Celebrate and support Small Business Saturday this holiday season

November is here. Thoughts of Thanksgiving dinner, a break from school, Thursday night football, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are quickly approaching.

Everyone is already plotting, scheming and pondering their Christmas lists… I know I am. All surrounding social media, especially Tiktok, are videos, lists and advertisements of “what to give … for Christmas,” or simply people sharing their gift list for this holiday season.

Although we all want the “trendy” name brand items in our possession as everyone is getting them, I want to share the importance of shopping locally for this holiday season.

Did you know there is a day, similar to Black Friday, that is dedicated to shopping locally for the holiday season?

It’s called Small Business Saturday and this year it falls on Nov. 25.

Main Street America's Small Business Saturday Advertisement for 2023

Small Business Saturday is a day to celebrate and support small businesses. American Express started Small Business Saturday in 2010 to give small, locally owned businesses a boost amidst the hustle and bustle of Black Friday. American Express provides many tips and resources for business owners, including event ideas, business boot camps, “SBS 101” online content, marketing materials, checklists and customizable print and digital signage such as event flyers, posters, save the dates, and social media assets.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, Small Business Saturday has become an important part of small businesses’ busiest shopping season. Historically, reported projected spending among U.S. consumers who shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday reached an estimated $17.9 billion.

That's huge!

Small Business Saturday is meant to bring attention to local businesses amid busy Black Friday and Cyber Monday.It’s important for small businesses to rise from the shadows during this bright and cheery shopping week.

During the last three months of the year, small businesses see waves of new customers both in-person and online. These shoppers are highly engaged and looking for reasons to visit or buy. This makes the holiday season a terrific time for SMBs to capture people’s attention and grow their customer base.

According to a Constant Contact poll of 500 SMBs across a variety of industries and 500 consumers, they found that 75% of small businesses rely heavily on holiday sales to meet their annual goals, where 73% get at least a quarter of their annual revenue from holiday shoppers, and 58% say holiday customers are “extremely important” to the overall success of their business.

Despite this, they found most shoppers don’t realize how vital their holiday spending is to small businesses. Only 33% felt that visiting or purchasing during the holidays makes a significant impact on an SMB’s livelihood.

This is where transparency comes into play. Similar to the digital journalism age, small businesses need to be more open and transparent about their reliance on holiday shoppers to stay afloat. Businesses who can appeal to shoppers, and keep them engaged after the holidays end, will be well-positioned for growth. The right marketing platform can be a game changer for achieving these business goals.

Some tips I found for small business owners to highlight themselves during these next few months are:

Offer special discounts and promotions

Get the word out

Treat it as the beginning of your year

Stock up on potentially popular items

Reinvest in social media

Boost your marketing strategies

Extend your hours

Personalize your customer experience

Tweak your SEO strategy

Are you more willing now to support and celebrate Small Business Saturday knowing that they rely heavily on the holiday season’s sales?

Spread the word and shop local to get your loved ones the most personalized and rare gift you can give them!