Do you remember last year’s video of a person trampled when the doors opened to a Wal-Mart on Black Friday while a stampede of customers bum-rush the store at 5 a.m.?
Is that the type of shopping experience you intend to provide your customers?
Black Friday is one of the most interesting social experiments in all of retail. Fortunately, you will be beat the trend and the competition by building an online following who will be looking forward to your tweeted coupons and other specials while they become part of your customer community and fan base.
Use of social media and other online tools can clearly be the difference between lackluster sales and a highly unexpected increase, if you take advantage of what eMarketer estimates is one of the 27.3 million or more tweets flying across Twitter each day. An increase is expected this Friday.
Aside from great low prices, you should be using this opportunity to remind customers of the value and convenience you provide them, especially when your website provides an ability to avoid bum-rushing crowds like ones storming retails stores after their last bite of Turkey stuffing. Your website should be anxiously teasing and exciting consumers who seek to dispose of their income with you, and cause them to join your email list, become your Facebook fan or Twitter follower.
The anticipation of receiving those special coupons at 5a.m., 6a.m., 7a.m. and on the night before Christmas will be far better than waiting outside the cold who will put their size 11 shoe in your back in order to fight you for the last Zhu Zhu in the store.
You can build synergy by posting some of your coupons and specials on blogs like Black Friday 2009, BlackFriday.info and using hashtags such as #blackfriday . Moreover, you should provide additional incentives with online only specials, and offers strictly for those who follow you through social media channels.
According to the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, “10% of consumers plan to spend more this year than last on holiday gifts, and 43% about the same. “ The best way to a “consumer’s heart,” according to the study, is apparently with a 30% discount, and if you market to them effectively, you can be the beneficiary of money from 22% of U.S. consumers who expect to spend more in the next 30 days, leading upto the holiday season, Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Most of these consumers are young professionals, who probably check their Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter accounts and favorite blogs several times a day through desktop computers and smartphones and they can’t wait to spend their money. The nice people at American Express, who will be helping these people to make their purchases with you, also concur and suggest price discounts are the top motivator for getting consumers to spend, along with free shipping, a free gift with purchase and bonus reward points.
They believe that 79% of consumers intend to utilize the Internet as a tool to help with holiday shopping:
- 45% will use the Internet to purchase items
- 28% will use it for hard-to-find items
- 27% to research products,
- 25% will go online to simply look for gift ideas.
- 50% will most likely spend on clothing and accessories
Are you prepared to entice these consumers, make their shopping experience more satisfying and can you handle the volume of money they will spend with you? If you are, then let the virtual running of the bulls begin!