Black Friday for Small Businesses – Why You Should Take Part

November 19^th, 2024

Is Black Friday for Small Businesses?

As a small business, should you take part in Black Friday?  Personally, I say “absolutely you should”.

Don’t get me wrong, I dislike Black Friday.  I think it is such an awful concept for so many reasons.

I believe it often encourages over consumption and undermines the value of quality products, plus small businesses are unable to afford huge discounts as they are already struggling to make decent profits.

Every year the so-called deals, become more about big corporate retailers off-loading their poor quality stock or giving unreal deals, so it feels to me.

It is now not just about one day and some retailers and market places are promoting Black Friday deals a month (or some even 2 months) before the actual day.  Which for 2024 Black Friday falls on 29^th November.

Having said that, however, unfortunately it is here to stay.  It is a huge retail sales day, so it is a shame for small businesses not to embrace, be part of it and thereby claim their piece of the sales income pie.

As with all sales and special offers, small businesses always give proper deals.  They do them better than the big guys and I feel give their customers much more of a special offer.

How to do Black Friday for Small Businesses

Making Black Friday work for you and benefit your customers is the key.  You can give a straight percentage off across the board, if that works for you.  Or you can be more creative giving you more benefit from discounting and give your lovely customers a wonderful deal too.

One of the best things about being a small business is your flexibility and creativity.  Unlike big retailers, you can add a personal, thoughtful touch to your Black Friday promotions.

Whether it’s a beautifully wrapped mystery box, a themed gift set, or a heartfelt thank-you note with a future discount included in every order, these details make your offers stand out and keep customers coming back long after Black Friday.

Creative Black Friday ideas for small businesses.  

Some ideas for you:

• use it to clear slow moving stock and in so doing not only will the customer buy the discounted product but will probably add something else to their cart whilst they are there
• up-sell by creating bundles of products e.g. buy 4 notebooks and get a 5^th free
• gift sets around a theme, by buying them all together give a little discount
• sell mystery boxes of items at a discounted price.  I succumbed to one of these last year and absolutely loved opening it and seeing what was in there.  It felt really special. I will definitely do this again and I spent way more with this shop than I intended to.  So win win for both the shop and me, their customer.
• Give a discount now but also for the future to encourage return visits
• Free delivery all weekend
• Free gift for every order over a certain amount
• Everyone that buys Black Friday weekend goes into a draw to win prizes

There are lots of ways to be creative with offering Black Friday deals, I hope this list has given you some ideas.

Ways of Looking at Black Friday

If you are still thinking “no way am I taking part in Black Friday”, can I give you a slightly different way of looking at it.  I like to see it as giving your loyal customers a reward for shopping with you.  Does that make it feel less awful?

If you’re worried that offering discounts might devalue your products, remember that you can frame your offers as a reward rather than a markdown. For example, offering a free gift or an exclusive bonus for purchases over a certain amount lets you preserve your brand value while still participating in the Black Friday frenzy.

At Christmas time you want to get your customers money before anyone else does.  What do I mean by this?  Most people have a list of people they are buying for and normally a set limit.  Once that person is bought for at the limit, they are ticked off the list and no more is spent.

Black Friday is often the start of this ticking off the list, so small businesses miss out if they aren’t in there from the beginning with a creative deal and being part of the gift buying on that day.

Black Friday Benefits

Here are some of the benefits of participating in Black Friday for Small Businesses:

1. Increased Sales Volume: Capture the attention of shoppers actively looking for deals.
2. Customer Acquisition: Attract new customers who might not have found you otherwise.
3. Clearing Old Stock: Move older or slow-moving items, freeing up space and cash flow.
4. Building Brand Loyalty: Offer deals that reward your existing customers, strengthening their connection to your brand.
5. Early Christmas Spending: Capitalise on shoppers ticking off their gift lists early, ensuring you’re part of their Christmas budget.

Sit it Out

By all means, if Black Friday doesn’t align with your business values, it’s okay to sit it out, you do you.  Travel in your own lane, no judgement here.

It is important to do what you feel is right for your business and only you know what that is.  But before you automatically say no way am I getting involved in the nonsense that is Black Friday, I encourage you to think about whether there is something you can do that will benefit your business and your wonderfully loyal customers.

It is a shame to automatically step back because, like me, you think Black Friday is a bad thing.

It is happening, it is huge, so don’t let the faceless corporates of this world, reap all the rewards from it, you take your piece of the action.

…and Finally I Would Love to Know

What do you think of Black Friday for small businesses?

Will you be taking part in Black Friday this year?  Has what I said given you a different view as to whether to take part or not?

Share your plans or hesitations—I’d love to hear how you’re navigating this tricky yet rewarding retail event!

Comment on my Instagram post here or email me barbara@loveourshopsuk.com.  I would love to hear what you think about Black Friday.

If you are taking part, why not head over to my Instagram feed and add your offer to my Black Friday post, I will share what I can.

Barbara

 

All opinions in this blog post are mine. At the time of writing all shops mentioned are members of my shopping directory.  Though I mention lots of shops here, you must form your own opinion as to whether the shop and their products are for you.  Clicking on a shop link will send you to their website, from there you are covered by their terms and conditions.

Tags: Christmas, Shop Talk