Friday, November 23 is Black Friday: a tradition that has drifted over from the United States, when people head out en masse after Thanksgiving to bargain-hunt. The media attention this attracts has also led to a boost in shopping in Europe: research conducted by Motivaction shows that, in 2017, 32% of 18 to 40-year-olds made an (online) purchase specifically on this day. This presents opportunities, but how can you take advantage of these as a garden centre?

It’s important to know what customers are looking for. The research carried out by Motivaction shows that people are looking for clothing, shoes and Christmas-related items. The latter clearly presents opportunities, as your shop will be full of Christmas-themed items this time of year.

A discount on Christmas items
Black Friday is all about discounts but, this early in the season, you may be reluctant to offer a discount on Christmas items that you’re relying on to create your profit margin. Therefore, it’s advisable to select items that are less common or of which you’ve purchased a bit too much. Offering a discount on your entire Christmas selection, which is something we see happening occasionally, is not something we would recommend.

discount for regular customers
One great idea is sending your loyalty card holders or regular (online) customers an email with a discount code for 1 or several items. This discount code will be valid on Friday, November 23; possibly including the following Saturday and Sunday. Limiting the validity of the discount code to this extent will create a purchasing incentive.

Another idea is to send loyalty card holders five special offers that are only valid for loyalty card holders on Black Friday weekend. The limited availability will, likewise, create a purchasing incentive.

Purchasing incentive
Christmas breaks into full swing the upcoming weeks. Black Friday presents an opportunity to create a purchasing incentive among a target group that may not often visit your shop. Consider it and seize the opportunity!