Need to Know   24 : 11 : 17

Need to Know
24 : 11 : 17

In today’s Black Friday special: REI continues to encourage exploration, ModCloth gives back to the community and consumers suffer discount fatigue.

1. REI continues its stand against the Black Friday frenzy 2. ModCloth focuses on the local community over profits 3. Pinterest Secret Santa helps users locate the ideal gift 4. A store interior 3D-printed from upcycled plastic 5. Number of Black Friday shoppers plummets 6. Thought-starter: Is time up for cut-price sales?

1. REI continues its stand against the Black Friday frenzy

#OptOutside by REI, Canada

Canada – The outdoor retailer REI is continuing its tradition of closing its 154 stores on Black Friday, and instead encouraging customers to head outside and enjoy nature.

It is the third consecutive year that the brand has adopted this Righteous Retail strategy, which also provides staff with an extra day of paid holiday to explore outdoors. This year REI has created a user-generated Instagram campaign with the hashtag #OptOutside, which lets people click on a post and see real-time information about the location and experience, as well as using the content to create a series of 20 branded videos to create a greater sense of community and connection to the outdoors.

2. ModCloth focuses on the local community over profits

#BlackFridayBreakUp by ModCloth, US #BlackFridayBreakUp by ModCloth, US

US – In line with a growing sense of disillusionment with Black Friday, online retailer ModCloth has this year launched its #BlackFridayBreakUp campaign. The brand’s site will be out of action today, with ModCloth instead choosing to give back to the community with a donation of clothing worth more than £3.7m ($5m, €4.2m) to non-profit-making Dress for Success, which helps women re-enter the workplace.

Like REI, ModCloth is giving its staff an extra day off and will be running a social media contest throughout the day that highlights the charitable deeds of ordinary people.

This is the first time in ModCloth’s 15-year history that it will close for Black Friday, demonstrating a shift in thinking away from a purely profit-driven strategy towards a desire to play a more active role in the community.

3. Pinterest Secret Santa helps users locate the ideal gift

Global – This Christmas, image-led retail and inspiration app Pinterest is launching its Secret Santa feature, which creates a Pinboard of items designed to help users identify gifts that best reflect their friends’ and family members’ tastes. Using Pinterest’s API, the application uses the recipients’ pinned boards to collate a new board of gift ideas, helping to eliminate the guesswork involved in present-buying by providing a more streamlined search experience.

In addition, Pinterest is also collaborating with brands such as Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond and CVS Pharmacy, all of which will provide their own curated gift inspiration through the platform.

Secret Santa by Pinterest Secret Santa by Pinterest

4. A store interior 3D-printed from upcycled plastic

Bottletop by Krause Architects and Ai Build, London Bottletop by Krause Architects and Ai Build, London

London – Luxury handbag and accessories brand Bottletop is opening a new store in Regent Street where the interior will be entirely 3D-printed from waste plastic. Created in partnership with Krause Architects and 3D printing technology company Ai Build, the space will be constructed over a two-month period by industrial robots.

During this time customers can visit the space and interact with the iiwa robot, which has been programmed to print personalised Bottletop bag charms from upcycled plastic filament to be taken home as a memento. As awareness increases of the damage that plastic waste does to the environment, forward-thinking brands are using technology to help move towards a circular economy.

5. Number of Black Friday shoppers plummets

New market research suggests that Black Friday, once one of the most important shopping opportunities in the year, is becoming less popular as deals become more ubiquitous all year round.

6. Thought-starter: Is time up for cut-price sales?

With consumer interest in seasonal sales already waning, Irregular Labs co-founder Claire Hobson asks whether adaptive pricing might be the final nail in Black Friday’s coffin.

Black Friday is here once again. It’s savage and occasionally fatal, but hordes of consumers think nothing of risking death and dignity for double-digit discounts and bundle buys. But what would happen if retailers removed specific events that spiked your motivation to shop?

That’s the concept that greets you when you enter the half high-tech, half industrial, thrown-together Calvin Klein and Amazon store in the middle of New York’s SoHo. The crux of the experience is that the garments have no prices or tags. Prices can be vary on different days as they’re driven by the market. You merely scan the shelf ticket using your Amazon app, and the best price on Amazon.com will appear and that’s what you pay.

Such everyday adaptive pricing partnerships could fundamentally change the promotional retail calendar and dilute the Black Friday circus to modernise sales models for 21st-century shoppers. But will these daily price shifts enamour or alienate the next generation of consumers?

Read the full Opinion piece here.

Calvin Klein and Amazon Fashion pop-up, New York. Photography by Griffin Lipson Calvin Klein and Amazon Fashion pop-up, New York. Photography by Griffin Lipson
Discover More News
Social media star Kai Cenat launches Streamer University

News

Social media star Kai Cenat launches Streamer University

Twitch sensation Kai Cenat has launched Streamer University, a weekend-long experience for aspiring creators to collaborate, learn and produce cont...
Media : Entertainment : Education
De Beers to close its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand

News

De Beers to close its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand

De Beers Group has announced the closure of Lightbox, its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand, signalling a strategic retreat from the synthetic jewe...
Luxury : Sustainability : Jewellery
Financial mansplaining endures for a majority of British women

News

Financial mansplaining endures for a majority of British women

Gender bias in money matters is pushing British women out of financial conversations, according to new research commissioned by digital wealth mana...
Finance : Diversity : Inclusion
Avanade Intelligent Garden gives trees a voice at Chelsea Flower Show

News

Avanade Intelligent Garden gives trees a voice at Chelsea Flower Show

This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show invites visitors to interact with AI-enabled trees in the Avanade Intelligent Garden.
Technology : Nature : Sustainability
ITV launches deaf-led drama with BSL and silent ad break

News

ITV launches deaf-led drama with BSL and silent ad break

ITV is pushing the boundaries of inclusive storytelling with the launch of its new prime time drama Code of Silence, starring BAFTA-winning actor a...
Media : Diversity : Inclusion
Stat: Boomerang generation return home due to cost of living crisis

News

Stat: Boomerang generation return home due to cost of living crisis

The rising cost of living and unaffordable housing are fuelling a surge in adult children returning to the family home.
Family : Home : Youth
Manchester City brings grassroots spirit to kit launch

News

Manchester City brings grassroots spirit to kit launch

Manchester City Football Club has marked the launch of its 2025/2026 home kit with a short film that playfully blends football fandom, nostalgia an...
Sports : Design : Creative
Vinted tops France’s fashion market as second-hand sales surge

News

Vinted tops France’s fashion market as second-hand sales surge

Second-hand platform Vinted has overtaken Amazon and Kiabi to become France’s top clothing retailer by sales volume, according to new data from the...
Fashion : Sustainability : Retail
Stat: Nearly half of UK shoppers prefer in-store retail – but body image challenges persist

News

Stat: Nearly half of UK shoppers prefer in-store retail – but body image challenges persist

As consumers’ desire for in-person connection increases, nearly half of UK shoppers now prefer to shop in-store, according to new research.
Stats : Stat : Retail
China’s online sports and equipment sales are booming

News

China’s online sports and equipment sales are booming

The sports apparel and equipment sector continues to be one of the highest-growth key consumer sectors in China, according to brand agency Hot Pot ...
China : Sports : HotPot China
You have 0 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN