Becker Surfboards is doing its part to lure online shoppers for the holiday season.
The Torrance-based retailer, with stores in Huntington Beach and Corona del Mar, tweaked its Web site and added some graphics and deals to suck in shoppers.
At the retailer’s Web site, shoppers can click on a big ornament ball to get gift certificate information, or a “Gift Ideas” link for some suggestions in several price ranges, including less than $20, $20 to $50 and $50 to $75.
Becker plays up garb from a host of Orange County surf apparel makers, such as Billabong USA and O’Neill Clothing, both of Irvine, and Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. and its Roxy brand.
Becker also is running an online holiday contest, where two winners will receive a $250 shopping spree on the Web site to buy garb from Quiksilver (the guy winner) and Roxy (the girl winner).
Participants fill out a form online with their e-mail addresses, with winners chosen randomly on Dec. 30. Entries are accepted until Dec. 23.
Becker is among a slew of local retailers positioning themselves for a good holiday,easily the biggest shopping time of the year.
So far, the season is off to a good start, according to the National Retail Federation.
The group said 145 million shoppers, up from 133 million last year, hit stores and the Internet on Thanksgiving weekend, which officially kicks off holiday shopping.
The average shopper spent $302.81, bringing the weekend spending to $27.8 billion, up 21.9% from last year’s $22.8 billion, according the federation’s 2005 Black Friday Weekend Survey conducted by BIGresearch LLC.
The survey, which gauges consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays, polled 4,209 consumers on Nov. 25 and 26.
“As expected, retailers offered substantial discounts and savings on Black Friday to bring people into their stores and consumers held up their end of the bargain by going shopping,” said Tracy Mullin, the federation’s chief executive, in a release.
The federation projects that holiday sales will rise 6% this year to $439.5 billion.
In OC, retailers were pushing deals in stores and online.
Foothill Ranch-based Wet Seal Inc. is promoting “Glam Gifts” on its Web site, which is offering free shipping on purchases of $60 or more.
Irvine-based Tilly’s Inc. also is offering free online shipping on orders over $75, while Jack’s Surfboards has its own deal: free UPS ground shipping on orders over $90.
Jack’s, which has locations in Dana Point, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, is giving some OC surf brands a plug on its site by featuring them on a Santa’s list.
Catalog Marketing
Speaking of the holiday season, Joe Shaw has his own weapon: a catalog.
Shaw, co-owner of California Greetings Cards & Gifts and HB Store, both on Main Street in Huntington Beach, recently put together a catalog featuring gift ideas from his two stores.
The catalog, called “The Ultimate Huntington Beach Gift Guide,” was mailed to about 12,000 homes in Huntington Beach. It’s also available at the stores.
“That catalog is full of Huntington Beach residents’ favorite products from our store as well as new items we’ve created with the Huntington Beach market in mind,” Shaw said.
The 24-page color pamphlet has items that include beach T-shirts, a palm tree hook, hula coasters, beach signs and Hawaiian print pillows.
Avalanche Safety
Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc. is trying to give snowboarders another reason to buy its garb.
The apparel maker said it incorporated Recco reflectors into its line of snowboarding clothes this winter season.
Recco is an avalanche rescue system used by 440 groups worldwide to help find people buried by an avalanche.
The reflectors have a technology that helps pinpoint a person’s location using harmonic radar.
“More kids are putting themselves at risk in the backcountry and it is important to have this type of technology,” said Richard Woolcott, Volcom’s chief executive, in a release. “If we can add a feature to our product that can increase safety and awareness, it is a valid and worthy effort.”
This season’s reflectors can be found in 10 Volcom styles, including its Omega line, and some Nimbus and Thermonite clothing.
Other OC brands using Recco include Quiksilver.
Bits and Pieces:
Players from The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim recently appeared on ABC’s television series “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” In the show, shot in El Segundo, the Ducks, homebuilder Taylor Woodrow PLC and standup comedian Robert Schimmel helped rebuild the home and spirits of police officer Bruce Lewis, his cancer stricken wife, Paulita, and their children Foothill Ranch-based Oakley Inc. recently held a shindig promoting its newest Sunglass Icon store in Downtown Disney in Anaheim Placentia-based Total Spectrum Advertising recently was named agency of record for Glendale-based CIBA Insurance Services. The OC shop said it’s working on a new marketing campaign for the commercial real estate insurance agency Irvine-based SK & A; Information Services Inc. is promoting its new database of 55,000 nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
AT A GLANCE: CAPRICCIO ITALIANO RISTORANTE
Address: 25380 Marguerite Parkway,
Mission Viejo
Phone: (949) 855-6866
Prices: Appetizers and first courses at lunch $4.95 to $7.50, dinner $6.95 to $8.95; lunch entrees $4.95 to $11.95, dinner entrees $9.50 to $21.95
