The day after Black Friday, when you are worn out from fighting the crowds, be sure to save some energy (and money) to shop small. The reason being, Saturday, November 26th is Small Business Saturday. This is a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. It sounds like a cliché, but it is entirely true that small businesses are the backbone of many communities and the economy as a whole. In addition, small businesses provide unique goods and services that are often tailored to local markets and consumers.
For many retail sector businesses, large or small, the weekend after Thanksgiving represents the start of their earnings season. And sure, Small Business Saturday is just one day a year, but small businesses should use this “holiday” as a way to begin adding repeat customers. The idea is that once customers experience a business on Small Business Saturday for the first time, they will want to continue spending more money there.
Given some very encouraging sales statistics from past Small Business Saturdays, hopefully this is happening. In 2014, it was estimated that $14.3 billion was spent on the single day, which is a huge increase over the year before. If this annual “holiday” is properly marketed by businesses, it could very well be the catalyst behind their small business’s growth. If you are an owner or operator of a small business and are considering participating in Small Business Saturday, you can access some free marketing materials by clicking here.
When you are out shopping on Small Business Saturday or you own a business that is participating, be sure to use social media to promote and tell your stories. It is suggested that you use one or all of the most popular hashtags including: #SmallBizSat #ShopSmall or #SmallBusinessSaturday.