By celebrating its 70th anniversary with promotions of up to -70% on Apple products, Boulanger aroused massive interest, which was unfortunately accompanied by technical problems and the emergence of scalpers on platforms like Leboncoin, highlighting shed light on the challenges of online promotional sales.
On this Thursday, Baker tried to mark his 70th anniversary in a spectacular way: a flash sale promising discounts up to 70% on a selection of Apple products including Macbook Pro M1s, relayed by a live event on its site. The exceptionally attractive offer quickly captured the attention of a crowd of consumers, leading to massive influx on the northern brand’s website. This traffic spike suddenly overwhelmed the company’s servers, causing abnormally long loading times and preventing many customers from accessing the coveted offers.
The enthusiasm for this promotion was such that the Boulanger site and application were struggled to manage the influx of visitors, displaying error messages stating that the loading time was “longer than normal”. Repeated attempts by consumers to take advantage of the offer have been in vain, with many hitting a virtual wall that prevented them from adding the desired products to their basket. Despite the company’s efforts to redirect customers to an Instagram story dedicated to sales, resulting in a frustration among many consumers eager to grab these offers.
Caution on Leboncoin after Boulanger’s chaotic promotions
Following the tumultuous promotional sale of Boulanger, a paradoxical situation emerged: while many loyal customers were prevented from adding products to their basket due to site overloads, some opportunists quickly took advantage of this opportunity. Products purchased during this limited offer have started to pop up on classified ad sites as The good cornerdisplayed at prices close to or equivalent to their price before discount, thus defying the initial spirit of the promotion.
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The ads on Leboncoin clearly show that sellers mention the origin of their product: the recent Boulanger promotion. They offer new MacBook Pro M1s, purchased at rock-bottom prices, without passing on the savings to potential buyers. This phenomenon, known as scalpingraises ethical questions and highlights the need for consumers to be vigilant and critical of offers that are too good to be true, especially in times of aggressive promotions.