Small business Saturday has helped bring back focus on the independent businesses that are the heartbeat of a local economy. This event is held every year to support small businesses across America. Started by American Express in 2010, it has turned into an annual affair and comes on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Small Business Saturday is cushioned in between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this event encourages customers to go out and purchase from the local neighborhood stores.
An estimated 112M ship-owners were part of the Small Business Saturday. This event reminds consumers that they have the biggest role to play in helping the survival of small businesses in their community.
American Express has helped keep the momentum going throughout the year with the Small Shop campaign. It is a nationwide initiative that celebrates local small businesses every day.
Small Business Saturday And The Local Customer
Every one of us has a local business near us, be it a restaurant or a mom-and-pop store. Small Business Saturday gives us a great opportunity to redefine our marketing plans and focus on the local community.
Small Business Saturday helps us to focus on local marketing plans and put the spotlight on the businesses that once thrived in the locality. But they are in dire need of immediate support if they are to survive the onslaught of behemoths such as Walmart and Amazon.
American Express has even created resources to help put the spotlight back on local businesses.
The free small business Saturday resource helps small businesses stand out and reach out to new customers. The kit consists of a Shop Small poster to help small business owners give details about their business and display them in their shop. There is also an event flyer to inform customers about special events and an email template, a guide for reminder emails to be sent to customers.
Small businesses are the mainstay of any community and events like Small Business Saturday help create jobs, create vibrant communities, and strengthen the economy. Small businesses showed more incredible resilience during the tough period of the pandemic. Initiatives like Small Business Saturday help make an invaluable contribution to the local economy. It is our duty as a customer to ensure that they have the resources to succeed during these difficult times.
