Video monitors visible to the crowd at key points, showing what is happening in the crowd at different points, also available by app would help to create the "social awareness" that the article says protects ants together in large groups.
And I would think that churches and other groups that generate volunteers might work with retailers to help avoid deaths and injuries.
For retail, structuring sales so they do not involve crowds
waiting to burst in when the doors open would suffice. The
retailer would trade human safety for the shared sense
of urgency of the "blitz" style sale.
Synchronous events, like concerts and sporting events,
could rely on structuring events so that arrival and
queuing is less contention-driven - both early and late
arrivals get their reserved seats. Again, the urgency
and excitement of queuing for festival seating is lost.
For people who structure events with the intent of
attracting crowds to pretend that human safety is not
put at risk by the retailer's or event organizer's choices
is disingenuous at best, lethal at worst.
And I would think that churches and other groups that generate volunteers might work with retailers to help avoid deaths and injuries.