Sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday — historically the biggest and busiest retail days of the year — is another standout shopping event: Small Business Saturday. Started by American Express in 2010 after the financial crisis, and co-sponsored by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) since 2011, Small Business Saturday aims to create awareness about the impact shoppers have when they buy “small” year-round, whether they physically visit stores or shop online.
This year, 86% of consumers say they’re likely to shop “small” during the holiday season, according to the 2025 American Express Shop Small Impact Study. That’s a 12-point increase over the last decade, and it represents a multibillion-dollar opportunity — American Express reported that consumers spent $22 billion during Small Business Saturday in 2024.
“Small Business Saturday isn’t about a day — it’s a reminder that independent brands shape culture, and are built on passion, creativity, craft and community,” says Shahla Karimi, the founder of and designer at jewelry company Shahla Karimi. “When you shop with us on Small Business Saturday, or any day, you’re helping us keep that spirit alive.”
Ahead of 2025’s event, I spoke with experts and entrepreneurs about resources you can use to support small businesses and the impact your purchases have. I also rounded up a handful of the NBC Select staff’s favorite products from small businesses, many of which make great gifts.
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What is Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday is an annual event that happens the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s positioned between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a period that’s dominated by steep discounts from large retailers. Small businesses can’t compete with the deals large companies offer around Thanksgiving, or the heavy advertising that comes with them. In fact, over half of small business owners (56%) say it’s more difficult for them to remain competitive against larger companies during the holiday season compared to other times of year, according to American Express.
Small Business Saturday spotlights small businesses during the holiday season, one of the most important periods for sales because it coincides with a surge in shopping activity. On average, small business owners estimate that nearly 20% of their annual revenue will come from Small Business Saturday 2025 sales, according to American Express. That not only helps them meet their annual goals, but it also sets them up for success in the year ahead.
“For many of us, the holiday season isn’t just busy: It’s make-or-break,” says Karimi. “Choosing to shop small has a real impact. It helps us cover rising costs, hire locally and continue doing what we love.”
Cumulatively, consumers report spending an estimated $223 billion during Small Business Saturday over the past 16 years, according to American Express. The Shop Small movement has also expanded globally to over a dozen countries, including Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
What is a small business?
There aren’t cut-and-dry parameters to define small businesses, though they’re usually evaluated based on two factors: financial metrics, such as revenue and total sales, and size, meaning the number of employees supporting a company. The SBA has size standards to help companies determine whether their businesses qualify as “small,” which may make them eligible to participate in certain government programs and compete for contracts set aside for small businesses. These size requirements vary by industry and are generally based on the number of employees or the amount of annual receipts the business has, according to the SBA.
To make identifying small businesses easier, some large retailers and other organizations use their own guidelines. For example, Amazon has a centralized small-business storefront on its site and uses Gartner’s definition of small business, which includes businesses that employ fewer than 100 people and have less than $50 million in annual revenue. (Gartner is a research and consulting firm.) But if a small business wants to be included on American Express’ Shop Small Map, it must adhere to certain requirements, including being an American Express card-accepting merchant and not having more than $5 million in annual American Express charge volume.
For shoppers, however, defining a small business is often less about facts and figures and more about a feeling. Customers connect with small businesses on a personal level, get to know the faces behind the company and often feel like they’re investing in an entrepreneur’s dream.
Our favorite small businesses of 2025
To recommend a variety of small businesses to shop from, I rounded up products from a few of the NBC Select staff’s favorites around the country. This is by no means an exhaustive list — read more about ways to find small businesses to shop from below.
Thank goodness Backlot Coffee ships nationwide because it’s what I miss most about living in Evanston, Illinois. I camped out in this shop for hours every weekend in college and sipped its Flying Squirrel blend until the sun went down. I can taste its chocolate, fig and toasted almond notes as I’m writing this (perhaps because I just brewed a fresh pot, as I do every morning).
I stumbled upon Lambwolf Collective on Instagram while obsessively looking for toys to keep my puppy Mabel occupied earlier this year. I immediately bought a few items through the brand’s Instagram shop because they looked adorable, including the Monti Crinkly + Squeaky Snuffle Ball. It has eight slots I stuff treats inside, which Mabel spends 15 to 20 minutes digging out, and it’s squeaky and crinkly, so she loves playing fetch with it, too. I tell all my fellow puppy parents about this ball because it distracts Mabel so well that I can actually sit through a meeting while working from home without any disruptions.
“My favorite gift to give for hostesses around the holidays is Laurel & Ash Maple Syrup,” says NBC Select commerce editor Bethany Heitman. “It looks super luxe, and I don’t have to worry about whether someone drinks or not, as I do with a bottle of wine. I often gift it with my favorite pancake mix, which is also from Laurel & Ash.”
NBC Select senior editor Nikki Brown is an avid gardener, and she highly recommends Spade to Fork’s seed kits if you or a loved one is interested in growing your own food. “The guides that each kit comes with are very easy to follow, and the kits themselves aren’t too intimidating or too small to justify purchasing,” she says. “I’d recommend the Organic Culinary Herb Seed Kit for something more practical and the Organic Edible Flower Garden Seed Kit if you’re more adventurous.”
Whether you’re shopping for yourself or looking for Hanukkah gifts, Tchotchke makes an array of unique menorahs and Judaica. NBC Select senior editor Lindsay Schneider is a big fan of this small business and has the Ripple Menorah, which the brand sent her as a courtesy sample. “I love how modern and non-traditional this menorah is,” she says. “Standard Hanukkah candles fit into the circled layers perfectly and it’s pretty easy to clean, too. I ended up leaving the stoneware out all year round because I loved how it looked on my bookshelf — without candles it looks like a chic piece of pottery.”
“I love, love, love this brand,” says Schneider. “It was started by two sisters and a lot of it is handmade in New York City. I love their earring charms, which I added onto a pair of hoops I already owned to jazz them up.” The brand makes costume and fine jewelry, and one of its bestsellers is these Organic Hoops, which come in resin colors, as well as classic metals like gold- and rhodium-plated brass.
“I’m big on the fantasy romance genre, and enemies-to-lovers is by far my favorite trope, so I was so excited when I was gifted this hat,” says NBC Select editorial projects manager Rebecca Rodriguez. “The publisher offers a variety of hats and merchandise so you can showcase your favorite romance tropes from slow burn to second chance romance.”
“As a Latina, there are very specific scents that remind me of home — my abuela’s pasteles, lavender-scented Fabuloso and sweet pan dulce, to name a few,” says NBC Select updates editor Mili Godio. “That’s why I love Bonita Fierce’s candles; they take me right back to those points of my childhood. The Coquito candle’s coconut and eggnog scent reminds me of holidays at my grandparents’ house, while Cafecito con Leche smells exactly like having a fresh-brewed morning coffee with my cousins. It’s a special feeling when something as simple as a candle is able to transport you back in time.”
“These small-batch fragrances are labeled as literary, gothic and witchy — and that’s exactly the vibe I want to give,” says Godio. “As a former English major and lover of classic literature, the Literary Lovers Sample Collection from the brand is a beautiful mix of musky, sweet and woody. Each of the eight perfumes comes in a small, 1-milliliter roller vial, so I can easily store them in multiple purses and totes to have on hand wherever I go.”
The state of small businesses in 2025
Between higher tariff rates, inflation and labor and supply shortages, 2025 has been a challenging year for businesses of all sizes. But whatever impact large and medium businesses feel, small businesses feel tenfold. Two-thirds of them report being significantly impacted by tariffs this year, leading some to raise prices and incur higher operational costs, according to the QuickBooks Holiday Shopping Survey. Small businesses often already operate with tight margins, so anything that causes further shrinkage is detrimental, says Simon Worsfold, the head of data communications at Intuit QuickBooks.
Due to these obstacles, many small businesses are further dedicating themselves to expanding their customer base. One of the quickest, most effective ways they’re doing so is through social media. “Small businesses are finding creative ways to reach customers digitally, as social media continues to drive both discovery and sales,” says Jennifer Skyler, the chief corporate affairs officer at American Express. “Many are using platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels to tell their stories and connect authentically with their audiences.”
Almost all small businesses American Express surveyed this year (98%) say they now market their companies through social channels, and of those, 99% say it has positively impacted revenue. Connecting with influencers and creators is especially impactful, says Skyler: 82% have seen a spike in sales when content creators or influencers post about them, according to American Express. As they reach customers on social media, small businesses generally see the most support from Gen Z, who are drawn to companies that contribute to their community’s culture, says Skyler.
Many small business owners are also using AI to streamline operations, giving them more time to engage with shoppers and build brand loyalty in stores and online. For example, 36% leverage AI to create email and marketing campaigns, and almost a quarter rely on it to automate inventory management and demand forecasting, according to QuickBooks.
The extra effort small businesses are putting into expanding their customer base seems to be working. Nearly two-thirds of small businesses expect to generate more revenue this holiday season compared to previous years, according to QuickBooks, which also estimates that 41% of consumer holiday spending, roughly $109 billion, will go to small businesses this year. That’s a 44% increase in spending compared to last year.
How to support small businesses year-round
For every dollar spent at a small business in the U.S, 68 cents stays in the local community, according to American Express. That emphasizes why it’s so important to support these companies year-round, not just during Small Business Saturday. Here are some of the best ways to do so, according to experts and small business owners themselves.
Buy from them
“Shopping small whenever possible, whether in-person or online, is the most direct way to help,” says Megan Authement, owner of accessories brand Clad. ”Every purchase matters more than people realize, and your dollars go so far at local businesses.” If you don’t need a product immediately, or you’re unsure what to get someone as a gift, buy a gift card from a small business, which provides them with immediate cash flow, says Worsfold.
If you plan to shop on Small Business Saturday, your purchase will be even more impactful this year. In partnership with Main Street America, American Express is introducing a new $5 million Shop Small Grants Program, which will provide 250 grants of $20,000 to eligible U.S. small businesses. On Small Business Saturday, for every card member purchase made at a qualifying small business, American Express will donate $1 to the grant program.
Share positive reviews online and via word-of-mouth
Because so many customers rely on reviews when determining where to shop, sharing your positive experience goes a long way, says Skyler. Consider reviewing the product you bought and loved on Google, Yelp, the businesses’ website or social media, or discussing the business’s exemplary customer service, flexible store hours or convenient payment options. All of these details mean a lot to small businesses and encourage customers to shop there.
Also, remember that word -of -mouth is powerful. “It’s heartwarming to have new customers come in daily saying their friend, or even a stranger they saw out in a piece from Clad, told them to stop by,” says Authement. “I’ve had so many customers just stop by to say that whenever they wear their favorite piece from Clad, they get so many compliments, and it truly makes my day.”
Interact with small businesses on social media
Following your favorite small businesses is a great way to stay updated about sales, new products, special promotions and more. Some small businesses also sell and advertise their products directly through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, giving you a convenient way to make a purchase if you’re scrolling and see something that catches your eye.
Worsfold also encourages shoppers to interact with small businesses by liking and commenting on their posts, or forwarding them to friends and family members who you think might be interested. You can also post about a product you bought from a small business and tag their account, whether that’s in an Instagram Story, on a Facebook page or through a TikTok. Sharing the small business with everyone who follows you boosts their visibility with just a few clicks. That business also might repost your photo or video, showing their followers how someone uses their products in real life.
Seek out small business sellers on larger e-commerce sites
In recent years, more retailers have been making an effort to give small brands exposure. Amazon, for example, now adds badges to product pages on its site if items are sold by small businesses. And retailers like Target and Walmart are carrying more products from minority-owned brands, most of which are small businesses. Experts say that as consumers’ intent to shop small continues to strengthen, corporations are forced to respond.
Use small business shopping guides, maps and other search tools
If you’re looking for small businesses to shop from, you may be able to find guides and maps available through your city or town to point you in the right direction. Additionally, the American Express small-business map lets you enter your zip code to find local shops in your area. Google also has a “small business” filter on desktop and mobile, and one for Google Maps on mobile. When you tap the filter, you’ll only see products from merchants that identify as small businesses to help guide your shopping. Using these tools helps surface independent retailers you might otherwise miss, says Worsfold.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Jennifer Skyler is the chief corporate affairs officer at American Express.
- Simon Worsfold is the head of data communications at Intuit QuickBooks.
- Shahla Karimi is the founder of and designer at jewelry company Shahla Karimi.
- Megan Authement is the owner of accessories brand Clad.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m a reporter at NBC Select who has covered Small Business Saturday since 2020. I also previously wrote about small businesses for local newspapers and digital outlets in New York and Illinois. For this piece, I interviewed four experts about Small Business Saturday and how shoppers can support small brands year round, as well as reviewed relevant studies from Quickbooks and American Express.
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