Black Friday is almost upon us and with 20% of consumers supposedly planning to phone in sick to take advantage of the deals, the high streets look set to be busier than last year.
It’s easy for consumers (and retailers) to display herd like mentality and get caught up in a stampede, losing all sense of perspective. Black Friday creates very strong pressure to shop; the fear of missing out is strong. So how can retailers wanting to cash in on the predicted spend of more than £1bn this year make sure that consumers don’t miss their deals? How can they make their buying experience easier and hassle free?
The answer is technology, which can help reduce the chaos, make buying simpler and quicker, and retain brand integrity.
Using tech to reduce the chaos
Customers expect retailers to know their preferences and they want to be able to find what they are looking for at the click of a button. Here are some of the technologies that are enabling stores to deliver personalised services and offers this Black Friday:
Targeting and retargeting
More than 50% of online shoppers are shown suggestions for items to buy online that are not relevant to them. A simple way to show personalisation this Black Friday is to give consumers deals that take into account products they bought in last year’s sale or searched for recently.
In-app messaging
Mobile offers a fantastic way to create a better experience. Offering customers codes to take in-store or allowing them to reserve items for a set time can work well.
Think about search
According to one study, 78% of users searched for gifts online last year, while 29% relied on friends, relatives or colleagues. It’s essential to make sure your audience can find you. These micro-moments of intent are where sales are gained or lost, day or night.
Making life simple for the customer
Many shoppers will use product videos and ratings to help inform their purchase decisions. This year, 82% of smartphone users will consult their phone while in-store, so retailers are taking advantage of location based technology to combine the intelligence of online shopping with the tangibility of physical retail, adding things such as personal recommendations to in-store experiences.
Beacon technology
It’s now possible to target customers as they enter a store and give them directions/insights into where in the store the deals on the products they want are. In the US, Target are doing just this, creating personalised experiences for customers that mimic online experiences. Once in-store, anyone with an opted-in Target mobile app will trigger “Target-Run,” a feed of announcements that change depending on where you are. Apparently it will use recommendations from social media to make the suggestions more personalised.
In-store Wi-Fi
Messages can now be targeted to consumer smartphones connected to the store Wi-Fi. This means that the offers promoted can be tied to specific goods on offer. Some retailers (for example, Burberry) have created closed ecosystems around brand loyalty that combine the user’s mobile and web history/preferences to offer targeted in-store experiences and offers.
Closing the sale quickly
People started queuing outside some shops 24 hours before the sales started last year. Fights broke out when people couldn’t part with their cash fast enough. There are a couple of potential solutions this year that offer a better customer experience and will help any brand look good:
Augmented reality
Selfridges and House of Fraser are using augmented reality to make windows “shoppable” this year, which could make queuing a pleasurable experience or even capture passing trade without them having to step foot inside.
Apply Pay
US retailer Kohl and others are trying to make payment quick and rewarding, capitalising on Apple’s recent announcement that it would support store cards, allowing retailers to offer discounts and rewards.
Whatever technology retailers look to use, it’s imperative that they continue to take a customer-first approach for better sales and profits. Retailers that don’t think about how to create experiences that make customers want to keep coming back, regardless of the season, will miss out on more than just a day’s worth of sales.
Jo Coombs is managing director at OgilvyOne
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