How Honest Brands Win When Shoppers Stop Believing the Hype

If you want your Black Friday to actually convert – and not just add noise to an already deafening marketplace – you need to face an uncomfortable truth:

People don’t really trust Black Friday anymore.

They’ve seen the fake “WAS £199, NOW £99” offers that were £99 all year. They’ve clicked through “massive deals” only to find exclusions in fine print. They’ve watched brands preach “sustainability” while pushing disposable junk.

So here’s the shift: The brands that will win Black Friday going forward are the ones that treat it as a trust-building event, not just a clearance sale.

1. Transparent pricing: stop playing games with “WAS / NOW”

Shoppers are more informed than ever. They compare prices, track deals and use browser plugins that expose price history.

If your Black Friday strategy depends on smoke and mirrors, you might get a spike this year – but you’re burning long-term credibility.

Do this instead:

• Show honest “was / now” prices.If it was £129 all quarter, don’t pretend it was £199 yesterday just to show a bigger slash. You’re not tricking anyone; you’re teaching them not to trust you.

• Explain the discount like a human.

• Avoid fake RRPs and invented “compare at” prices.The second customers feel the maths doesn’t add up, they bounce – and they don’t forget.

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Black Friday is high-stakes: every misleading price today is a reason for your customer to buy from someone else tomorrow.

2. Visible safety: make security and reliability obvious

Black Friday isn’t just about deals – it’s also peak season for fraud, phishing and sketchy websites.

If you’re running campaigns through a network like Ascendia, you’re pushing traffic at scale. That means you share responsibility for where you’re sending people.

What buyers want to see, instantly:

• Secure connection (SSL) – visible padlock, “https”, no browser warnings.

• Trusted payment logos – Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple/Google Pay, Klarna, etc.

• Clear policies – shipping, returns, refunds, contact details, all easy to find.

• Real reviews – independent platforms, not just curated positivity on your own site.

  
  

Trust is part of the funnel. Ignore it and you’re just pouring traffic into a leaky bucket.

3. Sustainability: the new trust signal you’re probably underusing

Black Friday will always have a “more, more, more” reputation. But an increasing chunk of buyers now feel guilty about overconsumption.

That’s not a threat. It’s an opening.

You don’t need to be a zero-waste, carbon-negative unicorn brand to talk about sustainability honestly. You do need to be specific and real.

Ideas that actually land:

• Limited stock, not unlimited waste

• Repair, upgrade and longevityInstead of pushing “replace everything”, highlight:

• Charity tie-ins instead of race-to-the-bottom discounts

  
  

Again, authenticity is everything. If sustainability is just a line in your Black Friday banner, people will smell it.

4. What this looks like in practice

Here’s how to operationalise this:

1. Set trust standards for campaigns you push hard.

2. Audit landing pages before sending volume.

3. Reward trustworthy advertisers with better placements.High-conversion, low-complaint, low-return partners should be moved to the front of the queue – especially during Black Friday.

4. Clean your product pages before cranking up the ad spend.

5. Make your “About”, “Returns”, and “Contact” pages easy to find.

6. Add FAQ sections that pre-answer:

   
   

These aren’t “nice-to-haves”. They’re the difference between “Add to cart” and “Close tab”.

5. Your Black Friday call to action: sell the truth

Let’s be blunt:

Anyone can shout BIGGEST SALE EVER.

Very few brands can confidently say:👉 “Our Black Friday deals are real, honest and safe – and we’ll still be here for you in January.”

That’s your positioning opportunity.

If you’re a merchant:

• Go through your Black Friday plan and ask:

• If the answer is no, change it now – while there’s still time.

Because here’s the real win:

Black Friday can give you a spike in revenue.

But Black Friday with trust gives you a spike in revenue and a foundation for the rest of the year.