Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are often viewed as high-pressure sales weekends dominated by big-box retailers. But on Astro, independent pet stores and the brands that support them proved that loyalty-driven promotions can deliver powerful, measurable results — without sacrificing margins or values.
By comparing Black Friday and Small Business Saturday 2025 (Friday + Saturday) to an average Friday/Saturday weekend over the past year, the results tell a clear story:
When loyalty programs and brand-funded Offers are launched on Astro, everyone wins.
A Big Weekend for Independent Pet Retailers
For retailers, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday weren’t just busy — they were meaningfully impactful.
Strong Sales Through Loyalty
Retailers saw over 50% growth in loyalty-tracked sales compared to an average weekend. These weren’t just casual transactions; they were purchases tied directly to Frequent Buyer programs and Astro Offers — the kind of activity that builds long-term customer value.
New Loyalty Customers in the Door
Retailers also gained over 50% more new loyalty customers during the weekend. These customers were either brand-new to the store’s loyalty program or returning after more than a year away.
Every new loyalty customer represents:
Future visits
Future redemptions
Ongoing engagement well beyond a single weekend
Bigger, More Intentional Shopping Trips
Offer redemptions increased nearly fourfold, with many customers redeeming multiple Offers across the two days. This behavior signals planned, stock-up shopping trips — not impulse buys.
And importantly:
A Growth Moment for Participating Brands
Brands experienced Black Friday and Small Business Saturday as more than a sales spike — it was a customer acquisition and reactivation opportunity.
🆕 New-to-Brand Customer Growth
Brands saw a significant increase in customers who were:
Purchasing the brand for the first time, or
Returning after being inactive for 12+ months
Black Friday shoppers are primed to explore, and loyalty incentives helped convert that intent into trial and re-engagement.
🧾 Higher-Value Qualifying Purchases
Brands running Offers saw substantial growth in required purchase value, meaning customers weren’t just chasing discounts — they were committing to meaningful purchases to earn rewards or rebates.
Dollar-off rebate Offers, in particular, encouraged customers to buy with intention while keeping funding controlled and predictable for brands.
🔁 Loyalty Performs — and Offers Unlock the Full Opportunity
Brands that participate in Astro’s loyalty ecosystem are well-positioned during high-intent retail moments like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Even baseline Frequent Buyer activity tends to accelerate as shoppers plan larger trips and stock up.
However, the brands that unlocked the greatest impact were those that paired loyalty with a thoughtfully designed Astro Offer.
Rather than flooding the weekend with multiple promotions, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday proved to be an ideal time for one high-value, high-visibility Offer — something compelling enough to:
Encourage customers to trade up or stock up
Motivate first-time brand trial
Re-engage lapsed buyers who needed an extra nudge
Quality mattered more than quantity.
Brands that focused on a single, strong Offer benefited from:
Larger qualifying purchases
Higher Offer redemption activity
Stronger new-to-brand customer acquisition
This weekend isn’t about running more promotions — it’s about running the right promotion at the moment when customers are already primed to buy.
Why This Matters
What makes these results especially meaningful is how they’re measured.
Astro only tracks purchases connected to loyalty activity — Frequent Buyer and Astro Offers. That means:
Sales growth reflects real, attributable engagement
Customer growth represents true loyalty behavior
Required purchase values show genuine basket influence
This isn’t inflated traffic or anecdotal lift. It’s defensible, loyalty-backed performance.
The Power of Loyalty During Peak Retail Moments
Black Friday and Small Business Saturday 2025 reinforced a core truth:
When brands fund compelling Offers, and retailers activate them in-store:
Customers buy more
Customers try new brands
Customers come back
And because Astro Offers are brand-funded and free for retailers to use, participation is low-risk and high-reward for independent stores.
Looking Ahead
Black Friday and Small Business Saturday function best as a single, extended loyalty moment — not just isolated sale days. Brands and retailers who stayed active across both days saw the strongest engagement and most consistent results.
As planning begins for future retail moments, the takeaway is clear:
Loyalty drives results
Offers increase impact
Independent pet retail thrives when brands and retailers grow together
Black Friday & Small Business Saturday 2025 proved that when loyalty leads the way, everyone benefits — retailers, brands, and pet parents alike. 🚀
