J. C. Penney Company Inc. is using mobile to help customers beat the rush at its biggest After Christmas sale ever.

The retailer’s stores opened at 5:30 a.m. – the earliest opening on the day after Christmas in company history. For the first time ever, JCPenney offered an After Christmas sale “Wake-Up” call. Customers could visit jcp.com beginning Dec. 23 and sign-up for the “Wake-Up” call to their mobile phone.

“The strategy here is to get customers excited about coming into our stores on the day after Christmas,” said Kate Parkhouse, a spokeswoman for JCPenney, Plano, TX. “The day after Christmas is becoming an increasingly popular shopping event.”

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