In 2016, the number of businesses in the UK reached a record high of 5.5 Million, a 23% increase from 2010. Of these, 99.3% were small businesses. However, given the clear business growth over the last seven years, one in four small businesses fold within five years, and we want to make sure yours isn’t one of them.
That’s why we want to introduce you to Small Business Saturday, which, this year, falls on December 2nd.
About Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday UK is a non-commercial campaign which brings together small businesses and consumers in order to support local communities and business growth.
The campaign is focused on the first Saturday of each December, and encourages small businesses to host events or promote special offers in order to reach out and have a lasting impact on their target market. Customers are encouraged via the campaign to shop locally and pay an interest in the small businesses within their communities, ultimately strengthening relationships between the shoppers and business owners.
How can you get involved?
If you’re the owner of a small business, there’s still plenty of time to get involved. The first thing you can do is register your business with Small Business Saturday. You’ll be sent a logo pack, marketing pack and all the information and advice needed to make the day a success.
In the meantime, you can think about how you’d like to stand out on the day.
Here’s some ideas:
- Host an open day event that’ll attract your avatar. Make it fun, entertaining and ensure that your customers will have plenty of photo opportunities for social media.
- Create a special offer that your ideal customer can’t resist.
- As it’s the lead up to Christmas, ensure you’re fully stocked up on your hottest selling Christmas items.
- Have a flash sale.
- Offer a special gift or discount to the first twenty customers of the day.
- Create an immersive customer experience, such as the opportunity to sample certain products.
Will it work?
Small Business Saturday is a positive campaign that’ll help boost your sales and brand awareness not only in the short term but going forward too. In 2016, customers spent £717 million on Small Business Saturday, which was up 15% from the previous year, and now over 80% of local authorities across the country support the campaign. Sales on the day are important of course, but not the only focus of Small Business Saturday. The purpose is to help to spread the appreciation of small businesses, which will help drive more customers through the door all year round.
Case Studies
Spice Kitchen, a family run artisanal spice company, took part in Small Business Saturday and saw a 60% increase in sales on the day, a record high for the business. They did this by giving away free mulling spices to customers who bought from them directly and working with Small Business Saturday to spread the word in advance on social media.
Kit & Caboodle, a start up small business that offers kids’ party supplies to parents, marked Small Business Saturday by giving away free polar bear toys with every Winter Joy Kit purchased. For them, the emphasis was about getting their brand noticed rather than pushing sales on the day. They engaged with new customers on social media and stated that they began to feel part of the small business community as a result.
For more information on Small Business Saturday, head over to their website.