 percent off on new women’s fashions. But such attempts to pump up sales threaten to drive away shoppers, who may already be starting to get bleary-eyed over the bombardment.

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