What to expect this Black Friday
Thanksgiving is upon us, and this weekend, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday mark the official start of holiday shopping season. Here’s everything you need to know as you head off to the retail races this year. And just for fun, check out this TikTok video showing how Black Friday has evolved over the years. For a throwback to the absolute chaos of years past, this video brings back nightmares memories. Do you miss it at all?
What’s in Store
• Walmart attracts wealthy shoppers, Target sales falter
• Scheduling, safety top retail workers’ list of holiday concerns
• DM shares are the new power metric and more 2025 trends
• Six strategies to increase small business sales this holiday
• Watch an in-store demo of Google’s new AI shopping tools
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Who is the Small Business Saturday shopper?
Move over, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Small Business Saturday is coming for you. A new study from CivicScience finds that 64% of consumers say they are “somewhat likely” to get out their wallets on this day, a two-point increase from last year and nine points more than 2021. Among these shoppers’ characteristics: Gen Z, West and South dwellers, socially conscious and supportive of minority-owned businesses. This year’s presidential election may also have shifted consumer sentiment, with a third of those likely to shop this day reporting that they are shopping more due to the election outcome. Notably, it’s Democrats and Independents are leading the SBS shopping charge, perhaps seeking brands that share their values.
Why this matters: A shift to slow shopping and the emergence of Gen Z as a retail force could help put this alternative to Black Friday on the map, which would be a boon for small businesses that find it hard to compete with big box bargains during the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend. (CivicScience)
Record number of shoppers expected over Thanksgiving weekend
Even rich people love bargains: Wal-Mart attracts six-figure earners
Off Target: Retail Giant Lowers Holiday Expectations
Retail workers’ biggest holiday concerns: Scheduling, safety
Google exec demos its latest AI shopping tools
6 strategies for small businesses to crush it for holidays
Erik Logan, an award-winning executive producer and former president of The Oprah Winfrey Network & Harpo, is also a serial entrepreneur and founder. In his column for Forbes, Logan shares six simple and straightforward strategies that small businesses can use to boost consumer confidence and sales. From crafting compelling stories to smart marketing moves and holiday season standouts, his insights are a must-read for anyone looking to grow their business.
“Your local community is one of your most significant distinct advantages. Your business can offer unique, handcrafted, locally sourced products that help you stand out from mass-produced items in big box stores." - Erik Logan, entrepreneurship expert
Why this matters: Logan stresses that a small business’ strength it is locality, not a nationwide presence on every street corner. Leaning into community and creating lasting connections with customers will not only boost your Q4 bottom line, but also set you up for success in 2025.
Read Logan's column here
15 social media trends that will shape your 2025 strategy
No matter what age you are, if you ever want to feel old, look up the latest social media trends. This blog from Hootsuite breaks down not just five or 10, but 15 trends that will influence how you do business in 2025. For instance, you may already know that Gen Z is the new golden audience but did you know that UGC (user-generated content) creators are the new influencers or that niche channels are the next big thing? How about DM shares are the new power metric? And for those of us who remember what a prime-time TV show is, social media is the new prime-time show.
Why this matters: Social media morphs faster than most people can blink, so looking ahead is far more helpful than being reactive to what’s already happening. This blog post covers all the bases, with screenshots and infographics galore. You’ll want to bookmark this one. (Hootsuite)
What we’re reading:
For history buffs and anyone captivated by the gilded age of American department stores, “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion” by Julie Satow is an extremely satisfying read. Following the fortunes of the women behind Bonwit Teller, Lord & Taylor and Henri Bendel, Satow makes you feel like you were there, and wistful that you missed it by several decades.
What we’re streaming:
If you have ever wondered what made you buy that [insert impractical, useless, or unflattering purchase here], the new Netflix doc Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy breaks it down for you. Director and Emmy-winning writer and filmmaker Nic Stacey interviews former Adidas, Amazon and Apple execs to uncover the science behind what makes us shop, how corporations use it to their advantage — and the detriment to consumers and the environment.
What we’re laughing at:
Landon Bullock, a.k.a. Landokalriz on TikTok, is perhaps the new Scott Seiss, poking fun at retail and corporate culture as well as the occasional “Avengers” try-outs, playing all characters and would-be superheroes himself. His “If Retailers Workers Were Brutally Honest” short will make you laugh – and cry.
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The SKUpe is curated and written by Marcy Medina and edited by Bianca Prieto
