Black Friday is ON.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the busiest day (should that be week?) in the retail calendar is in full swing, with more shiny discounts on offer than you can shake the proverbial stick at.
In the face of the ever-present Amazon threat (despite growing internal challenges of its own), some retailers like Walmart have used the occasion as a catalyst for innovation – switching the focus to re-inventing the in-store experience in an attempt to win the day. For others, Black Friday poses more of a challenge, as the search for the perfect discount remains a power struggle between the balance of higher sales and lower profits.
Whether you love it or you hate it, with a record breaking $8 billion worth of sales last year in the US alone, for retailers it’s become an event that’s hard to ignore.
For those of you who haven’t quite decided which side of the fence you sit on, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to find some compelling view points on either side of the argument.
So before hitting ‘confirm’ on one of the multiple shopping baskets open on your desk top right now, sit back, take a breathe, and enjoy.
There is Nothing Customer Centric about Black Friday – Mary Drumond
For Mary Drumond, editor in chief of the Science Behind Decision Blog and host of the Voices of Customer Experience Podcast, Black Friday means, ‘Crowds. Mess. Destruction. Late work hours. Over-time. Smaller profit Margins.’ Clearly she’s a fan! Check out her take on why customer-centricity is the last thing that you’re likely to find this Black Friday.
Black Friday: The deeper reason why some of us love it and others positively loathe it – Mike Breazeale
Mike Breazeale, Associate Professor of Marketing for Mississippi State University, takes a deep dive into the differing psychologies of those who can’t get enough of Black Friday and those who loathe it… it’s more complicated than you might think!
Why Black Friday is My Favorite Holiday – Annick Lenoir-Peek
And finally, we have an unapologetic love letter to Black Friday, from Durham, NC based blogger and travel writer Annick Lenoir-Peek. For Annick, Black Friday represents the ultimate culmination of a year’s worth of planning, strategy and of course deal hunting. What’s not to love!
To learn how TruRating can help you understand the effect your customer experience has on your own Black Friday efforts, leave us your details and a team member will be in touch shortly.
And while you’re here why not follow Mary, Michael and Annick on Twitter for more words of wisdom!
