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RAPAPORT... American Express OPEN, along with its premier event partners, FedEx, foursquare, Twitter, the U.S. Postal Service and hundreds of junior partners are promoting November 30 as ''Small Business Saturday.'' The concept was launched on Thanksgiving weekend in 2010 and quickly grew into an annual celebration in support of shopping local and at small businesses during the busiest shopping weekend of the year. The group's Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey found that 44 percent of consumers this year are aware of Small Business Saturday, up from 34 percent one year ago. In addition, 77 percent of those who are aware of the event confirmed their intentions to “Shop Small” this year. The survey determined that 70 percent of consumers were attracted to small businesses because those types of retailers tend to offer gifts for people who are difficult to shop for at Christmastime, while 21 percent said small businesses offer better prices than their larger, mainstream competitors. Shopper intentions for where they expect to spend this Saturday were fairly evenly spread, with 38 percent selecting food stores, 37 percent choosing local restaurants, 35 percent expecting to spend at clothing stores, 34 percent planning to purchase from local bakeries and 31 percent buying from gift stores and or novelty shops. “Small Business Saturday has really resonated with consumers who are eager to show support for their neighborhoods,” said Susan Sobbott, the president at American Express OPEN. “Shoppers have made their intentions clear, and we expect Small Business Saturday to be an incredible boon for independent businesses across the country.” American Express created a “Neighborhood Champions” program this year, working with business organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), the U.S. Black Chambers Inc., the Latino Coalition and the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) to support communities throughout the U.S. in organizing Small Business Saturday events and activities. To date, more than 1,400 Neighborhood Champions have signed up to rally businesses in their municipalities to partake in local activities leading up to and on the day.
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