**Disclaimer: This post is reflective of our company while under the name Pledgeling and the listed information may be outdated. Please refer to our main company website on Pledge for current information and resources.**
The National Retail Foundation is betting that roughly 164 million shoppers will hit the stores from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday 2018.
A small majority of shoppers claim they peruse on Black Friday weekend for the deals, while others are in it for the tradition or want an exciting activity to fill their weekend. Not everyone is out to get a deal over the weekend, but everyone is out.
That means a couple of things for businesses:
First, if you're a company that doesn't offer a lot of Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals, that's ok! A lot of customers aren't distracted by flashing signs that scream at them to spend their money.
Second, whatever you do, you'd better have a reason that customers are drawn to you. Instead of attracting customers with low pricing, consider the benefit of attracting customers with purpose.
Shoppers Have Changed
American consumers are progressively seeking businesses with purpose. 79 percent of people expect businesses to actively expand the scope of their social responsibility. Over 60 percent think companies should be spearheading social change. (Cone Communications Report 2017)
In other words, that big discount has less of a chance to sway consumers when you're not wearing your heart on your sleeve and working to benefit the world at large.
This is good news for those companies that aren't particularly keen on huge Black Friday discounts. It doesn't change the fact, however, that holiday competition is steep. However, leading with heart and purpose will enable your business to not only win customers but add value by enabling you to grow sales and give back at the same time - all season long.
What You Can Do To Win Customers on BFCM
If you're taking on your responsibility to do good, make that clear to your potential customers. If your social efforts are still in the works, give customers the opportunity to contribute to a cause. Customers appreciate the opportunity to support a business that is committed to bettering our world.
Shopify businesses can quickly link their brand to a cause (or up to 12 causes) through Pledgeling's Give & Grow app. It takes less than five minutes to set up, and your customers will immediately have the option to donate to a cause when they make a purchase.
With Give & Grow, you will have the ability to add an Impact Calculator to your store which gives customers a way to see just how far their dollars are going. Pairing a product with a cause instantly boosts its value to customers. See it action at @alleyandrae.com who are enabling donations to provide meals year round to those in need.
The app handles the back end of the donations, allowing you to keep your eye on managing your store during the busiest time of the year. It comes with a dashboard so you can see real-time donations, processes the donations, provides the customer with a tax receipt and ensures funds are distributed to the designated cause(s) of your choice and you can download your donations report for tax purposes.
This holiday weekend, we encourage you to use increase sales AND increase doing good. Make simplified donations easy and win your customers appreciation and loyalty. Join over 2,500 businesses who have partnered with Pledgeling to Grow Through Giving while doing good in the world.