THIS YEAR'S SHOP SMALL SATURDAY IS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 24, 2018

Shop Small Saturday is the annual holiday shopping tradition that gets communities everywhere out in support of their favorite small businesses. This year, Small Business Saturday falls on Nov 24. There are many ways to get involved, including hosting an event in your neighborhood, to decorating your business or shopping at a new local spot. No matter how you get involved, every little bit makes a big difference. In 2017, an estimated 108 million consumers reported shopping or dining at local independently-owned businesses
on Small Business Saturday — generating roughly $12 billion in reported spend. 90% of consumers surveyed said Small Business Saturday has had a positive impact on their community.  

First observed in the United States on November 27, 2010, it is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores respectively. By contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local. Small Business Saturday is a registered trademark of American Express.

The first event was sponsored by American Express, in partnership with the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and Roslindale Village Main Street. In 2010, the holiday was promoted by American Express via a nationwide radio and television advertising campaign. That year Amex bought advertising inventory on Facebook, which it in turn gave to its small merchant account holders, and also gave rebates to new customers to promote the event.

American Express publicized the initiative using social media, advertising, and public relations. Many local politicians and small business groups in the United States issued proclamations concerning the campaign, which generated more than one million Facebook "like" registrations and nearly 30,000 tweets under the Twitter hashtags #smallbusinesssaturday and #smallbizsaturday

Promote your business and the movement Help attract customers on Small Business Saturday and show off your Shop Small pride with downloadable posters, email templates, and social posts. It's free, easy, and available now in the Shop Small Studio,
compliments of American Express. www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/promote?linknav=us-loy-howtoparticipate-explore-shopsmallstudio

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