As the calendar flips to Nov. 1, online retailers are wasting no time touting their holiday promotions.
Online marketplace eBay Inc., for example, launched its “first-minute” deals today, which offers a discount and free shipping on various products each day Nov. 1-11.
Similarly, mass merchant Target Corp. also launched its Black Friday preview sale, which offers discounts on products now through the Friday after Thanksgiving. Target also gave shoppers a preview of its Black Friday ad online, so shoppers can plan their day-of purchases. Retail-chain competitor Walmart Inc. made a “Christmas Gifts” deals section live on its website, although it is not promoting them as “Black Friday” deals.
Both Target and Walmart announced a similar omnichannel feature that is new for this holiday season. Both mass merchants will allow in-store shoppers who are purchasing a few items to “skip the line” and check out with an employee in an aisle. Associates, who will be available in the busiest parts of the store, will swipe a shopper’s credit card with a handheld device and then customers can leave the store without waiting in a cashier line.
Another omnichannel feature Walmart announced is providing a store map for each store in the Walmart app. By early November, shoppers can search for a product in the Walmart app, and the map will show the item’s location in the store. On the e-commerce front, a few weeks ago Walmart announced it expanded free two-day shipping for orders of $35 and more to items sold by marketplace merchants.
Target also announced it will open at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22, until 1 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23. Target will reopen at 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 24.
Target is No. 17 in the Internet Retailer 2018 Top 500, Walmart is No. 3 and eBay is No. 4 in the Internet Retailer 2018 Online Marketplaces.
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