Survey Reveals What Consumers Love About Shopping Small

Do you know your customers by name? You might be losing business if you don’t.

Nearly 7 out of 10 U.S. consumers will shop more at a small business if the owner knows them by name, according to Vistaprint’s latest Consumer Small Business Shopping Report. Nearly half of U.S. consumers say they feel it’s “very important” to support small businesses, and the survey shows they’re more likely to do so if you know a little bit about them personally.

Being on a first-name basis isn’t the only thing customers value. The survey of 1,500 U.S. consumers shows that while they deeply value personal service, respondents cite several other factors as drivers for shopping at and working with a small business. Overall, the shop small trend is growing:

• More than three-quarters of consumers say that shopping at or using a small business is important to them.
• Three out of four respondents say they plan to do their holiday shopping at a small business this season.
• More than a quarter of consumers plan to shop more at small businesses in 2018.
• More than twice as many respondents say their commitment to the local community is more important than price as a motivator.
• Commitment to the local community also ranks higher than personal service as a top driver for shopping small.

Initiatives like Small Business Saturday continue to promote the shop small movement in the U.S. Created in 2010 by American Express to rally community support for small businesses, the day was officially endorsed by the U.S. Senate in 2011, and in 2016 the initiative resulted in $15.4 billion spent at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday. Here’s how you can get involved in this year’s event on November 25.