The day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. After sleeping off the big turkey meal, millions of Americans will trek out to the malls and shopping centers looking for the best deals of the season. Retail stores of all sizes can benefit from Black Friday deals, and that means smaller retailers may have to handle a larger influx of shoppers than they’re used to seeing.
Here’s how to keep your shop running smoothly on the big day:
Prepare early
How does your Black Friday checklist look? Getting ahead of the competition means putting out creative advertising, email blasts and gift guides – anything you can do to attract new and returning shoppers. But your marketing strategy is just one piece of a larger puzzle. When shoppers are getting up at the crack of dawn to line up for doorbuster deals, you might have to wake up even earlier to ensure your shop is ready for them.
To prepare for your Black Friday sales, you’ll need to properly tag your sale items, so make sure your tagging guns are in working order and that you’re well stocked with easy-to-spot sale tags. It’s a small step that can make a huge difference when it comes to attracting customers.
Keep foot traffic flowing
On Black Friday, your store is going to be crowded. Reign in the chaos by arranging your shelves and racks in a way that allows for easy foot traffic. Not only will this let shoppers see everything you have to offer, it’ll make your store safer, as well. Intuit noted that you should have clearly defined queues for the checkout counter. Adding some of our Made in the USA stanchions can keep lines orderly.
You may also want a staff member on the floor to direct people when things get hectic. Before Black Friday, consider experimenting with a few shelving arrangements to find which is best for traffic flow. Try to avoid dead-ends and congested areas. If your store has limited floor space, you may want to post a staff member near the door to count how many shoppers are allowed inside at once.
The day after Thanksgiving is bound to be an exciting, profitable day for many retailers. The earlier you can prepare, the more smoothly Black Friday will go. Have fun, stay safe and get busy!
