Toys “R” Us prepares for holidays with in-store mapping
Toys “R” Us is gearing up for a hectic holiday by enabling a few mobile-focused in-store features, including free in-store pickup and a mobile Web map to help consumers navigate the store.
As the Black Friday approaches, signaling the beginning of the holiday shopping season, the toy store is making use of in-store mobile mapping services to help keep foot traffic flowing. The feature will also help consumers find the things they are looking for quickly and easily.
“Our customers have voted at the doors year after year, and they continue to want the option to get an early start on their holiday shopping lists,” said Joe Venezia, executive vice president of global store operations at Toys”R”Us, Inc. “The good news is that we’re not only focused on delivering a Thanksgiving Weekend filled with deals and doorbusters, but we’ll be giving shoppers an entire month of can’t miss sales and services.”
Mapping the floor
As one of the biggest days for retailers, Black Friday is notorious for long lines, hectic store floors and big spending.
Toys “R” Us is tackling all three through a series of preparations both digital and physical to make sure this Black Friday is as smooth, and as profitable, as possible.
The brand will be opening its doors at 5 pm local time on Thursday and will remain open until 11 pm on Friday, giving consumers 30 unbroken hours of shopping access.
With a long, uninterrupted period of heavy customer traffic, Toys “R” Us is relying on the power of mobile to help users navigate the store and make informed purchasing decisions. The brand is offering a mobile-optimized guide site, hosted at toysrus.com/guide, that will help users navigate the story quickly and efficiently.
Consumers simply open the site on their mobile device and search for the nearest store to locate the one they are currently in. A dynamic map will then be displayed, showing where every product is and what each aisle contains.
From this map, consumers can search for the products they want, compare prices and do other research-heavy activities through their mobile devices while they shop. Once they have found a product they want to purchase, the map will guide them to its precise location in the store.
In-store pickup
Mapping is not the only mobile service the toy retailer is making use of this Black Friday.
Toys “R” Us is also keeping foot traffic moving by offering free in-store pickup for orders placed online or through a mobile device. Consumers who opt to order form their phones can skip the line and have the product ready for pickup at a Toys “R” Us counter.
The brand is also promoting its recently relaunched price match guarantee that lets consumers get a guaranteed low price if the same product can be found elsewhere for a discount.
This program will not be in effect between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, but will come back into play as soon as the Black Friday weekend is over.
Toys “R” Us is counting on the unique potential of mobile as a ubiquitous connection between the consumer and the digital world to help make this Black Friday the most mobile-friendly it can be and keep foot traffic flowing as the store fields a vast number of consumers.