Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Money spent in small businesses tends to end up back in the community

By Bart Starr


The second annual American Express Small Business Saturday generated a push for shoppers to shop at local businesses. Television and social media campaigns spread the word about this year’s event in the hopes that more people would think to shop locally between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The event started last year when American Express decided to help small businesses rally to compete during the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

American Express developed Small Business Saturday, an effort to aid small businesses band together and advertise bargains through the Thanksgiving holiday. Furthermore, shoppers who spent at least $25 on a purchase using American Express cards would be given a $25 credit on their card statement.

The crux of the event was marketing. Social media and online marketing carried the brunt of American Express’ efforts with small businesses. American Express wanted to help local businesses create an online presence especially if they didn’t already have one.

Encouraging shoppers to choose smaller, local retailers for holiday items is something that will benefit every local community because small retailers add character to every city and money spent in small businesses tends to end up invested back into the community.

Mary Ann Fitzmaurice, senior vice president for American Express Open said; “We heard very loud and clear from small businesses that their number one need was bringing in more demand.” The plea from small businesses led American Express to work on a plan. “There was also the fact that there was this renewed sentiment and realization that small businesses were the lifeblood of the economy,” Fitzmaurice said.

Across the country, small local businesses offered discounts and incentives to encourage residents nearby to stop in and spend some of their holiday money locally. The success of the latest Small Business Saturday has not yet been completely reported. However, any effort to keep consumer dollars within any local commumity can only be a positive for every small local business now and in the future.




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