Consumers report they will be out in full force on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday, to support the small businesses that fuel the U.S. economy, create jobs and keep communities thriving, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reports.
Of the tens of millions of Americans familiar with Small Business Saturday, 67 percent are planning to “shop small” on the day, November 24th, 2012 (44% said they shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2011), according to the NFIB Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey.
The new research, sponsored by the NFIB and American Express, shows that of those consumers who shopped last year on Small Business Saturday, 70 percent plan to spend more or the same amount this year and will spend on average $100 on Small Business Saturday.
“America’s small businesses contribute to their communities in innumerable ways—creating half of private sector jobs, generating the revenue that spurs continued growth, and supporting the families they employ; it’s no surprise that American consumers have a deep trust in, and admiration for, the small-business community,” said NFIB CEO Dan Danner.
“Small Business Saturday gives us a chance to show our appreciation and to help America’s job creators in a very real way, by patronizing small shops, restaurants and service providers. Anything that helps with sales is certainly appreciated by small-business owners, many of whom have struggled to stay afloat in a rough and uncertain economy," Danner said.
Thousands of small businesses around the country are planning special offers, partnering with neighboring businesses, and hosting events to support the small business shopping day. Small Business Saturday, which falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, was created in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more customers, NFIB said.
Additional findings from the survey:
• The top five places that consumers plan to shop on Small Business Saturday are restaurants (52%), bakeries (35%), clothing stores (34%), gift shops (31%) and book shops (29%).
• The number one reason that consumers plan to support small businesses on November 24th is they value the contributions small businesses make to their community (76%), while the number two reason was better customer service (59%).
• Word-of-mouth is the top way that consumers find small, independently-owned shops and restaurants in their communities (79%).
NFIB said it wants to lend a hand and put small businesses front and center by helping small and independent businesses to get the word out online about their best Small Business Saturday deals.
Small-business owners can go to www.nfib.com/smallbizsat to submit information about their business and why shoppers should visit on November 24th. NFIB will promote these submissions on NFIB.com and in front of NFIB’s 150,000+ Facebook fans and 30,000+ Twitter followers.