When Is Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday 2024 will take place on November 30th. That’s a day after Black Friday and two days before Cyber Monday, making this national shopping day one of the major events of the holiday shopping season.

What Is Small Business Saturday

Let’s take a quick look at what exactly happens on Small Business Saturday:

• Small businesses offer in-store and online promotions either on their own, or through collaborations with other local businesses

• Consumers “shop small” and make purchases from local stores and neighborhood businesses rather than larger retailers

Small Business Saturday Benefits

For the businesses, these special deals present an opportunity to grow sales and build customer relationships. For shoppers, these deals present an opportunity to discover, and support, local stores they don’t regularly patronize.

Small Business Saturday Challenges

The above is all positive, but the sudden increase in traffic and sales can also pose challenges for small businesses. Here are a few:

• More in-store customers means small businesses need more employees to support those customers, and more employees means more costs

• More online purchases means increased digital activity, which escalates the likelihood of cybersecurity attacks like phishing and data breaches

• A quick spike in sales can make it more difficult to manage inventory levels

How To Prep Your Business For Small Business Saturday

So, how can your small business overcome these obstacles and capitalize on Small Business Saturday 2024? See our tips below:

• Ramp Up Staff: One way to support a larger customer base during the holiday shopping season is to hire part-time or seasonal employees. These employees help small businesses meet the higher demand without costing them full-time salaries and benefits.

• Offer Incentive-Based Shifts: An alternative to hiring part-time employees is to encourage existing staff to pick up additional shifts. Small businesses can achieve this by offering employees small bonuses or incentives, like gift cards or extra paid time off.

• Educate Employees: Training employees on cybersecurity risks is key to lowering the chances of an attack. For example, small businesses can teach staff how to recognize suspicious emails, links, and attachments, which will reduce the threat of phishing attacks on Small Business Saturday.

• Backup Data: A data breach could happen at any time, but the risk is elevated during the holiday shopping season. As such, small businesses should execute daily backups to protect sensitive and essential data. Note that daily backups should be stored securely in an encrypted cloud storage location.

• Utilize Digital Tools: There are point-of-sale (POS) and inventory management systems that track stock in real time and automate reordering processes. Small businesses should leverage these tools to avoid overselling or running out of stock.

TL;DR

Staffing your business to meet a higher demand on Small Business Saturday will help deliver a positive customer experience, preventing security issues will build customer trust and loyalty, and keeping your shelves stocked will help you capture every possible sale. Take the above steps to ensure your small business thrives this November 30th.