Small Business News
Amex Announces Special Offers Ahead of Small Business Saturday
With the 2023 edition of Small Business Saturday taking place tomorrow (November 25th, 2023), American Express has announced plans for the occasion.
About Amex’s offerings:
American Express is preparing to celebrate the 14th annual Small Business Saturday. As part of that, the company plans to introduce a “Door to Shop Small” augmented reality experience. Customers can currently engage with small business products via the AR experience while physical blue doorframes promoting the offering will pop up in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles on Small Business Saturday itself.
Elsewhere, American Express is also incentivizing cardholders to Shop Small. Through November 25th, cardmembers can activate an Amex Offer in order to earn a $5 statement credit when making a purchase of $50 or more at a business listed as “Shopping” on the Shop Small Map.
More on Small Business Saturday:
Coined in 2010, Small Business Saturday is celebrated the day after Black Friday and is meant to put an emphasis on local business. Since its debut, the retail holiday has grown tremendously in popularity. The 2022 edition helped generate an estimated $17.9 billion in sales for small businesses, while the 2021 event holds the record with an estimated $23.3 billion in sales.
As for this year’s Small Business Saturday, 55% of business owners anticipate that the promotion will have a significant impact on their overall holiday sales. Meanwhile, 78% of consumers surveyed agreed that shopping small was important as local businesses are an essential part of their communities.
What they’re saying:
Commenting on this year’s Small Business Saturday efforts, Amex’s CMO Elizabeth Rutledge said, “American Express has been a long-time advocate for small businesses – we work to deeply understand them and meet their evolving needs. We also understand the impact shopping small has on supporting local communities through our annual Small Business Saturday and year-round Shop Small campaigns.” Rutledge added, “We hope Small Business Saturday and this year’s interactive experience excite and engage shoppers across the country during the kickoff to the important holiday shopping season.”
My thoughts:
Even though the popularity of Small Business Saturday has grown over the years, it feels as though American Express’s hyping of it has slowed some. In particular, the incentives for Amex cardholders have decreased as this year’s Shop Small Amex Offer is far less generous than some past deals. Luckily, however, it’s clear that consumers are very willing to support their local businesses on the retail holiday and beyond.
Overall, Small Business Saturday should see another successful year — and we’ll be sure to share the numbers as soon as we have them.