Sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday (SBS) is a staple in the post-Thanksgiving shopping weekend. For over a decade, Small Business Saturday has been a great way for small businesses to generate revenue and get back in touch with their communities. And Small Business Saturday 2024 is no exception.
For businesses nationwide, SBS is huge. Find out what it is, who can participate, reasons to hop on board the bandwagon, and how to do it.
What is Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday is a national shopping day on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Along with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, SBS kickstarts the holiday shopping season. Businesses typically offer sales and other incentives to get customers through the door and boost revenue.
American Express founded Small Business Saturday in 2010, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) became an official cosponsor beginning in 2011. Since then, SBS has evolved into a Shop Small® movement that encourages consumers to support local businesses and communities year-round.
Want to learn more about Small Business Saturday’s history and success? Here are some fast facts about the national shopping holiday according to its creator, American Express:
- Small Business Saturday began in 2010
- In 2011, the Senate passed a resolution supporting the day
- Consumers have spent over $200 billion in reported sales on Small Business Saturday since 2012
When is Small Business Saturday?
This year, Thanksgiving is on November 28. So, Small Business Saturday 2024 takes place on November 30. Here’s the timeline of events:
- Thanksgiving: November 28
- Black Friday: November 29
- Small Business Saturday: November 30
- Cyber Monday: December 2
Don’t wait until the morning of November 30 to decide to participate in SBS, though. Promote your business’s participation beforehand (which we’ll get into later).
Who can participate in Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday is for small businesses. Of course, small companies need to participate for the shopping holiday to exist. But they’re not the only entities that can participate.
The beauty of Small Business Saturday is that anyone can get involved. Just take a look at who can participate in SBS:
- Small businesses
- Consumers
- Communities
- Corporations
- Government representatives
Organizations can apply to be “Neighborhood Champions.” Neighborhood Champions promote the day publicly to get small businesses and consumers involved. They can promote Small Business Saturday on social media, blogs, and around town, as well as organize community events.
Attention consumers! Don’t own a business? Don’t have time to be a Neighborhood Champion? You can still get involved. Focus on buying from your local small businesses on Small Business Saturday 2024.
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Benefits of participating in SBS
You put your heart and soul into setting up your small business. With year-end approaching, it can be easy to stress about your company’s bottom line.
If you want to reap some of the benefits of Small Business Saturday, consider participating. Here are a few reasons why you may decide to get involved in SBS.
1. Build brand awareness
Building brand awareness is key to running a business that customers trust and identify with. Regardless of whether you’re a new small business or have been around for years, use Small Business Saturday to build brand awareness.
Millions of consumers are familiar with Small Business Saturday and the Shop Small movement. In fact, the Shop Small Facebook page alone has over 3 million likes.
Piggyback on American Express’s SBS national advertising campaigns to build brand awareness for your business and add credibility to your name.
2. Ramp up sales numbers
Is meeting sales projections a big deal in your business? For most companies, it is. And if inflation or supply chain shortages impacted your sales in 2024, you might be looking for ways to boost them before year-end.
Use Small Business Saturday to ramp up sales. Because it is a prime shopping day, customers might be apt to spend more.
To optimize sales, consider expanding the types of payments you accept. You may begin accepting:
- Credit card payments
- Mobile wallet payments
- Money transfers (e.g., PayPal)
- Crypto payments
Some consumers shop exclusively with credit cards or a mobile wallet, and failing to accept these payment methods could cost you business.
3. Show your community you plan to stick around
Want to build your small business’s reputation? Become an active member of your community to form connections with other organizations and community members. Doing so can improve consumer loyalty and encourage people to rally around your small business.
This Small Business Saturday, show your community what your business is made of. Let them know your business is a permanent part of the area. And, remind them that their patronage doesn’t go unnoticed.
4. Set your business apart
Use Small Business Saturday to highlight your business’s uniqueness. Hone in on the things that separate you from your competition by drawing attention to your business’s originality.
To set your business apart, you can:
- Talk to customers about your business’s history and brand story
- Connect with customers
- Provide a memorable and personalized shopping experience (even if online!)
- Take time to answer customer questions and concerns
Small Business Saturday isn’t your chance to compete with the huge deals national chains can offer. It’s your opportunity to show customers why potentially spending a little more on quality and originality is worth it.
5. Improve future marketing efforts
Small Business Saturday is also a great way to build your customer list and expand your future marketing efforts.
When new customers come into your business, grab their contact information. Ask customers for their:
- Names
- Emails
- Phone numbers
Encourage customers to connect with your small business on social media. Touch base with your new contacts later on through email marketing.
Use Small Business Saturday as an opportunity to get to know new customers. Pay attention to customers’ likes and dislikes by asking questions and tracking their shopping history. That way, you can tailor future marketing efforts.
How to participate in Small Business Saturday 2024
Do the benefits of Small Business Saturday sound good to you? If so, here’s how to participate in 2024.
1. Keep your business open on November 30 or take things online
This one is a given—if you own a brick-and-mortar store, you need to stay open to participate in Small Business Saturday. But for some, staying open can be tricky during this holiday weekend.
If you do have November 30 free and can stay open, you’re one step closer to participating in the national shopping day…
…Now, how about your employees?
Depending on your business, you may not have enough staffing to keep things running smoothly if you’re the only one able to work. Make sure employees know that your business will be open on November 30 ahead of time to avoid potential conflicts.
You may receive multiple vacation requests from employees asking to take off on SBS. Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to accept every request. To manage vacation requests fairly, you need to:
- Determine how many employees you need
- Create a time-off request procedure (with deadlines)
- Decide how you’ll prioritize multiple requests (e.g., first-come, first-served)
To encourage employees to come to work, consider offering overtime pay or double-time pay for all hours worked on Small Business Saturday.
Going online
During the COVID-19 pandemic, several stores closed on Thanksgiving to give their employees a much-needed break.
You may also consider keeping your doors closed all weekend long—including on Small Business Saturday—to give employees (and yourself) a break.
But if you still want to make sales, you can get things ready for a digital Small Business Saturday. You might consider using an E-commerce platform or joining an online marketplace.
2. Come up with a marketing campaign that conquers
If you’re planning on participating in Small Business Saturday, shout it from the mountaintops. OK, more realistically, you can:
- Email your current customer list to announce it
- Post about it on your blog and business website
- Hang up signs about SBS around your storefront
- Tell customers to come back for SBS at the point of sale
Leverage social media marketing by posting to your audience that you will be participating in Small Business Saturday. Use targeted hashtags, like #ShopSmall and #SmallBizSat, in your social media posts.
Pro tip: Use Amex’s (free) materials for marketing
American Express has free materials for small businesses to use on Small Business Saturday and year-round, such as:
- In-store signage
- Social media posts
3. Think about special deals you can offer
To encourage consumer spending on SBS, offer promotions and incentives. First, decide what you want to offer customers. Come up with creative Small Business Saturday ideas to set yourself apart from every other day.
For example, you might offer:
- Buy one, get one (free or half off) products
- Discount pricing (e.g., 25% off)
- Bundles (e.g., get a free X when you buy Y)
- Extra loyalty rewards (e.g., double points when you shop on SBS)
- Free products (e.g., a branded tote bag)
- Complimentary food or beverages (e.g., free hot chocolate)
- Exclusive products or services that are only available on SBS
In addition to bringing in more money, use Small Business Saturday deals to help you get rid of old inventory. Mark down items at the end of their product life cycle for the day. Or, you can include a free, outdated product as a gift when customers make a purchase on SBS.
Once you come up with incentives to offer on Small Business Saturday, promote them in your marketing efforts before the day.
4. Partner with local businesses and give back
This year, you don’t have to go it alone. Small Business Saturday is a community-centered day, so make sure to join forces with other small businesses in your locality.
Partner with other businesses to help promote your involvement, boost sales, and increase brand awareness. And joining forces with another small business could be the start of a long and mutually beneficial affiliation.
Research other Small Business Saturday shops you can partner with. Ask around to see who’s participating, and find out if they’d be interested in doing a partnership.
You can also get involved with local organizations. Attend events within your community that build awareness and generate attention. And, you can give back to your community with donations or volunteer help.
This article has been updated from its original publication date of October 9, 2020.
This is not intended as legal advice; for more information, please click here.
