How to Get More Out of Small Business Saturday


With five fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, many small business owners say they’ll be pulling out all of the stops to get customers into stores during the critical holiday shopping season.

For many of the small business owners who are aware of Small Business Saturday, the day will be a part of their promotional calendar. Of those small business owners incorporating Small Business Saturday into their holiday plans, 70% say Small Business Saturday will be helpful in attracting new customers.

According to the second annual Small Business Saturday Insights Survey, released today by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and American Express, more independent merchants will feel the Christmas creep as they start their promotional activity earlier than last year.

Small Business Saturday, now in its fourth year, falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and serves as the traditional kickoff to the holiday season for independent retailers and restaurateurs. The day was created in response to small business owners’ most pressing need, more customers, and has since grown into an annual celebration of the independent businesses that help boost our local economies.

The Small Business Saturday Insights Survey was created to provide a window into holiday planning for small business owners. Other key survey findings relating to Small Business Saturday activities include:

  • 67% will offer discounts on specific items or general discounts on the day;
  • 36% will offer coupons for future offers or discounts;
  • 32% are starting their holiday promotions earlier than last year
  • 21% are planning to increase the number of employees working on Small Business Saturday.

“Small-business owners are always looking for new ways to creatively promote their products and services–especially in a tough economy,” said NFIB president and CEO Dan Danner. “Small Business Saturday is a reminder of how important the small-business sector is to our economy and why it’s so important to Shop Small all year around.”


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