The Saturday following Thanksgiving plays hide and seek between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but easily stands on it’s own as one of the most important shopping days of the year. Founded six years ago in response to small business owners’ most pressing need – getting more customers during the busy holiday shopping season – Small Business Saturday has quickly earned its’ stripes among holiday traditions. Last year alone, 88 million consumers shopped small on Small Business Saturday – which was up 14.9 percent from 2013. Additionally, consumers spent $14.3 billion at local and independent businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2014, and this year the hype and buzz surrounding the day seems to have only increased.
From Shops to Spas to Salons and More
Year round, shopping small is widely encouraged among communities and businesses alike thanks to the ‘Shop Small’ message that is branded with Small Business Saturday. This message is supported by all types of small businesses – including restaurants, cafes, spas, fitness studios, community art foundations and more – making it a day for small businesses, communities and consumers alike to look forward to. As a small business owner myself – and admittedly, a huge fan of shopping small – I know first hand the strength that a nationally recognized message can offer a small business owner, and it’s for this reason among others that Small Business Saturday has continued to see extraordinary success and growth since it first came to be in 2010.
With free marketing resources, event guides, online ads and more available at ShopSmall. com, businesses can utilize these resources as part of their Small Business Saturday planning – making it a nearly turn-key experience. This easy to implement strategy combined with the national attention that Small Business Saturday generates is something any small business can appreciate, helping to make their job of having a successful Small Business Saturday that much easier. Interestingly, however, some businesses and communities have yet to be a part of Small Business Saturday due to the confusion as to whether or not it’s necessary to accept American Express. As the founding partner of Small Business Saturday, American Express created Small Business Saturday to celebrate and support small businesses, while welcoming any business to be a part of the day. Their goal was simple yet their dreams were big. They wanted to help drive more attention to small businesses during one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year, and fortunately for small businesses across the country, their idea has, in fact, become a big, big deal.
History Tells Us It Works
By Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle
Read the full article at source: Forbes [dot] com
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