What’s going on? Many 3D print companies have offered deals today, Black Friday.
Black Friday, if you’re not familiar with it, is a US-originated sales tradition in which products are marked down significantly on the Friday after the US Thanksgiving holiday. It’s said to be the biggest single sales day in the United States each year. While it’s a US thing, the concept has leaked across borders and now appears in multiple regions, albeit not as extensive as in the US.
This year we’ve seen a ridiculous number of announcements from 3D printing companies explaining of their new Black Friday deals. Equipment is marked down in various amounts and you’re expected to partake of the incredible deals.
This, we believe, is a significant change. In past years there have been many Black Fridays, but in none of them have we seen such attention paid by 3D printing companies. Typically we’d see a discount from a vendor or two nearer to the end of the year.
Why have the 3D print vendors “switched on” Black Friday operations this year? Why not other years? Here is our speculation:
There has never been more competition in the world of desktop 3D printing before. Therefore, to get a leg up on your competitors, you must pull out all the marketing approaches possible – and one of them is a Black Friday sale.
The recent downturn of interest in personal 3D printing may have placed some vendors in a bad financial spot, and they may be looking for ways to quickly increase sales, particularly on older models that will rapidly become obsolete in 2016.
Many 3D print vendors have dramatically grown their distribution networks by linking with major retail chains such as Target, Staples, Home Depot and others. These chains have given 3D printing a visibility among consumers as never before. If that’s the case, then the products should be treated like other consumer products – hence Black Friday sales.
In the non-3D printing world, vendors are often forced to participate in Black Friday sales because they have to meet the pricing of their competitors. Once one major 3D print vendor goes “Black Friday”, others must follow, or be left behind. In many cases, people will buy only one 3D printer for many years, and it had better be from your company, not the competitor’s.
There’s probably other reasons, and maybe combinations of the above reasons. Nevertheless, today could be a good day to buy a desktop 3D printer. Check out the sales; they’re everywhere!
