Black Friday ads have more appeal than ever this year as people battle with obligatory, as well as pre-holiday, purchases in an economy plagued by a recession.
Ikea, for example, is trying to lure customers in stores by not only offering killer discounts on their goods, but by enticing customers with a FREE breakfast! Technically this means their breakie has only been reduced by $1, but hey, if it gets people to shop, it’s a brilliant idea!
There are websites dedicated entirely to indexing these Black Friday ads, making it easy for people to scope out the sales that will be most influential for them.
Sites like BFAds.net let you download PDFs of fliers, catalogues and posters so you can compile your own custom shopping guides based on the most relevant Black Friday ads.
The gallery includes ads from Ikea, Bass Pro, Rite Aid (for that $0.77 gift wrap), Home Depot, BestBuy (I’d line up at 5 a.m. for a $379 Toshiba laptop!), Circuit City, Costco and Target.
I have to admit, I get quite a kick out of the thought of someone buying a showerhead as a Christmas present, as Home Depot so kindly suggests in their "Great Gifts for Under $20" feature!
Free Breakfasts to Entice Shoppers
Black Friday Ads For The Recession
Trend Themes
1. Free Breakfasts as Promotions - Offering free breakfasts as part of promotions can be an effective technique for attracting customers.
2. Black Friday Sales Indexing Sites - Sites that index Black Friday sales ads and provide customized shopping guides based on them can be valuable to consumers.
3. Pre-holiday Purchases in a Recession Economy - The current economic climate presents an opportunity for companies to offer discounts and incentives to entice customers to make pre-holiday purchases.
Industry Implications
1. Retail Industry - The retail industry can use free breakfasts and other promotions to encourage customers to make purchases during times of financial hardship.
2. E-commerce Industry - E-commerce companies can use Black Friday sales indexing sites to build customer loyalty and increase sales during the holiday season.
3. Food and Beverage Industry - The food and beverage industry can partner with retailers to provide free breakfasts as part of promotional efforts during times of financial hardship.