The Ultimate Guide to Supporting Small Businesses during the Holiday Season
The holiday season is important for small businesses, but this year in particular could be a make or break moment for many local entrepreneurs and makers. In fact, “nearly 7 in 10 small businesses see the winter holiday season as a top sales opportunity for their business,” according to NBC.
Needless to say, it’s been a weird year. The COVID-19 pandemic became an unexpected obstacle for small businesses who were already doing everything they could to keep afloat in an age of retail giants like Amazon. While small business owners may have had plans in place, or goals to hit throughout the year, projections and marketing plans needed to be thrown out the window when it seemed like the world changed on a dime. We’ve had to pivot, adapt, then pivot again to meet the new and evolving needs of our business and our customers.
Even the holiday season has felt just a little bit strange. Typically, we’d be hosting gatherings with friends and family in the shop, decking the halls with seasonal decor, and offering yuletide specials to get everyone in a festive spirit. However, this year, small business owners are focused on just one number - that final 2020 revenue figure - to ensure they can keep their businesses running well into 2021 and beyond.
How Small Businesses Have Been Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic
With ever-changing guidelines and information about the COVID-19 virus, small businesses were left to scramble to keep up in order to create a safe environment for customers, adapt to new and necessary shopping options like curbside pickup and online ordering, and, at the most essential, maintain margins.
Unfortunately, not all small businesses are built to stand up to a challenge as large as a pandemic. Many shops, restaurants, bars, and other retail locations have had to close their doors permanently because of the pandemic. According to Yelp, between March 1 and July 25, more than 80,000 businesses on the service permanently shut down. The restaurant industry was most affected, followed by retail. Government funding and subsidies were (kind of) available in when the pandemic first hit the United States, but a summer without assistance and spikes in cases left many small business owners with no other choice but to fold their cards and move on to their next venture. Those businesses will be greatly missed, not only by their loyal customers, but by the communities that they’ve been forced to leave behind.
In the Madison area alone, we’ve seen many beloved shops and hospitality businesses close. State Street downtown is experiencing an exodus of small businesses that have been beloved for generations - and the hole they leave behind will be difficult to fill due to high rent prices. Stoughton’s Main Street has held up so far, but it’s difficult to imagine how successful this year might have been for our local economy if the pandemic hadn’t hit.
Why Small Businesses Are Important
Small businesses are so important to the overall health of a local community. They are usually run by people who live in that area, which means that the money that goes into a small business, particularly a brick and mortar shop, will likely be funneled back into the town through taxes and community initiatives.
Though large online retailers on Amazon are easier* to buy for (depending on what you consider easy! Many local businesses offer online shopping and curbside pickup now to make supporting them simple!), they’ll never carry the same amount of emotional attachment or feeling of support and reward that shopping from a local business will. When I think of Dune, I think not only of myself and my family, who regularly man the counter, whose faces you may have come to know, but of each and every one of the makers and business owners whose products grace our shelves. Each purchase not only helps us out, it funds the continued work and success of entrepreneurs who are just starting out, creating stunningly beautiful, effective, lovely products that you just can’t find from a mass retailer.
As a champion of small businesses, and a local shop owner myself, I’m encouraging everyone that I talk to to turn to local stores and services this year when they’re purchasing holiday gifts. I know that many of you are already major proponents of buying small, but there may be many other ways that you can support small businesses this holiday season beyond a swipe of your credit card.
How to Support Small Businesses This Holiday Season
Supporting a small business doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t have to always be about buying as much as you can. I’ve been making an effort myself this year to go above and beyond to support small businesses in ways that maximize my individual impact. I’ve come up with a few ideas that I wanted to share with you. Here’s how you can support small businesses this holiday season!
Make that purchase
Okay, okay, I promised this wouldn’t be all about spending money, but making a purchase is the most straightforward way to support a small business. Pop into your local coffee shop instead of heading through that chain’s drive through for your morning mocha. See if your favorite boutique has an online shop that you can buy from and ship your friend a “just thinking of you!” gift. Try curbside pickup at the bookshop on Main Street just to see if you can spot a friendly face across the road. There are many ways to safely make a purchase from a small business this year, and each one makes a major difference for local entrepreneurs and makers.
Share your commitment
It’s incredible to make a promise to yourself to buy small this season, but could your words encourage others to do so too? If you post an Instagram story sharing that you’ll only be shopping from local retailers for holiday gifts, then highlighting a few of your favorites, you’ll be creating a ripple effect among your friends and family, putting a worm in their ear that it might be the right thing to do to buy that gift from the shop down the street instead.
Share what you’re excited about
Your favorite local businesses are putting more effort than ever into their digital presences - throw them a bone or two by sharing posts that inspire you! If your go-to game shop posts a product that you’re definitely purchasing, share it on your social media accounts. If your favorite small business skincare line announces a restock, post about why XYZ product has really worked for you and who you’d recommend it for. That excitement is contagious, and could inspire others to check out a shop that they just might not have heard of yet.
Interact and engage with small businesses
In a similar vein, don’t be afraid to start a conversation in our comments section. Seriously, we want to hear from you! Small businesses thrive on feedback because they don’t have all of that corporate red tape - we can actually implement some of your suggestions on the fly. Let us know what you’ve been liking about our changes during the pandemic, or if there is something you’d rather see us try out. We’re happy to discuss with you, and are always excited to get to know the people who are supporting us.
Try a gift card
If you really don’t know what your friend or family member may want for a present this year, go for a gift card to your favorite small business. Not only will your purchase have a direct, immediate benefit for the local company, but it may encourage your loved one to complete repeat purchases. They may want to buy something extra special that costs a bit more than their gift card, extending the impact of your original purchase.
Hold a small business challenge
Unsurprisingly, like many others, the Dune team has fallen in love with TikTok. One trend that we’re always excited to see the outcome of is the challenge that has two people buying small gifts for each other in separate categories. The participants are given a list that has categories like “something pink”, “something that made me think of you”, “your favorite food”, etc. and are sent off into the store until a big reveal (that usually involves many laughs) happens later on. We love the idea of taking this challenge to the small business world. Tag us if you try this one!
Keep an eye out for events
Last, but not least, many small businesses are looking for opportunities to get you excited about what they have to offer. They may have discounts, giveaways, or even host events (both virtual and socially-distanced!) to drum up some buzz. As much as you can, participate in these events and invite others who you think may enjoy them.
Supporting small businesses is so important this holiday season, not only because spending with local businesses keeps the revenue close to home, but also because the holiday season is usually the biggest time for retailers. In a year when nothing has been predictable, it is so helpful for small businesses to be able to see the holiday season as a time of relief, one where they’ll be able to recoup some of their losses from the year so far. If you have some holiday shopping left to do, please consider supporting a small business with your purchase, or using a few of the ideas above to spread the word. As always, we are so thankful to have you as a part of the Dune community! Happy Holidays!