Online Retailers Upping Ante To Get In On Black Friday Action
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Millions will join the crowds at retail stores on Black Friday, but now online stores are trying to poach.
"Online retailers, they're no longer content to accept whatever consumer dollars are left over on Cyber Monday," Prof. Tim Sweet of Grove City College told KDKA money editor Jon Delano. "They want a bigger piece of the Black Friday action as well."
So, online stores like Amazon, HSN and Gilt.com will offer special sale prices on Black Friday, but only to those who access them through a mobile smartphone while they are out shopping.
"It decentralizes Black Friday and levels the playing field for any tech-savvy e-tailer," notes Sweet.
One popular online store hoping to capture Black Friday dollars is Gilt.com.
"Every three hours our entire inventory selection will be refreshed, and you can access these sales on your mobile device," says Alexandra Wilkes Wilson, founder and CEO of The Gilt Groupe.
Especially if you're stuck in long lines at the store.
"This is actually great for those Black Friday shoppers who are waiting in line furiously to get into stores," says Wilson. "So, while you're waiting in line you can get some great holiday shopping."
Don't try to cheat, say web designers.
"The server would detect what kind of a browser it was. It would say 'This is a mobile browser and we want to send them to this page," says Krista Trovato of Peerless Design, Inc. "It would send them to that page and present them with that special, right there."
The use of these smartphones is growing.
About 43 percent of those who use cell phones now have a smart phone, and nearly 10 percent of eCommerce purchases last month were made on mobile phones.
With Cyber Monday poaching on Black Friday, that number will only grow.
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Black Friday '11: Plan Your Shopping Strategy
Black Friday: Strategies For Shopping Success
