Annual Event Promoted As Way For Consumers To “Shop Small”
Media coverage of the annual Small Business Saturday event, sponsored by American Express and business groups including the National Federation of Independent Businesses, continued as consumers looked for holiday deals beginning on Thanksgiving. On NBC’s Today Show , Al Roker shopped from local small businesses on Rockefeller Plaza as a way to highlight Small Business Saturday. Inc. Magazine published an infograohic on “7 Things to Know About Small Business Saturday.” Inc pointed out that “last year 88 million Americans spent a total of $14.3 billion in local businesses” on Small Business Saturday. The infographic also pointed out that 67% of Americans have awareness of the day, and since 2012 there has been an 82% boost in Twitter activity using the specific hashtags that promote the event. Last year there were 387,000 tweets about Small Business Saturday. CNBC provided advice on how consumers can best “shop small”, including using the Buy Local app recently launched by Independent We Stand, which makes it easier to find local businesses. CNBC also suggested that small businesses use Internet and social media promotions in order to make consumers aware of deals available during Small Business Saturday. Citing data from IWS, CNBC said that “a whopping 97 percent of Internet users look for local goods and services online, and 3 out of 4 people have contacted a business they’ve found on their phone.”
What This Means For Small Businesses
The holiday season is crucial for small business owners, as consumers typically flock to stores to shop for more people than normal, and look to spend more on purchases. Public attention and awareness of Small Business Saturday appears to be increasing, and this is a signal that small business owners may see an uptick in business during the crucial weekend following Thanksgiving, which helps set the tone for the rest of the holiday season.
Additional Reading
NFIB previously offered suggestions for small businesses to capitalize on the potential for 2015 holiday sales, including participating in Small Business Saturday.
Note: this article is intended to keep small business owners up on the latest news. It does not necessarily represent the policy stances of NFIB.
