Small Business Saturday: Showcasing Main Street

Date: November 14, 2014

The shopping day continues to grow and highlight America's enthusiasm for small businesses.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and while feasts and family are the highlight, the holiday also signals several culturally ingrained shopping days. There’s Black Friday, followed by the more recent phenomenon of Cyber Monday. But a growing number of Americans have embraced the idea of shopping small on Small Business Saturday.
Research has shown that American consumers have a deep trust in, and admiration for, the small business community. Small Business Saturday gives consumers a chance to show their appreciation—and help America’s essential job creators in a very real way—by visiting small shops, restaurants and service providers.

This campaign has picked up steam and is achieving the goal of showcasing the importance of Main Street businesses for the local community. But it is also generating sales and helping to mitigate some of the struggles in a rough and uncertain economy.
NFIB research shows that the small business sector has never fully recovered from the recession. Part of that is due to weak demand and poor sales, among other more systemic problems, like higher tax and healthcare costs or more regulation.

We all can make a real difference in bringing new life to the sector by participating in a day dedicated to small businesses. With a nationwide campaign backing the efforts of small businesses, owners can look forward to one of the most important things for any business to thrive: more customers. According to the second installment of the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released following Small Business Saturday 2013 by NFIB and American Express, consumer awareness of Small Business Saturday jumped to 71 percent from 67 percent the year before. The increased awareness translated into higher spending. Of those aware of the event, nearly half (46 percent) shopped on Small Business Saturday. They spent a total of $5.7 billion with independent merchants.

The joint NFIB/American Express study also found that more small business owners are making Small Business Saturday part of their holiday plans: 46 percent of independent merchants planned to incorporate Small Business Saturday as part of their holiday strategy, and 67 percent said they would offer discounts.

NFIB wants to lend a hand and put small businesses front and center by helping them get the word out online about their best Small Business Saturday deals. Owners can go to NFIB’s Small Business Saturday website to submit information about their business and tell shoppers why they should visit on November 29. NFIB will promote these submissions on www.NFIB.com and in front of NFIB’s more than 227,000 Facebook fans and 95,000 Twitter followers.

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