Green Friday and the Great Black Friday Boycott
– PART 2 –
Cyber Weekend is different now. In previous years, retailers could count on YoY increases in online conversions, queues around the block, countdowns to retail doors flying open and the rush to grab a bargain. But now? Consumer behaviour has shifted and retailers have pivoted. What did this mean for Cyber Weekend 2021?
Environmental activism aside, is it time we re-evaluate the frenzied sales season? Are we tarnishing our brands and conditioning consumers to wait for sales? Why pay full price when you can just wait for the next sales event to roll around?
64% of consumers wait for a sale to purchase products, and a further 59% search for promo codes before buying anything online.
Is this sustainable, especially for smaller retailers? Have we inadvertently undervalued our brand and products by heavy discounting? The answer is yes. We have. All the time. Retailers race to get the best deals out first, and we’re seeing the sales start earlier and earlier in November.
According to NRF, holiday shopping is starting earlier and earlier every year:
PROGRESS MADE IN HOLIDAY SHOPPING BY EARLY NOVEMBER
Percentage of Consumers Who Started Shopping
Amount of Shopping Completed
Standing up for change: how retailers are living their brand values
Hats off to the brave retailers who have unwavering belief in the merit of their products and their brand, and have turned their back on mass discounts and sales cycles.
DECIEM’s Slowvember – Bye Bye Black Friday:
For the last couple of years we’ve said bye-bye to Black Friday. To bring true value, we needed to allow the time for research, reflection, and consideration – our aim was to encourage skin care decisions that were based on education over impulse.
And so we introduced a month-long saving of 23% off every DECIEM product, allowing people the time, headspace, and selection to welcome only the products most suited to their specific needs into their homes. Black Friday became Black(out) Friday at DECIEM, as we closed our stores and website for a moment of nothingness.
This year, that 23% saving across all products for the entire month is back – but things are now a little slower. Say hello to Slowvember – a journey into a new, gentle world, after an isolated year. For the month of November, we will focus on bringing soothing experiences, creating moments of calm, and allowing space for the appreciation of small things. We hope this comfortable environment will encourage deliberate, considered purchases, allowing you to truly benefit from our 23% saving.
TWOOBS. A Better Kinda Brand
“We’d rather you buy less of our product than put them on sale and have you purchase 10 pairs of sandals because, realistically, who needs 10 pairs of sandals?”
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ASKET. The pursuit of less.
“We’re closed for Black Friday (again) to take a stand against a culture that encourages relentless buying. We’ll open up once common sense returns. Join us in the pursuit of less.”
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Bukjen. Designed for Good.
“We will be swapping deals for donations again this year by supporting two charities that echo our brand ethos of protecting people and planet.”
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IKEA Green Friday
“IKEA U.S. invites customers to celebrate ‘Green Friday’ all month long, launches national Buy Back & Resell service for IKEA Family members”
A third of UK consumers are set to boycott Black Friday. 28% of UK shoppers worry about the environmental impacts of shopping on Black Friday, prompting one in five to decline to make any purchases for this reason.
[ ELLO ]
Our purpose is to disrupt retail consumerism on behalf of the planet!
We believe that the idea of acquiring more stuff at the expense of Mother Earth isn’t just old fashioned – it’s out of fashion. That owning things that don’t get used isn’t just wasteful, it’s harmful. That old consumerist rules are calling out to be broken and replaced with a circular economy, in which we all buy less and reuse more.
Not only does this make things better for the planet, it makes things better for you – and your wallet. Join the re-commerce revolution with us…reuse what we already have, lighten your environmental footprint and help reduce waste in landfill!
Top Tips for Retailers
With consumers driving change, retailers need to step up or be left behind. Successful retailers understand that they need to help consumers make better buying decisions, be transparent around CRS and offer consumers more environmentally-friendly options.
If you feel the need to partake in the sales season, try to re-educate your customer base on the merit and quality of your product. Instead of a percentage discount, perhaps offer extra loyalty points, new product trials, or match their micro-donation to charity (check out Roundup)
If you have out-of -season stock, consider what other markets it would be suited to; it’s always the opposite season on the other side of the world! Connect your ecommerce ecosystem to a marketplace or sales channel in a different market and publish your products to a brand new audience. A local 3PL can also help with reducing the environmental impact of shipping to the other side of the world.
Donate surplus inventory. Organisations such as Good360 (Australia) and In Kind Direct (UK) partner with retailers and match surplus inventory with people in need, helping to transform the lives of people affected by homelessness, youth at risk, women and children escaping domestic violence, the elderly, refugees and many others.
Bring your brand values to life by giving customers the ability to offset the carbon of their delivery at checkout, or do it for them!
>> 51% of consumers would shop elsewhere if they knew a business wasn’t donating surplus stock to charity.
Green Friday and the Great Black Friday Boycott
– PART 3 –
