Overview
- Communities are coordinating new tactics to drive foot traffic, including Delray Beach’s first-ever mobile rewards pass, Fort Pierce’s Shop Small passport with a $1,700 grand prize, and San Diego neighborhood events from free coffee “Sip & Shop” offers to bingo, raffles and tote giveaways.
- American Express estimates shoppers spent about $22 billion at small businesses on the day in 2024, contributing to roughly $223 billion in cumulative spending since the initiative launched in 2010.
- Surveys highlight pressure on Main Street: Small Business for America’s Future reports 68% of owners say customers have less to spend and 59% expect weaker holiday sales than last year, with rising health care costs, tariffs and staffing gaps compounding strain.
- Advocates expect holiday shoppers to spend, with the National Retail Federation projecting about $890 per family, and research cited by Capital One Shopping indicating roughly $68 of every $100 spent locally recirculates in the community.
- Small firms remain central to the economy—making up 99.9% of U.S. businesses and employing more than 62 million people—spurring local markets, extended hours and special promotions to convert seasonal interest into sustained support.