Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Fair trade organisation Traidcraft is calling on people to take a step back from the Black Friday/Cyber Monday frenzy as a recent survey reveals that a third of Brits are put off shopping because of it.
An independent survey commissioned by the organisation found more than a third of respondents (36%) would like to see Black Friday stopped altogether. Meanwhile, two-fifths of people surveyed are unlikely to be buying online this Cyber Monday (November 28) although more than one in 10 will be keeping an eye on deals during the working day.
Now in its third year, Traidcraft’s ‘Just Friday’ initiative offers an alternative for shoppers around the UK. It is calling on people to ‘take a moment to stop, breathe and buy their gifts mindfully and ethically’.Traidcraft marketing director Larry Bush commented: “After the success of previous years, we’re running our ‘Just Friday’ initiative again to encourage people to take a step back from the chaos of Black Friday and put a bit more thought and enjoyment back into the shopping experience.
“Last year we saw over 1 million people engage with our ‘Just Friday’ campaign and we also recorded our best ever weekend for online sales of ethical gifts and products, which goes to show that there’s growing support for a positive alternative to the mindless shopping frenzy of Black Friday.
“Even if just a tiny proportion of the £2bn spent on Black Friday last year was spent with ethical, fair trade organisations, we could make a huge difference to people’s lives around the world.
“We hope this year, we’ll help even more people overcome some of the stress and negative emotions associated with shopping and think about buying more meaningful gifts for their loved ones.”
‘Just Friday’ is part of Traidcraft’s ‘Show You Care’ campaign, which is running up until Christmas and encourages consumers to shop with thought and love, enabling the organisation to continue its work in developing countries.
