Small businesses plan events, start marketing earlier to deal with shorter holiday shopping season

By MAE ANDERSON The Associated Press

FILE - People wait in line for hot donuts at Bryant Park's Winter Village, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Julia Demaree Nikhinson]

The holiday shopping season is underway, and this year small businesses have less time to capitalize on the busy shopping period.

Only 27 days separate Thanksgiving and Christmas — five fewer than last year. But there are still ways to make the most of a shorter season.

The National Retail Federation predicts that retail sales will rise between 2.5% and 3.5% compared with same period a year ago. Online shopping is expected to grow too. Adobe Digital Insights, a division of software company Adobe, predicts an 8.4% increase online for the full season.

But small businesses have to work extra hard to compete against bigger retailers. One key strategy is to promote deals to customers wherever you can, from social media to physical ads. Also, cultivate repeat customers by offering special deals to loyalty program members.

Roberta Perry, owner of ScrubzBody Skin Care Products shop in Farmingdale, N.Y., said she started offering a “Buy One, Get One Free” promotion a week early — the Friday before the Black Friday holiday shopping weekend. The holidays are key for her because she makes 30% of her sales in the six week holiday period.

Offering the discount early “has given us the opportunity to hype our own special sales day, and take away some of the pressure from people who start their season the following week,” she said. “It also gives us a week before the true holiday season begins to send out the orders and get set for the next few weeks.”

On Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, she offered a free gift with purchase and then for the rest of the holiday season is offering free gift wrapping and cards.

She also extends her hours in December.

“Anything to make our customers lives easier,” she said.

Amy Peterson, co–founder of Rebel Nell, a jewelry shop in Detroit, dealt with the shorter season by starting promotions early and creating a “Design Your Own Jewelry” event to draw in customers.

“These efforts help us stand out and give customers a reason to shop early and often,” she said. The “Design Your Own Jewelry” experience is “a great activity for friends and family, allowing customers to craft something truly unique,” she said.

The shop also launched a special holiday collection featuring crystals and pieces made with material from a historic theater in Detroit, Fox Theatre, which recently went through a renovation.

Those pieces “resonated with customers seeking meaningful, one-of-a-kind gifts,” Peterson said. “Trends show shoppers are still expecting Black Friday promotions, and while small businesses like ours can’t match the margins of big box stores, we’ve embraced the opportunity to remain competitive and show appreciation to our loyal customers.”