Saturday, December 7, 2013, marked the first ever Small Business Saturday in the UK, an event that started in the US four years ago. The purpose of Small Business Saturday is to support local businesses that are frequently overshadowed by larger competition by delivering new customers.
But the question remains – Can support for Small Business Saturday UK grow as it has in the US?
The infographic below compares the social conversation in the US vs. the UK:
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The Story So Far in the U.S.
- 93 percent of Americans believe it’s important to support the local small businesses they value in their community.
- 73 percent consciously shop at small businesses because they don’t want them to disappear.
- Consumers spent $5.5 billion in 2012.
- More than 103 million Americans shop small on Small Business Saturday.
- Small businesses who take part report a growth of 5.6 percent compared to 2.1 percent who don’t.
Consumers shopping small on Small Business Saturday
In the US:
- 44 percent of consumers shopped small in 2011.
- 67 percent in 2012.
- 77 percent in 2013.
UK vs. US: The Social Story
In the UK:
- 4.9 million small businesses
- 9,536 Twitter followers
- 39,206 mentions on Twitter
- 10,500 Facebook fans
- 4,351 people talking about Small Business Saturday
In the US:
- 23 million small businesses
- 29,970 Twitter followers
- 105,141 mentions on Twitter
- 3.3 million Facebook fans
- 151,063 people talking about Small Business Saturday
This translates to…
- 1 follower for every 514 small businesses in the UK vs. 1 follower for every 767 small businesses in the US
- 1 fan for every 467 small businesses in the UK vs. 1 fan for every 8.5 small businesses in the US
Despite being brand new, Twitter was buzzing about Small Business Saturday UK. We think this could be a good early indication for its success.
Why is Small Business Saturday important to the UK?
- UK small business accounts for 50% of private sector turnover.
- 2/3 of private sector jobs in the UK are provided by small businesses.
- 29 percent of small businesses stated finding new customers as the biggest hurdle to achieving growth.
