Small Business Saturday falls on November 27 this year, and here are some ways retailers can best prepare for this important event which encourages consumers to support small local businesses in their communities.
American Express launched the Small Business Saturday holiday back in 2010, at the height of the Great Recession, as a way of redirecting holiday shopping to local stores. A decade later it’s observed in all 50 states. Last year, the U.S. Small Business Administration reported Americans spent nearly $20 billion on Small Business Saturday, and in the years before that, consumers spent a cumulative $100 billion-plus on this shopping holiday.
Here are a few ways retailers can position themselves for a successful holiday:
- Get free marketing materials and exposure from American Express
- American Express offers free marketing materials, including posters, emails and social media posts. Small businesses can even add themselves to AmEx’s “Shop Small” map and join a national directory of other participating businesses.
- Find and/or host virtual Small Business Saturday events
- Small business owners are stronger when they join forces and work together. Across the country, local businesses are hosting virtual Small Business Saturday events, whether they organize them with other businesses or join existing events. Business owners can advertise the occasion, hold online sales and provide special incentives for customers during these events. Small Business Saturday Event Guides are available to anyone participating in Small Business Saturday activities.
- Launch social media and email marketing campaigns
- Businesses can use hashtags like #SmallBusinessSaturday and #ShopSmall and tag American Express’s @shopsmall social media accounts to get noticed online.
- Update and optimize your small business website
- Every business, especially those with e-commerce operations, should make sure their websites are up-to-date and mobile-friendly well before Small Business Saturday. Reaching consumers online has been key to business success in 2021 and will continue to be throughout this holiday season and beyond.
