Advanced Tech To Play Leading Role In Black Friday Shopping
If you’ve spent thanksgiving weekend anywhere in the US, then you know the mania that is “Black Friday”. The event to kick off holiday shopping, the day after Thanksgiving, has people waking up in the early hours, or even camping out of stores like Best Buy and Target, to get deep discounts of the hottest items. Lines that snake around the building, anxious customers, and yes the occasional brawl have become synonymous with this annual shopping event, but technology will try to change that this year. Retail giant Walmart has prepared for this day by training their employees to fix almost any dilemma that can happen on Black Friday by stimulating a customer interaction via Virtual Reality headsets. In an interview with Vox, Walmart’s senior director of digital operations Brock McKeel said that associates are the biggest advantage in retail sales. By putting his associates through this “training”, he believes that Walmart shoppers will have a less stressful experience because of helpful employees. A number of stores will take advantage of the “mobile” route. Speedy checkout will be available from mobile devices that have store apps like Macy’s installed. Customers can search for items from store apps and see if the item is in stock nearby to purchase and pick up within the hour. Another advantage with mobile is the shopping experience online. This will not only provide another shopping avenue for customers, but will also result in less crowded brick and mortar locations which we all know can get wild during the holiday season, let alone Black Friday. From virtual reality headsets to contact-less payments, a tech-led experience may make this Black Friday a bit more bearable.
