LAST MINUTE TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Held annually on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday was created to help draw shoppers to support the many small businesses across America that help our local communities thrive. Now going into its 12th year, over half of Americans say that they “shop small” on the holiday - with spending reaching a record high of nearly $20 billion on Small Business Saturday in 2020 alone. As a small business owner, don’t miss out on the opportunity to stand out! Read on for a few of our last-minute tips to best prepare for this year’s 2021 Small Business Saturday:

1. UP YOUR TEAM’S CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS

Customers care about having a positive shopping experience equally as much as they care about finding the perfect holiday gifts. Prior to Small Business Saturday, give your staff members a quick customer service training refresher. Focus on providing personalized service to each customer as much as possible - small businesses have the ability to build meaningful connections with customers in a way that big brands and online shops can’t compete with.

2. HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Social media can be a great asset to highlight any special offers or discounts, show off top gift items, and ultimately entice customers to come shop in person on Small Business Saturday. For greater reach and engagement on your content, join in on trending hashtags in your community like #ShopSmall and #SmallBizSaturday.

3. PARTNER UP

Small Business Saturday is the perfect time for local business owners to support one another. Consider ways you can team up with complementary companies to create win-win cross-promotions. Get creative: offer a discount for shopping at a partner business location, get permission to pass out product samples within a neighboring store space, or run a Small Business Saturday contest with prizes from multiple locations.

4. INCENTIVIZE REPEAT VISITS

While Small Business Saturday is just one day, you can use it as an opportunity to encourage customers to keep coming back for repeat visits, to support shopping small all holiday season long. Consider passing out a bounce-back offer to your Small Business Saturday customers to incentivize repeat business later in the season.

EXPAND YOUR SERVICES

While convenience has always been essential to retail, Covid-19 has certainly elevated its importance when it comes to providing customers what they want in their shopping experience. If you haven’t already, consider ways to expand your convenience services like ordering ahead, the option to buy online and pickup in store, or provide curbside pickup order fulfillment.

Conclusion

The best way to get ready for Small Business Saturday is to plan ahead. Going in with a strategy in place will help your small business maximize the day, and will set you up for a successful rest of the holiday shopping season!