Why Small Business Saturday Is Important and Why You Should Support It.

“Small Business Saturday is a national campaign to highlight the economic contribution of small businesses and encourage people to shop at them.”

On November, Americans celebrate Small Business Saturday. The idea behind this day is to encourage people to shop at businesses owned by small and medium-sized enterprises (SME).

For years, businesses have been using the holiday season to advertise to consumers. They aim to sell as much stuff as possible while making as much money as they can. Small Business Saturday is gaining traction in the recent years.

It’s a campaign that focuses on encouraging shoppers to support small businesses. Many big businesses, including Walmart, Target, and Starbucks, are supporting the campaign by offering special discounts to customers who shop in small businesses. As a result, there are millions of people across the country who are spending less money in big box stores, and more money in small businesses.

Small businesses make up 99 percent of U.S. employment and contribute more than half of the total US GDP.

What Is Small Business Saturday?

We’ll discuss Small Business Saturday in the next section, but here’s the definition in case you missed it: “Small Business Saturday is an initiative developed by American Express OPEN in partnership with the National Network of Shopper Advocates (NNSA) that gives consumers and small businesses a special day to shop at businesses owned and operated by independent Americans.

The campaign launched November 30, 2012, in more than 100 cities nationwide. Stores are encouraged to close on Saturday, November 29, and all proceeds benefit local nonprofits working to support entrepreneurs and the communities they serve.”

In its simplest form, the campaign simply asks consumers to shop small businesses on the last day of the holiday shopping season.

Although Small Business Saturday has gained popularity, the campaign had been around for nearly a decade before it became widely recognized and publicized.

We should shop local businesses and support them. In doing so, we will be supporting more small business owners who are local.

We will have more jobs available and be able to buy products that are made in America. The products are also likely to be more expensive than the ones that are bought at larger stores, but you will be getting what you pay for.

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How Small Business Saturday Benefits Small Businesses

Small businesses are usually known to be friendly to the customers. They offer quality products and services, which is why people love them. There are many places that provide high-quality goods and services, but you need to know where to find them.

By asking people to visit small businesses, you will help them to grow. A lot of people think that big businesses are the only ones that can survive in the future. They forget that small businesses are also very important.

If you don’t like big businesses, then you need to consider buying from small business owners. They will appreciate your patronage.

If you want to find a restaurant, try to go to a small place because they will be more likely to have the kind of food that you like.

It’s estimated that consumers spent about $25 billion online on Small Business Saturday 2012 alone.

But who participated? According to the National Retail Federation, 60% of those shoppers were women, 30% were young adults between 18 and 34 years old, and another 7% were young children.

A full 40% of consumers purchased gifts for others, and over 60% planned to shop for themselves. 

Who Participates in Small Business Saturday? 

Small Business Saturday is a marketing campaign started in 2010 by American Express in partnership with Best Buy and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Many big businesses, including Walmart, Target, and Starbucks, are supporting the campaign by offering special discounts to customers who shop in small businesses. As a result, there are millions of people across the country who are spending less money in big box stores, and more money in small businesses.

The purpose of the campaign is to encourage people to shop local small businesses on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), shoppers spent $7.2 billion over Black Friday weekend in 2011, up 12 percent from the previous year.

In fact, according to a study conducted by NRF and the University of Florida, Small Business Saturday generated an average increase of $17.31 per customer.

It appears that consumers are more willing to spend money on a shopping day that is separate from the traditional holiday shopping season.

How to Participate in Small Business Saturday 

To participate in Small Business Saturday, you can share discounts, promotions, and specials on Facebook and Twitter. You can also advertise that your business is participating in the day, offering special deals.

You can also reach out to local media outlets to let them know about Small Business Saturday. 

People can shop for discounted items and deals that are usually only available during this time. There are many benefits of doing this. One of these is that you can support local businesses. Some of these businesses might have been there for generations.

The owners might care about the community, and they will be happy to have new customers. They will be glad to hear that people are looking to buy from them. They will appreciate the business that they are getting.

The other benefit is that these businesses might help you to earn money. You could visit your local grocery store or hardware store and see which local businesses you can support. These stores might offer coupons and discounts on their products.

You can also support local businesses by buying their products and services online. When you buy online, you are supporting local businesses. You are helping them to grow. You can save money as well. You don’t have to pay sales tax and you can also save on shipping fees.

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Why You Should Support It.

1. If you’re going to shop on Black Friday, support local merchants instead.

2. If you want to support your small business on Black Friday, shop Small Business Saturday.

3. Even if you don’t shop on Black Friday or Small Business Saturday, remember that we need to keep our businesses afloat.

4. Black Friday is great for families, but Small Business Saturday is great for people.

5. Even if you can’t shop on Small Business Saturday, support your local small business.

6. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy.

7. Small business owners have a harder time getting loans, so they start businesses at a later age than other entrepreneurs.

8. Small businesses employ more Americans than large businesses do.

9. We need to support small businesses because small business is where all new jobs come from.

10. Small businesses create new products, ideas, and services which drive our economy forward.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Small Business Saturday is a grassroots effort to bring awareness to small businesses in the retail sector. It is a campaign created by American Express OPEN and the National Retail Federation to celebrate the holiday season and encourage shoppers to shop local by buying products at independent retailers.

Small Business Saturday is the largest online shopping event of the year with many small business owners using it as a way to introduce new products, raise money for local charities, and promote their storefronts.