Discounting is an ‘addictive and harmful drug’ for businesses, says Apidura boss
Bikepacking brand Apidura is aiming to highlight the value of repairs over impulse shopping this Black Friday, saying the event ‘damages the brands consumers love.’
Having built the brand on a philosophy of ‘no seasons or discounts’ Apidura is helping cyclists breathe new life into their items, rather than trying to sell them something they wouldn’t have bought otherwise.
The brand will be sharing its design team’s knowledge of repairs to help cyclists mend their gear instead of replacing it. Throughout Black Friday, cyclists will be able to share photos and descriptions of damaged cycling and adventure gear online with Apidura to get advice on how best to make a repair.
The brand’s website will also direct customers towards repair guides ahead of product pages.
Apidura hopes this will prevent customers from making impulse purchases that they come to regret or fail to use, while discouraging the throw-away culture brought about by discounting.
In a Medium post, Apidura Director Tori Fahey described discount culture as, “so pervasive that discounts have almost come to be seen as a human right. But the thing is; discounts aren’t a bargain. At all.”
She went on to describe discounting as “an addictive and harmful drug for businesses” and a “lazy rush to the bottom“.
“Products get worse,” she said. “Our houses fill with more stuff that will never get used. We try things on a whim and discard them just as quickly. It’s bad business and it’s killing the planet.
“Instead of making cheap products destined for landfill and lazily marking them down when they don’t sell, how about just making good products?”
Apidura will therefore opt out of Black Friday discounting with the view that high-quality kit is designed to be durable and repairable; all that’s needed is the expertise and confidence for cyclists to do so themselves.
On behalf of CI.N Laura Laker spoke to local bike shops forced to close by online discounting and competition from large retail outlets.
Fahey concluded: “Given a choice between participating in a culture of toxic over-consumption in return for a short-term bump in sales, versus putting in the hard work for sustainable growth that both provides value to our community and customers, we’ll go for the later every single time.”