Tomorrow is Halloween, and that can only mean one thing: the 2019 holiday season is nearly upon us. Do you have the retail technology in place to make this season a good one? If you’re already starting to feel overwhelmed, don’t panic. Here are some ways to make sure your retail IT is on par for the 2019 holiday season.
5 Ways to Prepare Your Retail IT For the Holidays
1. Don’t Underestimate Black Friday for Online Sales
Yes, Cyber Monday is popular, but Black Friday still rules the holiday shopping season. Whether it’s old habits dying hard or the fear of missing out on a great deal if they wait for Monday, people are still ready to pull out their wallets as soon as their turkey and pumpkin pie are digested. Offer your best deals to get customers in your stores or (equally or more likely) on your website. Likewise, make sure both your in-store and online tech is running smoothly.
2. Improve Your Online Experience
Your customers are getting very accustomed to shopping online, and many websites have created top-tier, personalized experiences. The better you can make your online experience, the more likely your customers are to actually click “add to cart.”
Simplify your site, even if it’s just for the holiday season. While providing information, education, and value to your customers are all great strategies, if you have too many buttons on your site when people are ready to buy, they might get confused and leave before making a purchase.
3. Invest in Digital Signage
If you’ve considered employing digital signage before, the holidays can be a great time to test this retail technology out.
Digital signage can be a great way to advertise to your customers, entice them to come in out of the cold, and purchase that perfect gift for a loved one. You can create holiday-specific advertising that appeals to a particular segment of your customers.
Another strategy is to aim for engagement with your digital signage. Showcase interactive holiday games that will make kids (or kids at heart) stop and play. Not only can this help improve their shopping experience, but you can also help them get used to the digital displays in your store.
When you’re deciding how to incorporate that into your strategy, partner with a trusted retail field services provider. These professionals can help you install and test the displays for a successful deployment. They can also make sure your existing technology is updated and ready for the traffic that will be coming near the end of the year.
4. Mobile Technology
More people are using mobile payment options than ever before, and they’ll certainly want to do so during their holiday shopping. Beyond accepting Apple Pay and others like it, though, you can elevate the customer experience by providing alternative checkouts. For people with only one or two items, consider having a special checkout area where cashiers with tablets can easily scan and accept payments. Help cut down on checkout line frustration, especially from customers whose own orders are small.
5. Easy Pickup Options
With hybrid online options like Kroger’s Clicklist becoming increasingly popular, customers will likely expect (or at the very least appreciate) something very similar around the holidays. If they can order online and then pick it up on their way home, they can save time and frustration. This reduces long lines, as well as the need to get up early or check back multiple times while waiting for a particular gift to appear on the shelves. This will be a great option for last-minute shoppers who might have missed the free delivery (or any deliver) window to get their items in time.
Are you feeling more confident about entering the 2019 holiday season now? If you’re looking for more tips, digital signage, or qualified project management, contact Kinettix. We want to help ensure your retail technology is running smoothly before the holiday rush hits so you, too, can have a joyful holiday season.
