Retailers ready to fight for Black Friday customers

The lights flicker on, and the team files in. They have the home-field advantage, but the other side might be hungrier, more motivated.

The starters take their positions and ready themselves for the onslaught. Months of planning, strategizing, preparation and training come down to this moment: Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the Christmas retail season and one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

"This is an exciting time of year for retail," said Paul Gainer, senior vice president, Disney Store, North America.

Exciting, but competitive. A survey of more than 9,000 consumers by BIGinsight shows that 38.5 percent of adults plan to spend less this holiday season than they did last year. Another 32.2 percent said they'll spend only the same amount as in 2010.

With spending in question and unemployment numbers still high, retailers are bringing their A-game when it comes to dragging in customers this year.

Disney, for example, started preparing for the holiday shopping season and its version of Black Friday -- they prefer to call it Magical Friday -- in March. Executives met to determine marketing strategies, draft hiring plans and review last year's playbook to determine what went wrong.

Is almost nine months of planning necessary? You may as well call the Super Bowl just another football game.

"It is our largest sales day of the year," Gainer explained.

In preparation for Nov. 25, Disney stocks a "depth of inventory" on popular items. The company also increased hiring by 40 percent in early September so that temporary hires would have time to train and familiarize themselves with the Disney Way before being thrust into battle.

Between Magical Friday and Cyber Monday -- the Monday after Thanksgiving and the big test for online retailers -- an estimated 1.5 million guests will visit Disney's 210 stores nationwide. Issuing gift receipts, gift cards and one-day sale pricing mistakes can really mouse things up. So 60 of the outlets, including Las Vegas, have been outfitted with mobile point-of-sale devices. They've also ordered larger shopping bags because they're faster to fill.

"We're being cautiously optimistic about the holiday season," Gainer said.

Value-pricing giant Wal-Mart seems to be adopting the same attitude.

For the first time, Wal-Mart is giving customers an early preview of its Black Friday specials. Shoppers who register at walmart.com or the brand's Facebook page, will be among the first to receive an early preview of its deals.

"We know shoppers are watching every penny this season," said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer for Wal-Mart U.S. "So we're sharing our Black Friday specials early this year so they can plan ahead and deliver a wonderful Christmas for their families."

As part of its Black Friday strategy, Wal-Mart is offering customers a Christmas price guarantee through Dec. 25, a no-interest credit offer and its Christmas layaway program.

Other large retailers such as Target and Nike are employing similar strategies. Target said its stores will open at midnight on Black Friday, making this its earliest opening time ever for the day after Thanksgiving. Nike will also open at midnight to draw in night-owl shoppers.

But even if you're not a superpowerhouse player like Disney, Wal-Mart or Nike, retailers can still emulate these strategies to stay in the Black Friday game.

"The sad reality is that many retailers squander this precious day by being ill-prepared and even worse, if they don't have store traffic and conversion data, they won't even know had bad they missed," retail analytics expert Mark Ryski said.

Begin by tracking traffic. Sales will tell part of the story, but not the entire tale, Ryski said. Tracking traffic and sales gives a conversion rate needed to see clearly what's going on inside your four walls.

The name of the game on Black Friday is quick, efficient sales. This isn't the time to upsell or cross-sell. Just sell hard and sell fast.

Shoppers want deals, plain and simple. Many already know what they're looking for and those who don't, want to see the bottom line. Follow Disney's lead and tighten up your teamwork.

"While it is true that customers have the highest tolerance to checkout pain on Black Friday," Ryski said, "these long, slow-moving lines will cause some people to abandon their carts, but more likely will cause others to simply leave the store, leading to another lost sale."

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.