Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale – A Singular Retail Sensation

Kognitiv is proud to have again played a part in the success of this annual event.

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has become a retail phenomenon. When other retailers look at the summer months as a slow period with racks of clearance items and no new merchandise, Nordstrom has changed the game by creating something popular, unique, and un-replicated. The sale is not a promotion or clearance. Instead, new fall merchandise is stocked just for this event. Over 100 brands were added to this year’s Anniversary assortment.

“Anniversary is an event of scarcity. That creates excitement,” said Jamie Nordstrom, president of stores. “Most of our focus is how to make the Anniversary Sale even more fun, how to create more engagement,” said Jamie. “Our customers love it because it’s fun. We’ve got to make sure we don’t lose sight of that aspect. You’ve got to get there first to get the best selection. It’s like concert tickets — you’ve got to get them before they’re sold out.”

The Anniversary Sale gives Nordstrom’s most loyal, highest-spending customers a first crack at shopping designer discounts on new fall styles, at 25% to 40% off. Other loyal but lower-spending cardholders get access soon after, and eventually all shoppers get access to the event.

That’s where Kognitiv comes in. Our KLS platform calculates and holds the tiering allowing access to the sale to be staggered.

During the 2021 Anniversary event, sales increased 1% compared with 2019. “A compelling merchandise assortment, combined with new and differentiated services and experiences, contributed to strengthening customer engagement and improving financial results during our Anniversary Sale,” said Pete Nordstrom, president, and chief brand officer of Nordstrom Inc. At Kognitiv, we are incredibly proud and honored to have once again played a role in helping drive engagement, revenue, and a sense of expanded loyalty among Nordstrom’s most loyal customers.

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