We’ve heard the reports: Sales were down this year for Black Friday and up for Cyber Monday. But what about Small Business Saturday? Now in its fourth year, the day designed to honor small businesses and all they do for their communities is apparently gaining traction. According to American Express, some 88 million people shopped at small businesses on November 29, up nearly 15 percent from last year. The day also got a lot of attention on social media—including 126,000 tweets on Twitter, up 10 percent from last year. Small Business Saturday news from around the country included: President Obama and his daughters honored the day by buying a basket full of books at Politics and Prose, a locally owned bookstore in D.C. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe issued a proclamation honoring the day and urging support for the state’s 650,000 small businesses. Martin Walsh, mayor of Boston, launched a campaign asking citizens to buy at least five of their holiday gifts in small Boston stores. TV publicity of Small Business Saturday helped shoppers discover dozens of unique businesses operating in booths at Detroit’s Rust Belt Market. Encouraged by the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, 400 businesses in Rock Island and Moline (Illinois) and Davenport and Bettendorf (Iowa) participated in Small Business Saturday. In Birmingham, AL, small businesses were competing with the Iron Bowl (Auburn vs. Alabama) but still offered discounts, freebies, and even champagne to entice customers. According to a report on AL.com, Melissa Kendrick, owner of Sojourns Fair Trade in Birmingham, said, "Last year is the first year we really saw an impact from Small Business Saturday. I attribute that to people sharing the 'shop small' message across Facebook. We offer a much more casual shopping experience compared to the chaos of the malls." Did you participate in Small Business Saturday? Is it gaining traction in your community?
↧