This year, more shoppers reported visiting their local independent businesses on Small Business Saturday than ever before, according to results from the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released today by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and American Express. More than 95 million consumers shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, marking an eight percent increase from 2014.
This year Small Business Saturday saw record levels of support from communities and local organizations. More than 4,100 Neighborhood Champions around the country rallied local businesses and created events in their communities for Small Business Saturday — an increase of 48 percent over last year. And more than 425 organizations joined the Small Business Saturday Coalition – an increase of 11 percent over last year.
According to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, total spending among U.S. consumers who were aware of Small Business Saturday reached $16.2 billion at independent retailers and restaurants on the day, an increase of 14 percent from $14.3 billion in 2014. Among those who shopped on Small Business Saturday, 31 percent attended a community event on the day and 81 percent encouraged family and friends to support their local small businesses.
Additionally, consumers and small businesses helped rally support for Small Business Saturday and their favorite small businesses on social media channels. In the month of November, there were 85 million social media engagements in support of Small Business Saturday.
“It’s very encouraging to see small businesses participate every year and more shoppers giving local entrepreneurs a chance to compete for their business,” said NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner. “Americans are returning to Main Street for the things they need and ultimately that’s a very healthy economic trend.”
“Small Business Saturday is an increasingly important economic engine for independent businesses,” said Janey Whiteside, senior vice president and general manager of American Express OPEN. “These impressive numbers demonstrate the value that Small Business Saturday brings to local businesses, and American Express is proud to support the Shop Small Movement. We encourage shoppers to support their local businesses not only on Small Business Saturday, but all year long.”
Elected Officials across the U.S. Show Their Support
- President Obama shopped at a local bookstore and dined at a local popsicle shop on Small Business Saturday in Washington, D.C.
- Elected officials in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. – including President Obama and many senior government officials – championed Small Business Saturday.
- Over 200 Federal Officials and Agencies showed support for Small Business Saturday through posts on Facebook and Twitter.
- The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution designating November 28th, 2015 as Small Business Saturday.
- 551 city proclamations in support of Small Business Saturday were issued by mayors and other elected officials in all 50 states and Washington D.C.
- 14 Public Service Announcements encouraging the public to “Shop Small” were recorded by government officials across the nation.
Communities and Supporters Contribute To Big Success in Year Six
In addition to the growth of the Neighborhood Champion Program and the Small Business Saturday Coalition, corporations, consumers and businesses across the country rallied their communities around Small Business Saturday. For example:
- In a substantial show of corporate support, nearly 100 larger companies signed up to become Official Supporters of the day and helped promote Small Business Saturday. Corporate supporters including Ace Hardware, AT&T, Etsy, Eventbrite, Hertz, Sam’s Club, Square, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts helped rally their combined millions of small business customers and consumers to take part in Small Business Saturday. Their efforts ranged from social media posts and webinars to in-store and employee events.
- More than 685,000 free online tools and materials were accessed by small business owners on ShopSmall.com to help get the word out about Small Business Saturday.
- In the month of November more than 241,000 posts combined were posted on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using Small Business Saturday and Shop Small related hashtags, more than 100,000 of which were posted on November 28th alone. Posts included consumers showing their love for their favorite small businesses, business owners raising awareness for promotions and activities taking place on Small Business Saturday, as well as government officials and celebrities showing their support for the day and their favorite small businesses.
About the Survey
The Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,363 males and females 18 years of age or older. The sample was collected using an email invitation and an online survey. The study was conducted anonymously by independent marketing performance specialist Ebiquity on November 29, 2015. The survey has an overall margin of error of +/- 2.0%, at the 95% level of confidence.
About Small Business Saturday
November 28th marks the sixth annual Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to supporting the local businesses that can help create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more customers.
To see a list of participating NFIB members and small business owners around the country in an interactive map click here!
To see a list of participating NFIB members and small business owners around the country in an interactive map click here!
