If you have not yet participated in Small Business Saturday, you might still have seen its signs in small businesses in your neighborhood.
What is Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving to support small businesses. It was started in 2010 by American Express (Amex). In 2011, the day became official when the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution of support for Small Business Saturday.
In 2015, 95 million people went out shopping to support small businesses. Shoppers supported their neighborhood businesses like never before, continuing to embrace the day as a holiday shopping tradition.
How can we store owners benefit?
Our customers would love to support us. If you carry impulse items, market those products. If you do not, give out reward cards or coupons that they can use later to ensure that they will come back.
How can we get started?
Go to https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/ to sign up. It’s absolutely free (though you have to accept Amex cards). They will send all the marketing tools. Last year they sent out tote bags, door mat, pins, pens, and clipboards. This year Amex launched Shop Small Studio where you can create free custom downloadable marketing materials for your social networks, site, and storefront.
We have been participating for the last two years. In 2014 we didn’t have many items for our customers to buy, so many came but left empty handed. Their effort to help support us touched us so much that I expanded my merchandise to cater to our customers. Last year we had customers coming throughout the day to support and purchase items from us. We had record sales of products for that Saturday despite low shipping. This year we have added more inventory for impulse items all of which retail under $20 each. We will not carry many of these items throughout the year but will have them for the months of October to December (when people actively shop for Christmas).
In my experience, it eases the customers’ waiting time in line if they have pleasantries all around them. Most of the time they will buy products or at least look at them. We have also found it makes the entire shipping experience much less painless because the impulse items act as a distraction.
We started with a vendor we found in Vegas (Bloomhouse Distributors). They offer 60 day guaranteed selling. If the product doesn’t sell within 60 days they will exchange the product.
Start Small!
Amex has some wonderful ideas on their website. Get connected with your chamber. Have a welcome station, create a scavenger hunt, or get together with other local businesses and create unique after-hours offerings for shoppers on the day.
Amex is a big fish and they are helping small businesses like ours to stay competitive in the marketplace. Especially in the market where Amazon seems to be taking over. We might as well ride the wave with Amex. Happy shopping!
So remember, #SHOPSMALL!
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(This article has been reprinted from the Nov/Dec 2016 issue of MBC Today Magazine).
Seema Mojawalla is a co-owner of Island Ship Center, an experienced-based retail shipping spa located 10 minutes south of Niagara Falls, USA in Grand Island, NY, where she also sells her exclusive line of natural, handmade beauty care products known as Island Bliss. She serves on the board of directors for AMBC and can be reached at seema@ambc.org. For more information, please visit IslandShipCenter.com and follow her store on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, and more.
Source: AMBC Blog