Sales with purpose
It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas Black Friday.
This is such a pivotal moment in the retail calendars for so many e-commerce brands. As we enter the final weeks of November, you can not fail to see brands competing & marketing their BF/CM (Black Friday /Cyber Monday) deals.
Some brands went EARLY.. like 1st November early, while others have a staggered approach. There is no real right or wrong, this way or that way for how to approach your peak trading period, however there are some brands out there doing it a little differently.
These brands are leading with a creative idea driven by their brand purpose, vision and mission, and we at Eleven applaud them 👏.
(after all - thats part of the secret sauce that makes our D2C Momentum Playbook™ work so well)
These brands are setting themselves up for future success as their brand strategy is built around a credible, honest and connecting purpose. (No Brewdog, you are not part of the pack, you are a mile off the mark - but read on you could learn something!)
Consumers are no longer driven by price alone (however a decent discount is still awesome, given our current cost of living). Consumers, particularly those HLTV (High Life Time Value) customers or those considered part of your community are motivated by business practice that is ethical, responsible, helpful and impactful. You do not need to be all of these, but as long as you are moving in the right direction with purpose, then keep going.
We are witnessing the changing of the guard. Big brand sales are no longer the 'Golden Ticket' because if you can not communicate why customers should buy your product over a competitors product in advance of your sale, you start on the back foot.
Let me break it down a bit for you with some brands that who have aligned their purpose with their sales strategy.
This crew are really pushing forward with their environmental strategies with over 99% of their packaging being plastic free. (For context, they are a market place so don't control how a lot of product is shipped to them, so thats big!) Believe it or not, thats not the key feature here. Surfdome introduced Green Friday circa 2019.
"We’ll be donating an additional 1% of sales from every Friday leading up to Black Friday, starting this week on Friday 4th November. It’s not much, but it’s a start – next year, we hope to be able to do more, and perhaps one day Green Friday will supplant Black Friday for good."
They are putting their money where their mouth is; going towards charities that are working hard to make a difference for planet earth. At the same time they are admitting there is more they can do, but it's a start and thats a good place to be.
Passenger - Green Friday (seeing a trend here...!)
This is a brand that make a wonderful product line, with 80% of the range made with responsible materials like Recycled Cotton, Recycled Polyester, Hemp and Organic Cotton. All these products are designed to inspire escapism and getting back to nature, fuelling our well-being and driving a connection to the great outdoors. Awesome.
All well and good if we have the great outdoors to escape to.. Thankfully passenger are doing something about it during their peak trade.
"For 10 days we'll plant 5 trees and protect 1,000sqm of rainforest with every order. It’s the 6th anniversary of our Green Friday tradition and this year we increase our commitment again, doubling Conservation Action Fund donations."
This is prime example of connecting brand purpose with an idea that is commercial and responsible. Also, to heap that final bit of prise on Passenger, they are a Shopify store. Win, Win.
Last but no means least, our good friends at Days.
Firstly they have a great tasting beer. Box ticked - yes - there was a lot behind the scenes to nail that perfectly balanced 0.0% Alcohol free beer and we should take nothing away from that process, but there is more.
Days have a 2 pronged strategy, well creatively executed too connect with the growing Lo & No Alcohol market. Firstly - its 0.0% ABV. Beer for doing. Yep, no hangover, get up and go sort of stuff. Secondly, Days Duty:
"We wanted to create a business that’s a force of good...a central pillar of our business became Days Duty. An initiative to give 2% of all sales to organisations that empower fresh thinking towards mental health, mirroring the Duty that alcohol companies pay the government as tax. It’s time to open up a new conversation about alcohol and its effect on our mental and physical fitness. And we want every days sold to have a positive impact."
Days are literally brewing with purpose, all year round. Add a cheeky BF/CM discount and whats not to love? It leaves a good tase in your month - not bad!
If you're searching to make a sale with purpose, get in touch.
