Did you know it is Black Friday this Friday? November 29th; not a Friday falling on the 13th of the month but the Friday following the fourth Thursday in November is marketed as Black Friday. Why, because the fourth Thursday in November is United States Thanksgiving Day. Since 1952 the day after Thanksgiving Day has been regarded as the beginning of their Christmas shopping season. With consistent marketing Black Friday has become their busiest shopping day of the year and is now also promoted in many parts of the world. Explaining why you see Black Friday sale signs on some national chain store windows and as sponsored posts on your Facebook feed. Then Monday it’s Cyber Monday, which as the name suggests wants you to go click crazy in purchasing on-line deals.
What do local retailers do in response? Some do their own Black Friday and Cyber Monday advertising, but most either ignore or are ignorant of it. After all, if we (Australia) are going to be spending a forecasted $50.1 billion this Christmas shopping season, what is a couple of days trade to an independent shop that chooses to ignore an American inspired marketing tactic?
Out of that $50.1 billion forecast, $3.6 billion will be spent online. Most likely not locally. A 25.5% increase on last year. That might indicate that locally owned businesses across Australia are going to receive less dollars this Christmas shopping season than last year. And if the online growth continues than the corresponding local store sales will slide also.
Why does it seem that locally independent retailers appear to just accept this as inevitable? I say this as where is our Plaid Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cider Monday. This is how Indies (Independent small business owners) in America respond to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, that the big box stores on and off-line are the main benefactors of.
These Indies don’t accept that the best days of retail are behind them, they collaborate to not just market their businesses but the benefits they provide to their communities. Council’s appear to go out of their way to rezone land in the suburbs for big box retailers and their lacklustre car parks, eager to re-tell the more jobs created story, knowing though they will cannibalise the sales of the locally owned stores, costing jobs and the support Indies provide to their home community. These Indies can relocate to be near these big boxes, taking more of the town’s soul out of its CBD. However, is the community really getting stronger as this practice goes on unabated?
The argument cheapest price, no matter where it is sourced from, is the priority of most of us, and Indies just have to accept that, could possibly be turned on its head by the very demographic that local businesses may feel are the greatest threat to their future existence, the always online millennials.
Millennials are generally more socially conscious, typified in the media as eco-friendly, climate change carers. Education on the proven social benefits of buying local may see them become the demographic that makes shopping local the priority over price. It is a long-term strategy but Black Friday didn’t become America’s busiest shopping day overnight.
If you own a small business thinking long term shouldn’t be an issue, accepting that collaboration is going to be needed for the education campaign to work and how to effectively engage millennials may be the challenge. But what is another challenge to a small business owner!