HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart has brought back the Bluelight Special to try to generate excitement among shoppers and light a fire under sales.
Kmart has brought back the Bluelight Special to try to generate excitement among shoppers and light a fire under sales.
"That blue light can flash anywhere, at anytime, so you’d better be on your toes," the company said on its website.
The 15-minute deals — which start when a siren sounds, blue light flashes and an in-store announcement begins with the words "attention Kmart shoppers" — was reinstituted at all 942 Kmart stores on October 30 after a six year hiatus. Kmart initiated the marketing tactic in 1965 and first pulled the plug on Bluelight Specials in 1991. They have been brought back periodically since. A company official told Thomson Reuters that the return this time is permanent and that the specials will occur daily, sometimes multiple times in a day.
Kmart plans to add digital components to the promotion, with Bluelight deals being announced on its website and alerts pushed to shoppers’ mobile phones via the retailer’s app.
"It’s part of our DNA," Kmart president Alasdair James told Reuters. "We think there is a real positive buzz coming out of it, and we expect to see an increase in sales."
James also said the decision to bring back the specials flowed out of research that showed Kmart shoppers have fond memories of the sales events and would respond positively to their return.
Sears Holdings Corp., the corporate parent of Sears and Kmart stores, has been forced by steadily declining sales to sell assets, including stores and its Lands End apparel business, while structuring a series of financial maneuvers to keep operations afloat. Meanwhile, the company has sought to improve the shopping experience at its stores, invest in e-commerce and bolster its Shop Your Way rewards program. It is increasingly banking on its home services division, which Sears executives see as a growth driver as the so-called connected home phenomenon gathers momentum. Sears said its home services group serves 39 million households, and its 7,500 technicians make 13 million calls annually.
