In recent years, brands have been pushing Black Friday all the way back to Thursday. A few, including HWW client TJX, have refused to take part, choosing to close on Thanksgiving Day and put their people first.
This year, REI decided to opt out of Black Friday as well. In a campaign titled #OptOutside, the outdoor-equipment brand is shutting down its distribution centers, 143 retail locations, and even the online store. All 12,000 REI employees will be receiving a paid holiday.
Sarah Rubinstein, senior strategist at Havas New York, commented on the campaign:
“REI’s choice to #OptOutside is a great example of a brand walking the walk … it taps into a cultural longing to reclaim deeper human meaning during a season that has been effectively hollowed out by rampant consumerism. Other brands sense this opportunity; espousing communion over consumption is a great way to build relevance with a culture that is fatigued by holiday shopping hype and newscasts of Black Friday violence.
But REI’s decision (which, for the record, follows a precedent set by Patagonia back in 2011 and has recently been made by other retailers such as Staples) will resonate with consumers, stick in people’s minds, and build equity for the earth-friendly brand precisely because it’s not simply a gimmick designed to breakthrough during the holiday cacophony, but rather an authentic act of the brand’s core values.
The interesting question is how can other brands (especially those decidedly not ‘dedicated to a life outdoors’) learn from this type of brand experience?”
The decision to forgo holiday sales marathons may also be a reflection of trends in consumer behavior. A report from the National Retail Federation found that only 55 percent of holiday shoppers spent money during Thanksgiving weekend last year, and that 42 percent of their spending was online.
According to Google, more consumers are opting out of these sales marathons in favor of purchasing in “bursts” on their smartphones, what Google calls “micro-moments.”
In 2014, Google saw steady consumer shopping throughout the season, with fewer spikes on shopping days like Black Friday.
“This type of shopping has lead to shorter, more purposeful mobile shopping sessions,” the company said. “In fact, while shoppers now spend 7% less time in each mobile session, smartphone’s share of online shopping purchases has gone up 64% over the last year, and 30% of all online shopping purchases now happen on mobile phones.”
As Ad Age points out, “REI’s announcement reflects more than just how tired its customers are of Black Friday; it reflects how tired many Americans are as well.”
The post Why Brands Are Opting Out of Holiday Sales Marathons appeared first on The Mag.
