How to Lighten Up Black Friday and Influence Consumer Behavior

Black Friday is a day of chaos and exhaustion all for the sake of a good deal. People wait in line outside of stores from early Thursday night until Friday morning to get in and get the best deal. Some retailers open their doors at midnight and people shop ’til they drop, literally. Savvy consumers, and dare I say it, smarter consumers, skip the parking lot nightmares, the anxiety-ridden lines, and the crowds inside by getting cozy at home in front of their computers and searching through Black Friday deals. If they find something they like, they simply “Add to Cart,” enter payment information and wait for their purchase to be delivered.It’s obvious why someone would rather shop online than in store on Black Friday, but what sets apart all the online Black Friday deals? Who will you buy from and why? In an article by Joshua Barnes, he says that consumer influence is created when value is created and true value is the sum of features, benefits and a “reason to buy.” With delivery costs standard for most retailers, the lowest price might not be reason enough to buy. People are looking for quality at a low cost and if everyone’s cost is the same, quality precedes all else.Quality is not just found in the features and benefits of the service or product one purchases but also in the convenience of the purchase as well. An online store can build quality into the shopping experience it provides on its site by providing an easy to navigate site along with security features to provide safety and most importantly, reliable customer support. An easy to maneuver online site provides comfort and ease for a consumer; if a company provides a good experience for one consumer, he/she will be on his/her way to brag about the great shopping experience they had online. Through word of mouth advertising, others will be drawn to a site that makes it easy to navigate and provides a safe marketplace.A company with a strong reputation of good service, on time delivery, and quality products is a company that has built value and one that you will want to buy from. Black Friday serves as an excellent day to set the standard for your company and brand yourself as a valuable provider.When Black Friday rolls around each year, we always exchange stories of our past shopping experiences and the great deals we received. Most of the time, the stories do not revolve around the low price we paid but about the actual experience of buying the good. Make Black Friday a relaxed, convenient and happy experience for a person and you have a customer who will rave about you for years to comes. The biggest influencers are past customers and word of mouth advertising.