Small Business Saturday
| Company type | Promotional campaign |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | November 27, 2010 |
| Founder | American Express |
Area served | United States, United Kingdom |
Key people | Thomas M. Menino (partner) |
| Owner | American Express |
Small Business Saturday is a promotional campaign initiated by American Express aimed at encouraging consumers to shop at small, local retailers during the busy holiday shopping season. This event occurs annually on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, typically between November 24 and 30.
History
Introduced in the United States on November 27, 2010, Small Business Saturday was designed as a complement to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which predominantly highlight major retailers and online shopping. Its primary goal is to drive consumer spending toward physical small businesses. The phrase Small Business Saturday is a trademark owned by American Express.
The initiative was developed by American Express in collaboration with partners such as the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and Roslindale Village Main Street. To support the launch in 2010, American Express invested in national radio and television advertisements, acquired Facebook advertising space that was allocated to its small business account holders, and offered rebates to attract new customers.
American Express utilized a combination of social media outreach, advertising campaigns, and public relations efforts to raise awareness of Small Business Saturday. The campaign received endorsements from various local government officials and small business groups, resulting in over one million Facebook likes and nearly 30,000 tweets featuring hashtags like #smallbusinesssaturday and #smallbizsaturday.
Hashtag
The Twitter hashtag #SmallBusinessSaturday has been active since early 2010 and serves to promote small businesses on any Saturday throughout the year, not exclusively the one falling between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Similar to #FollowFriday, it highlights preferred local businesses. During the November event, many small business owners provide promotional offers to capitalize on increased holiday shopping activity.
Around the world
Inspired by the success of the U.S. program, Small Business Saturday UK was launched in 2013, extending the concept internationally.
See also
- Black Friday (shopping)
- Buy Nothing Day
- Super Saturday (Panic Saturday)
- Cyber Monday
- Green Monday
- Giving Tuesday
- Singles' Day