8 Tips for a Memorable Small Business Saturday
Leave Black Friday to the big box stores. Your next big sales day is Small Business Saturday. Last year, consumers bought more than $17 billion in goods and services on SBS, according to American Express. This year, sales industry estimates say Saturday, November 30, will be the sixth-largest shopping day of the year, behind Black Friday and the lead-up to Christmas Day.
Meanwhile, recent overall holiday retail forecasts estimate Americans will spend just shy of $1 trillion in November and December — between $979.5 billion and $989 billion. This forecast sees slower growth than last year's season, reflecting consumers' ongoing economic concerns.
Stand apart from the rest.
SBS, sandwiched between the big-box bonanzas of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, sets itself apart by encouraging shoppers to patronize their communities' homegrown business owners. With 11 days to go, you have time to consider the following ideas for turning Small Business Saturday into a memorable community event and a record-breaking revenue day:
1. Widen your scope.
Add new products or services, kickoff a customer-loyalty program or offer discounted product bundles and buy-one-get-one-free items — minus those stampedes for a $99 HDTV or robotic vacuum cleaner.
2. Make it a banner day.
Advertise with signage, streamers, and other decorations. A festive atmosphere encourages visitors and says you're an enthusiastic community member.
3. Work your channels.
Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, X, or Tik Tok, get the word out. Be sure to include one or more hashtags, like #smallbusinesssaturday #smallbusiness #shopsmall, or more local spins on these themes. Join existing promotions being offered by your local Chamber of Commerce, newspapers, websites, or radio/TV stations.
4. Partner with a neighbor.
Working with local businesses that target the same business segment saves money and expands your market reach. Selling baby clothes? Team up with a family-friendly restaurant, pre-school, or children's furniture store to host a hot-cider-and-donuts party or a photo-with-Santa day.
5.Staff up.
Don't get caught short-handed. Make sure you've got team members scheduled to work — along with backups. It'll keep everyone calm and move customers quickly.
6. Make it a big day for data.
With all those extra customers coming through your doors, don't forget to capture emails, local addresses, and phone numbers for further promotions.
7. Leverage AI smartly.
In addition to these smart moves, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce offers a list of AI prompts you can use to craft a Small Business Saturday sales and marketing strategy. Suggested AI prompts are becoming popular in all areas of business operations, advising entrepreneurs on how to ask AI engines such as Chat-GPT and Perplexity, among others, the right questions.
You may be surprised at the complexity of their responses. But don't let a chat bot charm you into foregoing your due diligence. Before accepting an analysis of a dataset or a marketing plan, vet the engine's conclusions and its data sources. (Always keeping in mind that you know your business best.) Also familiarize yourself with the engine's privacy and data-sharing provisions; make sure they're in line with your business's data security and confidentiality best practices.
8. Go to the source.
American Express is at the ready with Small Business Saturday resources. Visit its special Small Business Saturday pages to:
Download ready-made social media assets — both general and industry-specific packs.
Order "Shop Small" stickers — both customer giveaways and window stickers.
Fill out a form to join Amex's Shop Small Map... and much more.
When you plan it well, Small Business Saturday can strengthen your bonds with other local businesses and your entire community.
Since 2008, Fora Financial has distributed $4 billion to 55,000 businesses. Click here or call (877) 419-3568 for more information on how Fora Financial's working capital solutions can help your business thrive.
