Why the day that officially begins the joyous Christmas season has such a dismal name, we may never know. Perhaps Black Friday is named for the many stores that open while it is still dark, drawing in eager customers with loss leaders and phenomenal deals.

Although industry experts claim Black Friday is the shopping day that pulls many companies back into the black financially, the traffic jamming shopping mall parking lots and pumping exhaust into the wintry air may better deserve the title. Whatever the reason, Black Friday, and more recently the online equivalent, Cyber Monday, are milestones for retailers of every kind all across America.

Doorbusting Deals
The day after Thanksgiving is not a national holiday, but is typically offered as such to employees. Free from work to get started on Christmas shopping, customers swarm to retailers to take advantage of incredible deals, presented to consumers to draw them in the door. From enduring bumper-to-bumper traffic on the streets and in the parking lots, to standing in hour-long lines, customers are willing to go through a lot to get the perfect gift, not to mention the pocketbook-pleasing price. (more…)

Christmas is a time of year that forces everyone to shop. How customers go about their shopping, and whether or not they enjoy it, is far from universal, however. The shopping styles and preferences of men and women, for instance, are worlds apart. To use the old metaphor, it’s as if men and women were from different planets. Many shoppers, both male and female, are taking their shopping habits online as they rely more on ecommerce to fulfill their Christmas lists.

Ladies Want It All
Simply stated, while Christmas shopping, women are more invested in the whole shopping experience. This means female shoppers are more likely to be willing to browse through seemingly unrelated items, and want salespeople to treat them like they are important, share their knowledge about their products, and offer recommendations that they think may be of value or interest to the customer.

The helpfulness of salespeople when shopping is a priority to women. Almost thirty percent of women claim the number-one problem while shopping is a lack of help when its needed. Having a representative online available to offer individualized help to customers, or at least providing an easily searched list of frequently asked questions or commonly faced problems to help a damsel in distress will help women troubleshoot any difficulties they face while shopping online.

Men on a Mission
Men, on the other hand, are more straightforward. When they shop, they are on a mission to find the item that they came for, pay for it, and then be done so they can go do something that they enjoy more than shopping. They want the item to be easy to find, in stock, and quick to buy. The number one problem men face is lack of parking near the entrance of a store, at least according to twenty-nine percent of those surveyed. (more…)