Macy’s and Amazon use the stores as online pickup and delivery centers. What do their employees have to say? Are the executives even listening?

Retailers have tried for years to extend the holiday shopping season to the weeks leading up to Black Friday, to no avail. The pandemic drops a bomb in the knees of every American and BOOM – more than half of consumers (56%) have already started buying vacations according to our poll this week.

Certainly, this is probably due in part to concerns about the next wave of the pandemic, and the possibility that gifts will not be delivered on time (48% of consumers we surveyed are concerned about shipping delays and items. who don’t arrive on time; millennials in particular are 60 percent the most worried). But you have to admit, it feels good to have more time for shopping. And I’ll be sure to get up before the dawn of Black Friday, grab some coffee, and line up in stores for the best deals – which I have to admit, I have NEVER done.

This week, the National Retail Federation planned a strong holiday shopping season, with sales in November and December increasing between 3.6% and 5.2% from 2019 for a total of between $ 755.3 billion and $ 766.7 billion, as consumers are willing to spend on gifts that lift the spirits of family and friends after such a difficult year.

NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said: “Consumers have had a difficult year, but they will likely spend more than they would have expected just a few months ago. “

Old-fashioned retailers may not have been ready to face the rise, let alone changing consumer expectations. Thanks to the measures taken by retailers to innovate since the spring, they are more than ever prepared to meet, exceed and benefit from new innovations. And, with 80% of consumers planning to shop online and in-store this holiday season, compared to just 20% planning to shop only in-store, retailers will finally be able to meet them with a true omnichannel Black Friday. to live.

Many retailers and brands are ready to address consumer concerns about gifts not arriving on time with in-store and online experiences. We’ve seen a 70% year-over-year increase in the number of consumers planning to use curbside pickup this holiday season (34% this year vs. 20% last year). And that can lead to even more expense.

Target saw its curbside pickup sales increase by more than 700% in the last quarter, per CNBC who reported that customers who try the service spend more both online and in stores. Best Buy’s online revenue jumped 242% in the second quarter, and about 41% of those online sales were attributed to curbside pickup or online purchase and in-store pickup (BOPIS).

According to this recent Forbes room, Macy’s (M) has decided to close on-site shopping for two of its department stores in Dover, DE, and Littleton, CO for the holidays to convert locations to more easily facilitate in-store and curbside pickup of online orders and Return products. Interestingly, Amazon is also trying this approach with Whole Foods.

Given these experiences, I wonder if executives have even considered asking employees to provide thoughtful information and feedback throughout the process as they interact with customers on a daily basis?

The holiday season provides a perfect opportunity to harness the ’employee voice’ and reinforce the employee experience, whether it’s asking them about the precautions that make them feel safer, or to obtain their opinion on the assortment and prices of products based on direct knowledge of consumer preferences. These types of information can inform business strategies and practices that can reveal untapped revenue opportunities in-store and online.

I have personally seen it happen both in our company and in a number of successful retailers and brands throughout the COVID pandemic. It just takes a desire from executives to want to LISTEN.