Small Business Saturday this year takes place on Nov. 29, 2025.
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Small Business Saturday on Nov. 29, 2025, is your chance to turn local shoppers into lifelong customers. Launched by in 2010, Small Business Saturday has grown into a nationwide movement that generates billions of dollars in revenue for small businesses and encourages shoppers to support local businesses.
In the midst of the recession in 2010, American Express created Small Business Saturday during Thanksgiving weekend to encourage people to do more of their holiday shopping at local businesses. The first Small Business Saturday was a success, and a year later, the Shop Small Movement gains momentum, local officials across the nation take notice and move to promote the day.
In 2011, the Senate unanimously passes a resolution in support of the day, and officials in all 50 states participate. The effort got another boost during the holiday season in 2014, when President Barack Obama famously went shopping on Small Business Saturday with his daughters at a Washington, DC, bookstore. Since then, the initiative has grown into a nationwide tradition, with communities increasingly celebrating the day and its importance. Since its launch in 2010, U.S. consumers have reported spending an estimated $223 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday.
This year, American Express is teaming up with Main Street America this Small Business Saturday® to launch the Amex Shop Small Grants Program. This effort will provide an initial $5 million to fund 250 grants of $20,000 each to eligible small business owners across the U.S. Additionally, every time a consumer uses his or her American Express Card to make a purchase at a qualifying U.S. small business on Small Business Saturday 2025, American Express will donate an additional $1 to fund additional grants.
Tips To Promote Small Business Saturday
Traditional Online Marketing To Promote Small Business Saturday
Countless businesses utilize their website and email to reach their customers. Promoting in advance can be enormously helpful in driving Small Business Saturday specials. Naturally, offering discounts for the day is one way to lure in people. It is also up to business owners to get creative with co-promotions with other (noncompeting) local businesses, or throw a little in-store party featuring high school students or other local musicians, food, beverages and giveaways.
Related: Here’s How To Get Your Website Ready For Small Business Saturday
Social Media Marketing To Promote Small Business Saturday
Whatever your company does to promote sales on Small Business Saturday, make sure it is highlighted on social media. The vehicle you choose depends on your customer base. If you are looking to reach people over 40, Facebook is the place where they live. If your core base is 25-35, Instagram is the place where you need to be. If you want to connect with consumers younger than that, TikTok is the place to be.
Post reminders on Facebook about Small Business Saturday 2-3 times the week before. Pay to boost the posts to reach greater numbers of nearby customers who might not follow your small business. Be sure to use hashtags such as #ShopSmall, #SupportLocal, and #SmallBusinessSaturday. Post photos of customers shopping throughout the day.
Not every business owner is active on Facebook, and many will not have the ability to take quality pictures or design promos for Instagram. However, if you do have an Instagram account for your business, entice customers with posts, such as 🎉 Small Business Saturday is almost here! We’re getting ready with new gift sets + one-day-only deals. Post Instagram Reels on Thanksgiving Day or on Black Friday showing staff setting up Small Business Saturday promotional displays with holiday music in the background. Offer special discount codes or one-day promos on Nov. 29 on Instagram to drive more sales.
Smaller brands that want to target kids in their tweens, teens, and twenties, TikTok offers something no other platform can: the ability to go viral, connect with an audience, and expand nationally without a massive budget, according to The Short Media, a digital marketing agency. A savvy agency can help small business owners take advantage of things such as the TikTok Shop Affiliate Program, which allows digital creators to earn money by promoting products in their videos and live streams. The digital content will include an affiliate link that enables viewers to purchase the product and thereby generate commissions for the influencers.
Related: 5 Social Media Strategies To Boost Small Business Saturday Sales
A sign with the logo of Small Business Saturday. (Photo by Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag
In-Store Signage and Offers To Promote Small Business Saturday
Entice shoppers to visit on Small Business Saturdays with in-store signage, posters, and other materials made available by American Express in advance, demonstrations and giveaways, music, refreshments, and mission-driven promotions that benefit the community. Partner with other local businesses to drive foot traffic and cross-pollinate customer bases.
Following up on Small Business Saturday
After the event, be sure to thank customers for showing up and highlight your cause-related marketing results (if you create such an initiative). Post photos and videos that create a sense of fun that occurred on Small Business Saturday.
As with any promotion, track your results. Compare this year’s sales with Small Business Saturday 2024 and with other promotions that you planned for the holiday season. Figure out what works and what didn’t, and look to improve upon your 2025 efforts next year by creating a checklist:
- Create Small Business Saturday promotional plan in advance.
- Schedule social media posts (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok).
- Reach out and partner with local businesses.
- Utilize in-store #ShopSmall signage created free by American Express.
- Offer demonstrations, giveaways, refreshments and a party atmosphere, if possible.
- Thank customers.
- Track results.
While there is a feel-good element to Small Business Saturday, the promotion is a strategic opportunity to generate significant revenue, heightened visibility, and greater customer loyalty upside for independent retailers and service businesses. Black Friday drives traffic to big-box stores. Small Business Saturday puts local businesses in the spotlight—where shoppers feel a personal connection and an emotional pull to support.
Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to support local business owners and their employees and keep money in the community, while making worthwhile purchases – often at a discount.
Further, while the promotion gives local shoppers the chance to learn more about your business during the holiday season, the relationships you develop can be built upon throughout the year. Small Business Saturday provides the opportunity to get people to know you better, care about you, and support your business after the holidays are over. Use the day to inform them of who you are, what you offer, and why customers should care. These connections can differentiate your small business from large retailers and online retailers who are not involved in your community.
Remember to #ShopSmall, #SupportLocal on #Small Business Saturday.
