Black Friday for a small shop: a discount for everyone, or a reward for regulars?

Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday 27 November. Black Friday for small businesses such as a boutique, a café or a salon does not have to mean a discount for everyone. It is often cheaper and smarter to reward only the people who come to you all year round. The sample calculation below shows why.

Black Friday for small businesses: what a 20% discount really costs

This is a sample calculation, so plug in your own numbers. A boutique has an average purchase of €40 and a gross margin of 30%. It makes €12 on one purchase.

With a 20% discount the customer pays €32. The cost of the goods is still €28, so you make €4 on the purchase. To earn the same as without the discount, you need three times as many purchases.

On top of that, the discount also goes to customers who would have come in that day anyway. You gave each of them €8 without changing anything. A small shop cannot compete with big chains on price, and it does not need to.

The second option: a gift that costs you €5 for everyone who shows their loyalty card. You make €7 on the purchase, and only cardholders get the gift, which mostly means people who keep coming back to you.

Three options compared

• A discount for everyone. Cost: €8 on every purchase at 20%, including the ones that would have happened without it. Who it attracts: bargain hunters who visit ten shops on Friday. Risk: customers may get used to waiting for a discount and buy less in December.
• A reward for members only. Cost: a fixed amount for the gift, for example €5, only for those who come in. Who it attracts: regulars, and people who add the card to get the gift. Risk: small, as long as the gift is something they actually want.
• An evening for regulars. Cost: a few hours of your time, a drink and maybe a few snacks. Who it attracts: your most loyal customers, who get to see your Christmas range first. Risk: a low turnout if you send the invitation too late.

How to let members know

If your customers have your loyalty card on their phone, you can send a message to all their lock screens at once. Rewardly sends push notifications to everyone who has your card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, on the Advanced plan and higher. Suggested wording:

On Friday 27 November there is a gift from us with every purchase. Just show your card on your phone.

Anyone who does not have the card yet can add it at the till in 10 seconds, according to Rewardly. If you want to set your most loyal customers apart even more, try an invite only VIP card, which moves a customer up to a higher tier automatically once they reach a set spend or number of visits.

If you do give a discount after all

Limit it to one product category or to one day, not the whole week and the whole range. That way you know exactly what it cost you, and you can compare it with an ordinary Friday.

Why a reward lasts longer than a discount

A discount ends on Monday. A loyalty card stays on your customer's phone into December, when they are buying presents. How to set up a reward so it does not cost you more than it brings in is shown in How many stamps on a loyalty card. For more ways to bring people into your shop beyond Black Friday, read 5 ways to get more visits to your business.

Reward your regulars instead of discounting for everyone, try Rewardly for €0

Live in 2 minutes, with no upfront payment.