Shop Local Fast Facts
Shopping local has become on trend thanks in large part to nationwide marketing campaigns. In fact, Small Business Saturday has become a shopping holiday in its own right — and fares well against its more big-box competitors Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
This is what it means to shop local in the United States.
Small Business Saturday
• Small Business Saturday started in 2010. That year, the event was sponsored and promoted by American Express to encourage the growth of small businesses. The Small Business Administration has co-sponsored Small Business Saturday since 2015.
• Small Business Saturday in 2019 brought $19.6 billion to independent business, a large increase from 2017, when the shopping holiday saw 108 million shoppers who spent approximately $12.9 billion. Additionally, small businesses contribute 250% more than big brands to community causes, which directly impacts services and programs like first responders, food and housing security, children’s resources, and animal welfare.
• The state-by-state breakdown of the day shows that a majority of participation was through restaurants and bars, with 41 percent of people dining local. This was followed by purchases of clothing and accessories from small businesses (24 percent), grocery stores (23 percent) and then coffee shops (22 percent).
Shopping Small
• You may have already heard more mainstream statistics regarding your dollars (such as when you spend $100 at a local business, approximately $68 stays in the local economy, rather than just the $43 if you would spend that same money at a big-box store.). But did you also know that small businesses accounted for more than half the jobs that have been created in the last decade?
• Additionally, small businesses donate 250 percent more than corporate businesses to nonprofits and to community-based causes, according to the Seattle Good Business Network.
• While some shoppers won’t purchase items directly on Shop Small Saturday, the shopping holiday has definitely increased small business awareness. People have begun to shop small on other days and more consistently throughout the year.