Black Friday is just around the corner and with an ongoing worldwide pandemic and lockdown restrictions in place in various areas of the world, the good news for retailers is that we can expect a lot more shopping to be done online this year. But if you’re holding a special Black Friday event at your physical retail store or are offering deals and special offers that can only be claimed in-person, you’re probably gearing up to prepare for the crowds and the queues. Here are some of the best ways to safely manage Black Friday crowds in the time of COVID-19.
Use Crowd Control Equipment
If you’re expecting a crowd, be proactive, and find traffic control companies offering crowd control equipment to keep everything as orderly and organized as possible. Depending on where your store is located, you might also have to think about traffic control services, as people drive to your store to take advantage of what you’re offering on the day. Buyers Barricades offers a wide range of traffic control and crowd control equipment for traffic control companies, such as barriers, traffic cones, pedestrian barricades, signs, and more that you can hire to set up on the day to direct the crowds and minimize the chaos. Buyers Barricades can also train your employees to correctly use any equipment that you hire if needed.
Have Strict Social Distancing Rules
Black Friday is a lot of fun, but people piling on top of each other to get the latest deals can be a nightmare even without a pandemic going on. You want to attract as many people as possible to your store – especially if you want to make money to offset what might have been lost this year – but the last thing that you want is for people to be wary of coming because it’s too busy. Strict social distancing rules including everybody staying six feet apart at all times and mandatory wearing of face-coverings will give you, your customers, and your employees more peace of mind.
Post Information Online Beforehand
Posting information about your Black Friday plans online beforehand makes it easier for your customers to know what to expect and allows them to prepare. Chances are that you only have a limited number of items on sale for Black Friday, so posting information on items and the numbers you have can be a good way to ensure that people don’t turn up looking for something that you don’t have. Post social distancing rules and make sure that everybody understands what’s expected of them should they decide to come and buy.
Offer More Online
If you don’t offer online delivery, then it might be worth setting up a click and collect service to minimize the number of customers in-store and make it easier for people to get what they want. Allowing customers to pre-order an item before coming to the store to collect it can help keep things organized and avoid any fall-outs over who gets the last item on sale.
For many retailers, Black Friday is going to be a chance to recoup some of the profits lost this year due to the pandemic – but it’s important to put plans in place that enable you to do it in a COVID-19-safe manner.
