GDPaRty Time: Why Black Friday Should Be a Gold Mine for Consent

Would you tackle an old lady for a telly, push someone for a PlayStation or fight over a fridge? The day that it is perfectly acceptable to do all these things is nearly upon us. Black (or black eye) Friday is the universal day of getting cheap things in the run up to Christmas. Whilst the chaos has certainly reduced in recent years with retailers providing offers online, the demand for cheap products has increased with 2016 seeing nearly £6.5bn spent over the Black Friday weekend.

With such a big share of the consumer wallet up for grabs, it is no surprise that retailers go all out – with many believing that slashing their prices and shouting louder than their competitors attributes to more sales. However this year presents a unique opportunity that previous Black Fridays missed: the chance to encourage customers to opt in to marketing and give data consent to brands. With GDPR looming, brands need to capitalise on every opportunity they can to present value to their customers and gain valuable opt ins. Besides Boxing Day, Black Friday is arguably the best opportunity between now and May 2018 to present monetary discounts and earn legitimate interest for their services.

Whether they engage with the Black Friday hysteria or not, here are three ways that brands can capitalise on data collection during this hyped up season holidays.

The post purchase value reminder

The one thing people love more than saving money is reflecting on and telling others how much they saved. To feed this sense of pride after Black Friday purchases, brands should replay the value that customers have achieved and congratulate them. This would not only provide fuel for favourable social media mentions but also offer a great opportunity to encourage them to opt in to marketing and stay in the loop with future offers.

The personalised offer calculator

With online queues, site crashes and limited stock, trying to find the right offer on Black Friday can be frustrating for many customers. The chance to simplify this process and only receive relevant offers would be a god-send for any disgruntled shopper. This approach provides a chance for brands to capture customer’s preferences in the run up to Black Friday by asking them what they are interested in and which medium they would like to receive their offers by. By framing consent within the context of Black Friday, brands can come across as considerate towards their customers' frustrations and offer a personalised alternative.

The we-hate-Black-Friday-as-much-as-you approach

Brands are under the impression that everyone loves Black Friday. But as customer inboxes clog with offers some people can’t stand the bombardment of deals. This gives a great opportunity for brands to stand out from the crowd and be relatable to customers. By leading with the message that we also hate being spammed by offers and will only contact you with interesting and relevant content, brands can appear honest and offer customers the chance to opt in to messages they want to receive.

Overall it seems a shift in focus is needed. From the deal driven consumer focused lens at the moment to one of honesty and opportunism for brands. The real value of Black Friday is not in the amount of stock shifted but in how many customers look favourably on a brand and agree to share their data. The real winners this year will be those that capitalise on this unique opportunity to present value and generosity to their customers at a time when everyone else is shouting to be heard in the melee that is Black Friday.