Black Friday is just around the corner and love it or hate it, Black Friday happens every year and has some fantastic marketing power behind it.
But that doesn't mean you have to suddenly slash your prices and jump on a bandwaggon and go against all your principles of doing business.
In fact quite the opposite.
You can still very much take advantage of the momentum that Black Friday gives without feeling you are selling your soul to the devil.
Here are 5 ways to use the Black Friday hype, without offering a single discount.
#1 HAVE A 'SHOP TO GIVE' PROMO
This is a great way to have a sale while supporting other initiatives. Give a percentage of all your proceeds on Black Friday or the Black Friday weekend to your chosen cause.
Like the company Everleaf Drinks who last year gave a percentage of sales to their conservation charity.
#2 ENCOURAGE CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION
People love to bag a bargain, that's one thing we can't change but buyer remorse is real and a survey in 2021 showed that up to 42% of people regret their Black Friday purchases
So what we can do is take advantage of the event but slow the whole buying frenzy down
Brands like The Ordinary are doing just that with their SLOWVEMBER campaign - giving a discount and taking your time to use it over the month of November.
Check out their Insta Reel below
#3 Boycott Black Friday
Your business, your choice. Simply put, you can do what you like but make sure you tell people why.
Boycotting Black Friday is a great way to shout loud and proud about your company values and let people know why you do the things you do.
Brand Asket actually closes its physical and online store on Black Friday in a bold statement against short-term materialism
"Instead, we advocate for a perspective that doesn’t value short-term sales, rather long-term balance."
#4 CHAMPION THE ECO AND SHOP LOCAL CAUSE
Brand ShopAppy's campaign 'Green Is The New Black' champions not only making Black Friday a more Green initiative but also championing the high street and supporting local too.
#5 RAISE YOUR PRICES
It's bold but if you can carry it off, why not. Again, your business, your choice.
Brand Allbirds did exactly that with a statement about raising prices by $1 across the board to fight climate change.
So there we go, remember Black Friday is not all about slashing prices and doing wild discounts. It can really be about making a difference, showing your values and creating hype that's really positive.
Oh and finally, if you're simply joining the masses and getting involved in Black Friday in the traditional sense then our only caveat for you is to remember that 'A great offer should make you money NOT cost you money'
But that's a blog for another day.