Passion for Small Business Saturday ran high among consumers on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with images like this circulating on social media:
Consumers clearly have a passion for small businesses; so, what can corporates learn from this insight? We took to social media to dig into what consumers get excited about, in particular.
Small businesses strengthen the community. Consumers believe that they can put money back into their local community by shopping local, instead of supporting an ambiguous conglomerate overseas. How might corporates highlight the ways that they participate in or give back to their local communities?
“It’s #SmallBusinessSaturday folks! If ur compelled to buy, buy creatively, buy local, buy small biz.” – Twitter
Small business goods are unique. In the consumer’s mind, gifts or goods purchased through small businesses are an expression of self, instead of mass-created goods that don’t reflect individual expression. When it comes to gifting, small business gifts are very tailored to the person with a feeling of careful curation (the opposite of giving a gift card). How might corporates offer small batch or uniquely curated goods? Companies like Target offer small boutique launches to tap into this sense of uniqueness.
Supporting small businesses is a way to boycott or support values and beliefs. Supporting small businesses that represent political or social agendas is a way to get something needed or wanted, but also build into particular values that the shopper would like to promote. How might corporates offer shoppers a way to intentionally further their social values?
Supporting small business is a way to support someone’s dreams. Consumers talked about not just getting something that they needed or wanted, but also being able to support the person behind the business in their step of courage to own the business.
“Happy #smallbusinesssaturday! When you shop small/local you not only get unique handmade products, you also get to support someone’s dreams! 💖” – Instagram
Despite being the opposite of small, corporates may be able to tap into some of the things that consumers love about small business. How can your brand use these insights to attract a more loyal following?
The Garage Group helps corporate teams to innovate and grow like startups – and that includes helping them learn like startups! Want to take a dive into the unstructured data mine of social media? Let’s talk!
