In 2023, Black Friday sales in the United States reached $9.8 billion and Capital One research shows sales are expected to top $10 billion for the day this year. But that’s not the end of it. The "day" is no longer just a day or even the time period of Black Friday to Cyber Monday (BFCM). It’s becoming a month, with early deals on offers from retailers like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Staples, BJ’s Wholesale Club and Amazon.
But just because Black Friday is a real revenue opportunity for retailers and brands, doesn’t mean it’s without risk.
The Brand Risks
First up, extending Black Friday blurs the lines; some fear it trains customers to expect a deal at every turn or reduces the perceived value of a brand.
For brands with environmental or socially responsible reputations to uphold, Black Friday potentially undermines them. A 2019 study found that consumers threw away 80% of items purchased on Black Friday after a few uses.
There’s also the risk of simply disappointing customers or giving them a negative experience. Especially as 52% of shoppers in Finder’s Consumer Confidence Index say they regret purchases made during Black Friday.
For others, the threat is that the sheer volume of sales talk leaves consumers overwhelmed. Smaller brands struggle to cut through and big names with big budgets dominate.
Where to Start
So, what can be done to reduce these risks?
First, brands should look at Black Friday as an opportunity to do more than just boost sales, but rather a chance to reward customers and build community. For instance, Walmart is rewarding existing Walmart+ members with early entry to sales events. Similarly, plant-based meal brand Daily Harvest is giving its subscribers early access to its holiday bundles. The brand is also donating five meals for every gift bundle sold to those in need—a Black Friday strategy which deepens customer relationships, communicates values and has social impact.
To cut through the noise (and tackle the negative consumerism connotations of Black Friday), some companies elect to not take part at all. For example, although deals can be secured through third party retailers, Patagonia doesn’t do Black Friday. Instead, it uses the moment to provide content to urge people to repair what they have, or buy used or longer-lasting quality goods—very on-brand for the company. Similarly, IKEA has previously used the day to promote its Buyback & Resell scheme where customers can resell their furniture to the business.
If non-participation feels too bold a step, companies could combine Black Friday with Green Friday, with specific campaigns around products made with recycled or ethically sourced materials—or donate a percentage of BFCM sales to a green charity.
And BRUNT Workwear firmly restrict sales to just BFCM. This can prevent a sense of ‘sales creep'—a brave strategy.
Providing Balance Through Communications
A less extreme way to combat the devaluing of brands is to carefully balance any Black Friday promotions with communications activity designed to highlight things other than price—superior quality, craftsmanship or a brand’s role in customers’ lives. Guides and expert advice pieces, together with audience-generated content work well here.
If cutting through the BFCM noise in a multi-channel world is the challenge, collaborating with smaller but highly influential content creators, carefully selected to reach a mix of audiences, may be a solution. Such influencers can create a direct and much more authentic connection for a brand with audiences. This can be achieved by offering discount codes for followers, or encouraging influencers to do product reviews, ‘how-to’s, or show how they’re planning to shop the sales. Sephora has done this really well in the past through its creator program, as has Samsung.
@tomoakton #ad | get an EXTRA 10% off with @SamsungUK Black Friday deal using your exclusive @myunidays code* #GalaxyBook4360 #BlackFriday #university #studentdeals ♬ original sound - tom oakton
In short, while Black Friday is undoubtedly a huge revenue generator, a brand requires more than just a great offer for it to deliver real value to the business—it requires some smart communications thinking.
Louise Findlay-Wilson is Managing Director at Energy PR.