Black Friday and Cyber Monday starts count down to Christmas

ENGLAND, UK: As High Street and online customer engagement strategies converge, this Black Friday and Cyber Monday bricks and mortar retailers need to pull out all the stops to increase footfall and see off the online threat.

This weekend, the traditional ways of trading have been replaced by a more tech savvy approach, borrowed from online retailers, to boost customer engagement. With December takings for online retailers set to top £10 billion for the first time ever, according to industry group IMRG and consultants Capgemini, the High Street must find new, innovative ways to fight back if it wants to survive.

Many retailers are now implementing a multi-channel approach that includes the tracking of customers with their smartphone signals in a bid to learn more about their shopping behaviour, as well as a toolbox of other strategies.

Retail technology entrepreneur and CEO of Powa Technologies, Dan Wagner says it's time for High Street retailers to step up to the plate.

He said: "Retailers appear to have lost their nerve earlier than ever this year, with price cuts starting in earnest in what is their prime trading season. Online purchases are expected to smash all records this Christmas period and the high street needs to be more focussed in its fight back than simply implementing a strategy of aggressive discounting.

"Companies need to implement retail strategies which mirror the myriad of devices that their customers are using. In these hostile market conditions the high street must take a more innovative approach in order to survive and grow."

He concluded: "Tailoring the shopping experience to the individual preferences of the consumer is vital. Developments in the design and layout of the premises themselves has also proven to be effective in getting customers into shops. Forward-thinking retailers are already pioneering more informal, less linear formats that allow for browsing and purchasing to be interlinked.

"This kind of approach combined with the use of mobile payment methods, where payment can be taken anywhere on or off the retail premises, make for a queue-busting customer experience and enhances the retailers chance of securing the sale and not loosing the business to a competitor."