#620: Pink Friday 2024: The Shop Small First Movement

Foreign.

Business can be a lonely game, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome to Boutique Chat, where we explore community over competition and how to scale your company with the balance and the happiness that we all seek. We'll hear from product based businesses of all types, retailers, e commerce and wholesale brands, along with industry experts shaping the future of our industry. I'm your host Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub and and I can't wait to chat.

Hey guys. Welcome back to the podcast. This week we've got a familiar face.

Hello. How's it going? Hello. Hello. So good to see you.

So happy to have you here. So we're talking about something today that is one of our favorite topics. It's such a fun time of year and, you know, third, fourth quarter, the two busiest seasons in retail. We're gearing up for all the great things that are to come. So, so today we're talking about Pink Friday. I've got to kick it to you. Tell us all about what Pink Friday is.

Oh, man, I, you guys know, you know, I came from the retail space for many years and running up against Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, all the things as a small business owner, sometimes you felt like, you know, you kind of maybe got the leftovers a little bit. And Pink Friday came to life way back in 2020 when we really wanted to push consumers into those small businesses and more shine the light on what those small businesses are and celebrate them. So that's why it's pink. That's why we picked the Friday before Black Friday every year. And it is just an opportunity for consumers to stop what they're doing and recognize the importance of the small business in their community and get out and support them, whether they're brick and mortar online or pop up and just have a really fun time celebrating the life of a small business owner. And you know what that experience means to shoppers.

Yeah, I love that. And this is our fifth year. Like you said, that's a huge milestone. It's amazing because 2020 was such a crazy year when this all started and.

We just wanted to celebrate the fact.

That so many small businesses had survived what went on in 2020 and now to see it flourish. I mean, to me, this is what community over competition is really all about. And this is how I think we see it. Like living out before our eyes every single day, every single year. So talk to me more about on November 22nd on Pink Friday. What happens around the country? Like, what do we see? Boutique, boutique owners, but really small business owners of all Types. What do we see them doing?

Oh, right. Well, one thing you're going to see is social media is starting to flood the color pink, all leading up to Pink Friday, which I, I see it more and more every year. And it just, you know, it is, it's a fun, vibrant color and especially happening in November, right? So it catches the consumer's eye. So what you're going to see is small business owners, like I said, across the country, collaborating together, coming together as one. This whole idea of together we are better. Community over competition, right? To take on, you know, the, the widespread of dollars that consumers are spending in the fourth quarter. And when these small businesses are getting together, they're not. A lot of times in our communities we're seeing them doing boutique crawls or community collaboration events. And I don't mean just with retail store specific, right? Like two different clothing stores doing something. We are seeing restaurants and gas stations and hardware stores and floral shops all coming together to do fun things, to say, hey, here I am, I'm alive, I'm vibrant in your community. I'm hiring your, your local people, come support us because we're going to do something really cool. So a lot of times, you know, we, we have all these guides and help and tip sheets for stores that want to put on events, how to host these events and how to collaborate with each other, different ideas that they can do. But really it's just an opportunity to celebrate that small business owner. It's not about a big sale. It's not necessarily about like bottom bargain prices, Black Friday, doorbuster deals, Right. It's more about come in, celebrate. You know, a lot of times we're seeing these stores going all out with all the balloons, all the decor, all the cookies, the champagne, if, you know, if that's a thing in your area, you know, a party atmosphere and releasing collections and, you know, fun goodie bags and grab bags. I don't know, I guess as I'm even talking about it, it sounds almost like a really fun birthday party where you go and you eat and you celebrate and you have some goodies that you leave with and just a really uplifting experience for everyone. So I think during 2020, we had a real big eye opening as consumers to say, holy crap, what would it be like if that store didn't exist? What would it be like if all the small businesses went away? Right? Because we all live that for a while where we just couldn't go there and the void that it set in us. Right. I think when we realized, like, oh, we can't let this happen. And these business owners are. They're awesome, and they're doing fun things. They're not just putting up a sign that says, hey, buy this, and then just sitting there. No, these are the people that support your little league teams. These are the people that, you know, show up and show out for you every single day. Day. And so this is an opportunity for us to raise awareness to the general consumer to say, hey, get out. Support these guys. Celebrate this. You know, support those that support you.

Yeah, so true. I always think about our motto, you know, just shopping small first. Not to be seconds after everybody else, but first. And like you said, the ability just to tell the story of the small business owner. And a big piece of that is. Is PR and working with local media. And it's interesting to me, every year, Sarah, how many stores, like, some have built a relationship with local media, and they've done news or women's magazines or whatever segments, and some never have. So I know over the last couple of years, we've been collecting, you know, all the articles that get shared, and it's amazing. Literally, like you said, east coast to west coast, there's news stories around the country about these small business owners collaborating on Pink Friday. So can you just, like, give a couple tips on. On pr, like, from a business standpoint.

How important it is to work with.

Your local media and the value of that content that you're receiving when you build those, like, relationships with any media outlets?

Yeah, absolutely. So here's the thing. When you're the business owner, you're doing a thousand things. You guys know me. You've heard me say, talk about all the hats you wear as a business owner. And I empathize and sympathize with you because I've been there. So. So why not take some of that lift off your shoulders and hand it over to experts in the industry that do nothing but spread the word, right? They can reach so many more people, and it's validated when your local news station or radio station picks up or newspaper magazine picks this whole story up, because it is a story. It's an uplifting celebration story that needs to be told. Right? Ashley jokes. Because I love that we have this little thing in our local community. It's sure could use a little good news today. And I love it because, heck, yeah, I want to hear good news, and people do want to hear good news. So this is a story that the media outlets can tell for you, Right? Buffalo, New York, is a great example. So we Have a boutique owner out there that four years ago, five years ago now, she started in the very first year, she really started, like, drumming up some ideas and getting people together in her community and said, hey, I'm hurting. Are you hurting? I want more people. Like, not necessarily just financially hurting maybe, but just, hey, my heart hurts. I put in a lot of freaking work every day. And where are the people? Why are they. Why are they going to a big box store and driving right by me or not jumping on my site and purchasing items, right? So collaboration to get people together and raise awareness for that. And that was needed in their community. And they. So they went all out and they're like, hey, we're having a party. Everybody come. We're doing. We're doing some really cool things. And they reach out to their outlets, the newspapers, the media stations. And all of a sudden, the buzz started rolling. And one business said, okay, this is what I'm going to do. The next business said, this is what I'm going to do. And, you know, an online business in town was like, well, I'm online, but I can open up my warehouse. And it just started rolling. And next thing you know, the newspaper shows up and these media trucks, right, the news stations pull up out in front of their businesses and start putting a mic in their face and saying, what's going on here? What's all the buzz? This is pretty cool. Yeah. And so those are the kind of things when people are hearing about them, they stop and listen and say, oh, my gosh, that's that little store that I've seen a thousand times. I've just never went in. That does look really awesome. They are giving back. They are. Da, da, da. Fill in the blanks. Doing all these cool things. And all of a sudden, traffic starts happening. Driving traffic online, driving traffic in your store. And what does that do? It fills that bank account, and that's what it's all about. So you can shout from the rooftops as much as you want as the business owner, but we all know how challenging and busy that space is. But when you can get elevated as the industry expert in said field, not only is that relevant for Pink Friday, but then when it comes time to that media outlet saying, hey, I've got a space to fill. I want some product and education awareness about women in business or dress for success programs or philanthropic efforts. Hey, let's reach out to that girl that we had such a good relationship with, Pink Friday. Let's talk to her. Let's get her back in the studio. So then that happens in January, it happens in March, it happens in whatever, all year long and see what that does for the business. But it's because of that connection that you had with the, with the media outlets to begin with that elevates you as that industry expert.

Have you ever wondered if someone else in business is going through the exact same thing you are right now? Whether it's an obstacle to overcome or a new opportunity you aren't sure if you should pursue or not.

Or maybe just some of those same.

Questions about man, am I really getting the most out of my inventory or my Facebook ads or my team? How can I do business just a little bit better and enjoy life just a little bit more?

Well, those are a lot of the.

Questions that we answer on a day to day basis inside of our community.

At the Boutique Hub.

If you're listening and you aren't yet a member of our community, I want to invite you to join us. We have 14 different niche Facebook groups to connect you with store owners at the same level. And just like you, no matter what you sell home and gift apparel, children's specialty, we've got groups for all of that. Plus we want to get you up to date with the latest training, the latest information and strategy on what's working right now in our industry. With our weekly education plus our max out training library, we also have hundreds and hundreds of vetted amazing wholesale brands who have been proven to do business in boutiques. We don't like trademark infringement, we don't like brands with poor customer service. We handpick the best of the best and the best of the best. Love working with Boutique Hub members as well. So they offer numerous discounts and free shipping whether it's at market inside of our groups or on our own wholesale platform hubventory.com with thousands of dollars in savings and just for Boutique Hub members.

So if you aren't yet a member.

We'D love to invite you to join us@theboutiquehub.com join to be a part of our community on a daily basis. I can't wait to see you inside and I can't wait to see you connect with amazing business owners who are serious about their business. Just like you.

Yeah, it's so good the power of those media relationships. I mean it's not just about Pink Friday but it's a year round effort but you have to have something that breaks the ice. And the, the thing I love most about the timing of it is when you think about Thanksgiving weekend and Black Friday And Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Like the media calendar is so full, you know, they've got everything planned out, they're staked out in front of Target. Seeing the people rush in, it's hard to get coverage as a small business, especially just a small business on your own. But what makes it newsworthy is the story of collaboration and the story of like, it's bigger than just your store on its own, like this one promotion you're running, but it's about collaboration and.

What does that do worldwide to small businesses.

So just such an opportunity and lessons we can learn and, and really utilize year round. So Sarah, if somebody wants to participate in Pink Friday, can you talk through those logistics of like, how does anybody partake in Pink Friday?

Oh, for sure. So first of all, it's open to all small businesses, right? So we, this is just a real big push to get people to raise awareness of shopping small businesses. So all you have to do, go to our website, jump on there and register to sign up to participate in Pink Friday. It's free, it costs you nothing. And as soon as you register, you're going to start getting emails sent to you with like a toolbox for success. We're keeping it super, super simple. So you open up that toolbox and I'm telling you there is going to be success tips in there. Downloads and Canva templates, all the things, along with discounted links to a Vista Print Pro shop for, for all of our members. And also some really cool collaborations with service providers that are giving you tools for success. And I, when I say tools for success, these are things that, I mean, if you're having, if you're doing a balloon arch, we, we want to, we're putting together discounts on balloons, right? Because we want to make sure buying power is huge. So we know that we have a huge group of people coming wanting balloons. We want, you know, we want like the window clings that say Pink Friday. All of the things, the bag, the bag stuffers, different random things like that that we know are important to put on an event. So we've negotiated different rates for you guys participating in Pink Friday. So that right there, saving you money on, on participating, right? But then also you're going to find in this toolbox you're going to find links for products. Pink Friday, if you do want to do like margin builders and door busters and all of these kind of things, we've negotiated things and we have vendors jumping on board wanting to participate in this to bring value to you as the retailer to participate. So like I said, super quick jump in there. It's free to register. Share that with your local chamber member, share that with your other local businesses. Share that with your, your online friends that have businesses and just raise awareness and together we are better. And when I say we're going to, you know, color the entire Internet pink, we are, because that's what this is all about. But like I said, just sign up to get to register to participate and we will email you all of the success tips that you need. The toolbox for everything, all the discounts, it's in one spot. Yes.

So go to.

It's the boutiquehub.com and if you go to navigation in our header, click on events and you'll find Pink Friday right there as well. And it's all over our social media. So you guys can find that link link pretty much anywhere you follow the Boutique Hub. And then one thing I also wanted to mention. So you signed up to participate as a retailer. You mentioned a little bit about wholesale, like perks and discounts. We have thousands of wholesale brands we work with at the Boutique Hub and many of them want to participate in Pink Friday as well and are welcome to. Again, you don't have to have a brick and mortar or be a retailer just to participate, but brands do as well. So those boards on Hubventory, Our Wholesale Marketplace, hubventory.com There's lots of brands who have Pink Friday specials and closeouts and deals, things that you can use as door busters and bundles and different promotional opportunities as well.

Yeah, it's fun. We're, we're, like we said, this is the fifth year, so the buzz is already happening. We know that the earlier you get planning, the better your event's going to be. That's the way it is for everything. Right. Well, a lot of these wholesalers have already reached out to our wholesale team and said, how do we participate? We want to help these stores be successful. So we want to put these bundles together. We want to, you know, whatever that might be to create more just ease. I just, I, I know how busy it is when you plan an event and how, how you're checking all the boxes. So yes, there's a, an actual event planning checklist in that toolbox for you. But brands know, these wholesalers know that the earlier they can get the product to you, the more you can do with it, the more marketing you can do around it. Promotion, you can drive around it. Yeah. When you sign up to participate, you're going to also see all sorts of really cool wholesale products opportunity for you to invest in for your business that, that are all around making more money around this time of year. Like I said, the Margin builders bundles, you know, fun and discovery opportunities for your customers that later on you're going to reinvest back in year after year or season after season that really draw those customers in. So that's, that too is exciting. Like Ashley said, it's not just for retailers, but wholesalers are getting behind it as well and so are our services in our industry. So that I, I just know, I think that every year it grows and I get emails about people wanting to participate and people wanting to help the small businesses. You know that it's a big deal because people are saying, oh my gosh, I want, I want to be a part of that. I want to be a part of that movement. And that is what it is. Pink Friday. It's a nationwide movement to draw attention and celebrate small businesses. And it's a feel good moment for everybody all the way around.

Absolutely.

One other thing we didn't talk about yet, that is an awesome opportunity both for the brick and mortars and for online source participating is the map. So the Pink Friday map has always been a big part of this. We house that on our shopthebestboutiques.com website. If you go to shopthebestboutiques.Com and click on Pink Friday, you'll find that map. But that's something that you can share with your community, your followers, your customers anytime. It's free. It's just a way to find and discover boutiques near you. So we highlight who's participating all over the country with the little pink dots on the map. So you know Sarah in Wisconsin or you know Ashley in Nebraska can click on her local community and find out who's participating or click on the online stores that are participating as well. They're also listed next to the map. So you can kind of find anyone who has anything to do with Pink Friday on the map there too.

Yeah. And I just, I just want to say that map just, that's social proof. That's validation. So often Ashley and I talk, have these conversations. We have our friends or people just reach out to say, is this a legit business? I saw them, but I'm not sure if they're legit. Right. That map validates it. You have to be a legit business to get on the map.

Well, and it's a 24,7 map, so we use it for Pink Friday. But the truth is that map's available 24 7. So even if you're a boutique owner and you're like, hey, I'm visiting Scottsdale this weekend, are there any boutiques in Scottsdale? Or better yet, are there boutique hub members in Scottsdale? All that information's on the map at Shop the Best Boutiques dot com.

Yeah, and as we're talking about this whole movement, right, and we, we, we've talked about what it means for you as a small business owner, for all of you guys listening that are small business owners, but for all of you listening that are not small business owners and you just like to shop. I'm telling you, this is so fun. Get your girls together, get your people together. Last year I got a bus. We decorated it all up. Ashley's had a bus before too. And we do a big tour, right? And I use that map and I kind of map out where we're going to go and man, do we have a good time. And it is an all day function. And so why I'm on this tour, right? I post some pictures and every year my phone's blowing up. How do I get on the bus? I want to go. And this year the girls want to stay overnight. They want to make it a weekend and I think we're going to end up doing that. And at this point I think I'm going to end up having two buses. So I mean think about what that means to your business is if you collaborate with, in a community and you, you collaborate together and you say, hey, I want to, my friends are reaching out, they're going to get a bunch of people together and they're coming into town hot, right, ready to roll. And then that whole mob of shoppers is walking around the community with your bags, taking pictures on social with their bags, having a girls day, girls weekend, living it up and, and taking pictures. And you're using that back in your marketing. Oh my gosh, I would win, win for everybody. They're coming in, you're selling products, they're having a great time, they're talking about it. Your staff is loving it because what a fun day. Your community members, those other people that didn't want to participate, they're stepping out of their stores like, oh my gosh, maybe I missed the boat, maybe I should have got involved. The newspapers are saying, hey, what's happening over there? We gotta cover that. All of the things, it's a trickle down effect of just awesomeness. And that's what Pink Friday is all about.

It's so good.

I'm so excited.

I can't wait. The bus is one of my favorite things that I do in my local community. All my golf friends and girlfriends, we get together on a bus and it's too much fun. Actually, I don't think I just want.

To say for all of you guys that are listening that are just online only, so couple different things. We've seen online stores go ahead and set up like pop ups in their communities. Go ahead, get out of your warehouse, be present. Right. I will say and if you don't want to be present, if you don't want to do a pop up, you don't have to. You could still collaborate and do other events online on your website or on social. That works totally fine. But I will just, I will say be alive and vibrant in the community of which you live. Make sure there's not a single person that does not understand that your business is based out of your town where you pay taxes and you employ people. So this is a great opportunity for you to celebrate that and jump on board with a coffee shop or a restaurant or another boutique or a floral shop. Do a little pop up and just get visible, raise awareness and say, hey, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here and I pay taxes and I employ your people and I, I put my name on the back of your jerseys. Come celebrate with me. Come celebrate with me.

I love it. Well, Sarah, it's going to be an awesome year. So you guys, we'll link it up in the show notes but again you can go to the boutiquehub.com click on events and Pink Friday or you know, find the information on any of our social media right now, but it's free. Tell your friends. This is all about community over competition and shopping small first. We also have a lot of store owners that say like, okay, can I do Pink Friday and all these other events and for the majority of the people who are participating, they do, all of them. And the cool part about Pink Friday being first is it typically ends up being one of their very best days. So don't hold back, test it out. If it works for you, great. But we'd love to see you collaborate with your local community as well.

Yeah. And we, I promise we will set you up for success. You'll get that email and you are going to be blown away because it is marketing templates and graphics and tutorials and checklists that are not just relevant for the one day. It's all, all year. So that is a success kit for retail all year long. And so yeah. Jump in. Take advantage of this free opportunity, you guys. We want to do this to celebrate you and help you build the very best business you possibly can.

Love it. Sarah Burks, as always, thanks so much for being here. I appreciate you. Love your energy. I love your heart for retail. It's going to be an awesome year. Thanks for all you do for Pink Friday.

You bet. Thanks for having me. I guess.

Thanks for listening guys.

I hope you took away all the kinds of nuggets and new ideas from this week's episode. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating and review. We love to hear your feedback and give you a chance to be featured on the show each and every week. For more information on our spirit of community over competition and to access guest downloads and bonuses and all the resources we talked about on the show, head on over to the boutiquehub.com and join the community. We'll see you next week.