Small Business Saturday Started — Let’s Make All Year Round
Small Business Saturday started across the country and Gene Marks from the Philadelphia Inquirer covered several exciting kick-off events all across Philadelphia, New Jersey and the surrounding areas. There were a wide variety of pop-up shops and special events showcasing all the great products and services in our communities.
Mark gave a brief history and some important small business statistics:
The annual promotion, which was launched by American Express back in 2010 to encourage shopping on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, has grown into a massive event that attracted more than 51 million shoppers nationwide in 2021. Industry observers are forecasting that nearly 6 in 10 holiday shoppers will participate in Small Business Saturday this year, a number that’s predicted to be higher than Black Friday.
Small Business Saturday is particularly important this year. The National Retail Federation is predicting that holiday sales will only increase about 4% (it was 15% in 2021) and that the average consumer will spend about $833, a significant decrease from the $879 per consumer spent last year…Which is why many small businesses in the area are doubling down on the annual event that celebrates them…
