Every Black Friday is hard to avoid as it floods your screens each year with its pressure-selling tactics. In this post, I will give you my reasons for why this is not a good marketing device and why I urge all my clients and followers to avoid it.
Furthermore, you will learn why you should steer clear of it regardless of whether you are a seller or a buyer.
Black Friday: 3 reasons to avoid it
1. It is not a genuine Marketing tactic
Most importantly, I want you as a business-owner to recognise that Black Friday is a sales tactic which meets the needs of the seller.
By contrast, a true Marketing tactic would be in favour of your customer. You can remind yourself about the history behind Black Friday which arrived here from America thanks to Amazon in my blogpost here .
My concerns have been echoed by the consumer champion site, Which, who say in this 2021 article.
“Last year, we found 98% of the products promoted in Black Friday sales were the same price or cheaper during the six months after the sales event – so there’s no need to rush for your credit card when you spot a good price. Retailers use a range of psychological tactics to get you to hit ‘buy now’ when you’re online, and time-limited offers are just one of them. The better informed you are, the easier you’ll find it to separate the genuine deals from the duds.”
Always remember that Black Friday favours the seller, not the customer. If you care about your customers, you will not offer them a Black Friday deal. I’ve illustrated this week’s message with the colourful mandrill monkey, which uses its striking colours to serve its own purpose to dominate the other males in its troop.
2. It undermines your pricing strategy
Secondly, you will have set a price for your service that suits your market all year round. So a rush towards a price cut will train your customers to wait for a discount. In future, they won’t pay the full price.
3. It fuels customer disappointment
Also, dramatic flash deals will upset those customers who miss out. Also, many others will feel that they paid too much in the past. Additionally, a surge in sales could lead to problems with your stock and supplies which means that slower, full-price buyers might be let down.
A good marketer will avoid Black Friday under any circumstances. Don’t be as selfish as the colourful mandrill.