Black Friday shopping with a catch
The Project
Ever bought something online and it wasn’t what you expected when it arrived? That’s a risk people with low vision or blindness face almost every time they shop online.
So, we decided to raise awareness of this issue by flipping Black Friday on its head and bringing this not-so-great experience to life.
THE CHALLENGE
When your purchase has a vague description like ‘red jumper’, how can you really tell what you’re getting? Is it a zip-up or a pullover? Cute logo or covered in silly reindeer? A lack of detailed product descriptions makes shopping a nightmare for people with low vision or blindness, and it’s even worse during major sales events like Black Friday.
While we couldn’t fix every online store this sales season, we could raise awareness to start the change process.
THE SOLUTION
We co-opted Black Friday and created an immersive experience to drive home the point. Enter the Blackout Friday pop-up store.
We invited Sydneysiders to browse a curated collection of pre-loved items from fashion marketplace UTURN during Black Friday sales. The catch? All the items were hidden in black packaging that only displayed limited written descriptions.
The Results
The aim of Blackout Friday was to highlight the issue and show how small changes in digital accessibility would make a big difference to the blindness and low vision community.
This earned creative idea was the perfect juxtaposition to the retail frenzy, and the media lapped it up. The pop-up store garnered 103 PR hits across TV, radio, trade media, online lifestyle magazines, and plenty of influencer mentions to boot, with a combined reach of 18.7 million.
Importantly, the coverage sparked a lot of meaningful online chatter among customers and retailers, empowering both audiences to make online shopping more accessible.
“Many eCommerce brands aren’t aware of the small changes that would make a big difference to our community. We found a way to clearly explain the issue with actionable steps to create real change.” – Michael Apte, CMO at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT
