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Cyber Monday Deals
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Small Business Saturday offers you the opportunity to focus on and support local small businesses in your community and surrounding areas. After the frantic pace of the typical Black Friday dies down, Small Business Saturday is your chance to find hidden treasures close to home, encourage local entrepreneurs and strengthen the economy surrounding your favorite smaller businesses. Because these smaller stores are often overshadowed by the larger chain stores during the holiday shopping season, Small Business Saturday is a great way to officially recognize them.
The pandemic brought a renewed focus on the importance of shopping locally, and many consumers are making genuine efforts to try and do so. However, the last few years have presented a new hurdle for small businesses: supply chain issues. In fact, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey, small businesses have seen impacts of the supply chain disruption dating back to this summer.
With this news, are consumers still making a great effort to shop small this holiday season?
To find out, we surveyed 1,053 American consumers to learn more about their holiday shopping plans, particularly as it relates to supporting local and small businesses.
Our research revealed that over half (55%) of consumers are worried about supply chain issues impacting their holiday shopping plans, and the effort to shop local is most certainly top-of-mind. In fact, almost two-thirds (65%) of consumers plan to spend money at small and/or locally-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday. Only 9% of shoppers do not plan on spending money at small businesses.
When it comes to budgeting, most shoppers surveyed (44%) planned to spend between $101 - $400 at small businesses this holiday season.
Outside of the holiday season, 70% of shoppers try to shop at locally-owned small businesses throughout the year. This is mainly due to personal preferences, such as that they feel they can buy more unique items. Customer service and pricing also play a major role in the trend.
Two in five (40%) consumers shop for gifts locally, but a majority tend to go to their local stores for groceries (59%), restaurants and food delivery services (56%). Perhaps most importantly, 85% of consumers are more likely to shop local if a discount, coupon, or promo code is offered.
You are sure to find plenty of ways to save when you shop on Small Business Saturday. The deals will vary depending on location, so be sure to keep your eyes glued to social media feeds and local newspapers to find out what great deals these innovative shops are offering for this special day. Here are a few ideas for saving money when you shop on Small Business Saturday.
Etsy is the ultimate online marketplace for small businesses and entrepreneurs, especially those in creative fields. If you already have favorite Etsy shops, be sure to sign up for their newsletters or for notifications of when they post new items and sales. In the past, many Etsy shops have taken full advantage of Small Business Saturday to draw in new customers by doling out some great savings to help promote their brands, so keep an eye out for big savings.
Use coupon code SMALL from 11/26-11/27 to support local restaurants in your neighborhood and save $22 off any $25 gift certificate. Makes a great holiday gift too.
Look around your town for small businesses offering unique savings to in-store customers on Small Business Saturday. This day presents a perfect opportunity for some of these lesser-known retail establishments to draw in shoppers, so watch for physical signs advertising special savings, check their Facebook pages for coupon codes and drop in to see what unadvertised discounts may be available. In years past, local stores have been known to offer such deals as large percentage savings or buy-one-get-one offers.
You could find tons of great deals from local vendors by visiting some of the local flea markets and antique shops. These establishments feature a ton of different merchants all under one roof, so your chances of finding deep discounts are even greater. Keep an eye out for market-wide discounts as well as special sales within each vendor’s area.
Local store owners will happily tell you how much they appreciate and depend on this special day of the shopping season to help them stay afloat and continue to operate. So, be sure to jump online or head out to your favorite shop to offer them that support, all while still keeping a close rein on your own budget.
Part of the fun of Small Business Saturday is the way it allows small business owners to better connect with members of their community. Some stores may be offering free refreshments when you visit to help set the mood for a great shopping experience. You may also find stores giving out store swag like tote bags, stickers or even T-shirts.
Get out there, have fun and make the rounds to support your local small businesses, but be sure you're prepared to hit the brakes once you meet your budgeted maximum. Create a detailed game plan for store purchases, food items, event tickets and whatever else you may want to indulge in, so you don’t end up in the red after your shopping excursion.
Besides hitting the local shops, you can tackle a few of your own business ventures right at home and make yourself a part of Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday affords a chance for you to open up a shop of sorts right in your front yard or garage. With plenty of folks out and about hitting the stores, this may be the perfect time to host a yard sale to unload some of your own unwanted items. Then you can use the cash you make to do a little shopping of your own.
If you have kiddos at home, let them open their own refreshment business on Small Business Saturday. This could be a great opportunity for them to learn a little about how the finances of business work, plus they get to provide a refreshing drink to people on the go in your neighborhood.
Small Business Saturday was started by the American Express Corporation to help highlight small businesses that often get overlooked during the holiday shopping season. The first Small Business Saturday was celebrated in 2010, and the event continues to grow in prominence and support with each passing year. On this special day, shoppers are encouraged to get to know local vendors and artisans and to make some purchases from their stores, both local and online, in an effort to improve communities and strengthen entrepreneurial ventures.
Yes! Small Business Saturday is celebrated each year in the United States at the start of the holiday shopping season.
Small Business Saturday is celebrated in an effort to support and bolster small businesses and to help keep local economies strong.
In the United States, Small Business Saturday is celebrated the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so the exact date will vary from year to year.
We collected 1,053 responses from Americans on Survey Monkey. 47% of our participants identified as men, and 53% identified as women.
The data we are presenting rely on self-report. There are many issues with self-reported data. These issues include, but are not limited to, the following: selective memory, telescoping, attribution, and exaggeration.
Don’t forget about supporting small businesses this holiday season! We hope this piece, at the very least, served as a reminder for that. Feel free to share the article with friends and family but for noncommercial purposes only. We also kindly ask that you provide them with a link back to the original page so contributors can earn credit for their work.
