Black Friday is a few days away and scores of consumers are gearing up to wake up early in the morning for shopping get discounts on some of the hottest holiday items.
Technology in 2024 means that we should expect that the long lines and disgruntled consumers which used to be part of the show on Black Friday will not be there. Yes, technology will change all of that through virtual reality headsets to contactless payments. True to tech, retailers are doing everything they can to make things easy this time.
Several millions of people will shop on Black Friday and others are expected to spend money on Saturday, usually called business Saturday. Some will wait till Sunday, hoping to dip in when crowds dissipate. Then later, there will be cyber Monday shopping online and offline.
Walmart is training its employees as well so that they can cope with the frenzy. The company has reportedly purchased 17,000 Oculus Go VR headsets that the employees will wear on that day. While wearing the headsets, employees are put through different scenarios to improve how they deal with customers.
The company’s own internal research has shown that employees retain 10 to 15 percent new information via VR training compared to watching videos, viewing online demos and engaging in classroom work.
Speedy checkpoint services will take hold inside Walmart as associates will be stationed throughout the stores with handheld payment devices. They will be swiping credit cards and providing paper or electronic receipts.
Another store called Macy will launch mobile checkout at all its locations this season. Furthermore, customers can pay on their mobile phones using Macy’s app and then drop by at a mobile checkout on the way out.
Target will put a sign up that says ‘skip the line’ and that will enable staff to be armed with handheld devices to scan products and checkout customers. Staff can also order unavailable items online for the customer.
This year Black Friday sales will be driven by mobile shopping. As shoppers turn to phones they will also at the same time show up physically in stores to shop.
