As of October 29, 2026, The Very Group has launched a Black Friday Price Promise running from 28 October to 4 December, guaranteeing that customers who buy an eligible discounted item will be refunded the difference if Very cuts the price again during the event. The pledge excludes discount codes, vouchers and short-term flash deals, and sits alongside an everyday price promise covering electricals and toys for seven days against six named competitors. For an online department store competing with marketplaces on price transparency, the guarantee is as much a demand tool as a pricing policy.
What a price promise actually guarantees
The promise protects a specific risk: buying early and watching the price fall. Most Black Friday promotions create that risk deliberately, because deeper cuts later in the event pull traffic back. A refund guarantee removes the incentive to wait, which is why it tends to lift early conversion rather than total discount depth, and why the cost is usually smaller than the headline suggests.
It is also a pricing commitment that has to be operationally enforceable. Someone has to check every claim against the terms, confirm the item was eligible, and verify the lower price was a genuine reduction rather than a coded promotion. Retailers that launch a promise without that process end up paying for disputes they cannot adjudicate, and the customer service cost can exceed the refunds themselves.
The exclusion list is where disputes start
The exclusions are familiar: discount codes, vouchers, staff discounts, membership schemes, personalised offers, bundles, multi-buy promotions and short-term flash deals. Each one exists for a reason, usually to stop customers combining a refund with another discount. Together they define the boundary between a promise customers trust and a promise customers argue with, and the difference is usually how clearly the boundary is explained before purchase.
Everyday promise versus event promise
The everyday promise works differently: it compares Very's price with six named competitors for seven days and covers electricals and toys, excluding DIY tools, personal care and sports equipment. One promise tracks competitors, the other tracks the retailer's own price. Running both at once is sensible, but the two sets of terms need to be distinguishable on the product page, or shoppers will apply the wrong rule to the wrong purchase.
Why fashion and sports need the cover
Fashion and sports are the categories where shoppers most expect a deeper cut later, because both are seasonal and both are under pressure. When sales are already falling, waiting is rational: the same coat is likely to be cheaper in three weeks. A refund guarantee changes that calculation without cutting the entry price, which protects margin while still giving the customer a reason to buy now.
| Promise type | What it compares | Window | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Friday promise | Retailer's own later price | 28 October to 4 December | Eligible discounted products, all categories |
| Everyday promise | Six named competitors | Seven days after purchase | Electricals and toys, with exclusions |
| Flash deals | Not covered | Short windows | Excluded from both promises |
The table also shows where the promotion is weakest. Flash deals sit outside both promises, which is fine for the retailer but confusing for the shopper who sees a countdown timer and assumes the price is protected. Explaining the difference in one line next to the timer costs nothing and prevents the complaint that arrives a week later, when the same item reappears at a lower price.
What the promise costs per category
The cost of a promise is the sum of refunds, not the size of the discount. If only a small share of promoted lines fall further during the window, the refund bill stays small even when the promotion looks generous. The categories to watch are the ones where markdown cadence is fastest, because that is where the gap between the paid price and the lowest price widens.
Monitoring prices during a promise window
Price monitoring during a promise window has to run at product level, not category level. Averages hide the handful of lines where the gap is wide enough to trigger refunds, and those lines decide whether the promotion costs what was budgeted. The sequence below sets up the check so that the answer arrives while the event is still running, not after it closes.
Run daily, this file answers the question that matters during the event: is the promise buying incremental demand or simply refunding customers who would have bought anyway. If the flagged SKUs cluster in one category, the discount cadence there is too steep and should be flattened. If they are spread evenly, the promise is behaving as designed and the cost is predictable.
FAQ
How is this different from a price match?
A price match compares a retailer's price with a competitor's. This promise compares a retailer's price with its own later price during the same event. That distinction matters, because it protects early buyers from being punished for shopping before the deepest discount, without requiring the retailer to track competitors daily.
Which purchases fall outside the promise?
Items reduced through discount codes, vouchers, staff discounts, membership schemes, personalised offers, bundles and short-term flash deals are excluded, as are obvious pricing errors. Those exclusions are standard, but they are also where most customer disputes begin, so the terms need to be readable before the event rather than after a complaint.
Why do fashion and sports need this cover?
Because both categories are under pressure and shoppers know it. When sales are falling, buyers expect deeper cuts later in the season and delay purchases. A refund guarantee removes the reason to wait, which is why the promise is aimed at categories where hesitation is highest rather than at the whole catalogue.
What should a price monitoring team watch?
The gap between the price paid and the lowest price during the window, tracked by product rather than by category. Averages hide the few lines where the gap is wide enough to trigger refunds, and those lines are exactly where the promotion costs more than planned.
