At Secret Getaway we love spontaneous decisions: a choice to hit the road just because you can, a choice to try a new destination just because you want to. That is the ultimate spontaneous decision.
When it comes to buying things, just because you can there are always trade offs to be considered. As a flash sale site we have designed our platform to give as much peace of mind when you do splash out on a spontaneous purchase, but perhaps realise your dates aren't as flexible as you hoped and getting time off just doesn't work out... then your spontaneous purchase of a voucher for that destination you always wanted to experience can feel like a waste. With our easy exchange policy for unused vouchers we hope that allows people to stockpile their travel dreams.
Over the last 7 years, we have always tried to take an anti-consumerism stance when it comes to Black Friday. Here is a look back on the campaigns
2023
Based on the Feedback during the 7 Years = 7 Prizes Giveaway in October, we trialed a new tech solution to automatically earn our members credit back on their Getaway purchases, unlocking even better savings for experiences or Getaways purchased in the next 6 months
READ: Savvy Savings for Local Travel Lovers
2022
This was the year we launched our ability to give experience & getaway vouchers to others with our Gifting functionality.
READ: Top Ideas: Gift Inspiration or A Gift of Choice: How to Gift Credit
2021
In 2021 we celebrated the "Light Side" of life on Black Friday. Coming out of the pandemic where everyone was fatigued with deals and discounts, we wanted to look back on those who enjoyed incredible savings for incredible destinations throughout the year by being a member of Secret Getaway. We invited stories from different themes: who you loved travelling with, where was your favourite and what people enjoy the most about the Secret Getaway platform.
READ: 13 Ways Secret Getaway is getting South Africans to Travel More
2020
In 2020 during the pandemic we looked to support partners who were really looking to get some local connection, but who were typically very constrained in how they could run those sales... we trialed a very intriguing concept. A Secret Sale, an even more opaque flash sale than just the gated website that is already hidden from scraping bots and rate aggregators. Interestingly, this angle was our original Secret Getaway concept: unnamed hotels.
2019
In 2019, we had a tongue in cheek moment where we advocated for the evolution of man to move beyond simply working to accumulate more things, and evolving into a being that unplugs from the noise of the marketing mayhem- especially on Black Friday.
2018
In 2018 Black Friday was catching on as a consumer trend, with supermarkets realising it was an opportune time to get those promotions front and centre. "Keep Calm... Getaway Savings Every Day... " interestingly for us as a small team this was the first time we questioned how do we message around this day as a "promotional platform" through out the year. We push hard every single week to get new amazing deals for amazing destinations: do we want to go to our partners and encourage them to further discount or slash prices just in time for their peak travel. We decided not to, and have maintained that position ever since.
2017
In 2017 was the first year that travel in South Africa became one of the "consumables" pushed on a TV traditionally used for annual stock clearances of cars, TVs and electronics which new models coming out just before the Christmas crazy purchases.
2016
And in 2016... we had only just launched!
We continue to strive to inspire spontaneity... and it has been an honour to navigate these tricky travel waters with such a supportive tribe of members who will try new things, and share the joy of our mission: to inspire locals to unlock the joy of being a tourist in their own town!
Know someone who should join us? Share this article with them and invite them to signup: https://www.secretgetaway.co.za/join
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