When it comes to the holiday shopping madness that kicks off with Black Friday, the show must go on ... no matter how crowded the malls are!
A recent survey revealed that despite concerns expressed by shoppers about crowded stores, long lines and items being out of stock, the vast majority (88 percent) of consumers still plan to shop in retail locations this holiday shopping season.
Aerohive and Euclid, an Aerohive solution partner and vendor in retail analytics, recently teamed up to co-sponsor a survey by Harris Interactive. The survey took a look at consumers and sales projections for the upcoming holiday season, which will officially be kicking off on Black Friday - the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States - in a few weeks.
- 88 percent of consumers will shop in physical stores
- 75 percent of consumers will shop online via computer
- 16 percent of consumers will shop via mobile devices
The Harris survey identified three major concerns of consumers coming into the holiday season:
- Crowds: 42 percent
- Lines: 29 percent
- Items would be out of stock:15 percent
- Crowds: Using retail analytics to show where shoppers spend the most time, and where additional store staff might be able to assist consumers making purchase decisions, store operations teams are able to understand shopper trends and behaviors and change store floor sets to have a better flow and shopper distribution so interior space is maximized.
- Lines: With staffing offices connected with Wi-Fi, retailers can use analytics around store shop time to help ensure that they have the proper amount of checkout positions open to streamline checkout stations and cut down on lines.
- Items out of stock: In-store Wi-Fi connects stores to their distribution centers and warehouses to better manage inventory levels, minimize mistakes and help ensure stores stay well stocked with items in high demand.
Retailers can understand customer behavior and trends and make changes in the store to diminish crowds, such as moving store staff to locations where shoppers are making purchasing decisions.
By understanding store shop times, retailers can provide an adequate number of checkout stations and the lines won't be so long. And, when in-store Wi-Fi connects to distribution centers and warehouses, those must-have items will be in stock.
“Retailers have been aggressively working to find incentives to keep consumers in stores and off Internet shopping sites, which is even more important during the holiday season, kicking off with Black Friday,” said David Greene, SVP product strategy for Aerohive Networks. “With technologies such as Aerohive Wi-Fi solutions and Euclid’s sensory technology, brick-and-mortar retailers now have the power to attract consumers more effectively and efficiently.”
To view the full report, visit here.