Top 7 Small Business Saturday Facts

October 30, 2017

The highest percentage of consumers begin purchasing holiday gifts starting in November. A growing number of consumers go holiday shopping on Small Business Saturday, which is the day after Black Friday. It was created to promote small, locally owned businesses.

To inspire you to celebrate the day at your store, here is our roundup of the top Small Business Saturday facts.

#1: Over 7 in 10 Thanksgiving weekend shoppers spent money on Small Business Saturday in 2016.

112 million consumers shopped on Small Business Saturday in 2016, which is 73% of the 154 million Thanksgiving weekend shoppers last year.  This is the highest shopper turnout in Small Business Saturday’s history.

#2 The average Small Business Saturday shopper spent $137.50 in 2016.

Small Business Saturday shoppers spent $15.4 Billion in 2016. This is the second-highest amount spent in Small Business Saturday’s history with the current record at $16.2 Billion spent in 2015.

#3 Small Business Saturday has 2 official hashtags on Social Media.

#SmallBizSat and #SmallBusinessSaturday are the 2 designated hashtags.

#4 There are over 1,558 times more small business than large businesses in the US.

There are 29.6 million small businesses vs. 19,000 large businesses in the US. A small business has 500 or fewer employees. Bonus fact: about 1 in 5 small businesses are family owned.

#5 A credit card company invented Small Business Saturday.

American Express launched Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27, 2010 “in support of small, independently owned local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and invigorate neighborhoods across the country.” American Express credit card holders are incentivized for spending on Small Business Saturday. Why American Express? Perhaps because American Express has 27% of the market for small business credit cards. Congress has passed holiday resolutions recognizing Small Business Saturday annually since 2011.

#6 Every dollar spent at an independent retailer returns 3 times more money to the local economy than shopping at a chain store.

Less than 14% of money spent at chain stores remains circulated locally.

#7 The number of shoppers who are aware of Small Business Saturday is growing.

A record 72% of consumers were aware of the day in 2016. Its Facebook page grew from1.2 million in its inaugural year to over 3.4 million in 2017. The number of businesses who signed up to participate also increased 63% from 2015 to 2016.

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Marketing Strategy