Black Friday Welcomes Wimps

Black Friday. It’s not for wimps. Or is it?

This year, more than ever, retailers are catering to us wimps with stores like Best Buy offering 95% of their Black Friday ad items online. Many outlets will offer free shipping, some all the way through the holiday shopping season.

Is this a good or bad thing for retailers? I say, a sale is a sale, and there are advantages for retailers who embrace cyber shopping on Black Friday.

The Retail Base Just Grew
A certain percentage of you will never set foot in a store on Black Friday. (You know who you are.) But you would go on line, therefore, the customer base just increased. You might be stuck in the country at Grandma’s house and can’t get into town to shop. If Grandma’s got Internet or you can bring your own, you’re all set.

Retailers can Increase Hours of Operation without Turning on the Lights or Paying Wages
Sure, many stores are opening early (some stores open at Midnight) but does that mean more shoppers? Or are these the same shoppers trying something new by going out early? Thinning the herd later in the day? Shopping at midnight from home might appeal to the wimps though. Think of the convenience. You can wear comfy clothes and have your favorite beverage at hand in front of your computer.

Connecting with Customers Beyond Black Friday
Beyond the Black Friday fights and tramplings, the big news stories this year will be how social media changed things. The social media buzz is starting already and retailers are preparing. Retailers need a cost effective method for communicating door buster deals and up to the minute news about things like inventory items. I.E “9 Transformers left. Get here soon!”

Retailers have worked hard to have a Black Friday social media plan in place. They already have fans in place so it makes sense:
Best Buy already has more than 5,000,000 Facebook followers.
Walmart has 10,000,000 plus.
Target has more than 6,000,000.

Many of these companies are combining deals, rewarding followers by giving stuff away via contests and sweepstakes, and using the big day to support charities:

JC Penney will donate $25 to The Salvation Army, up to $100,000, for every customer who uses Foursquare to check in to a JCPenney store on Black Friday between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m. Best Buy will donate $2 to The Boys and Girls Club for check ins at any US Best Buy location.

Black Friday is a great opportunity to get more Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers that they can then communicate with well beyond Black Friday.

Shoppers and Social Media
It’s not just about what the retailers put out there. It will be about the shopper’s experience. 87% of smartphone users access the internet daily from their device so imagine the tweeting and sharing that will occur as shoppers are standing in line, shopping and checking out. They’ll be communicating deals and sharing their experiences including pictures of the craziness. What a rich shopping experience this can create.

Black Friday, there’s so many ways to participate thanks to online options and social media. Whether you’re there in person or participating virtually, Black Friday is open for business. Wimps and all.