Small Business Saturday Spending Exceeded Expectations

Small businesses across the country got their holiday season off to a strong start as millions of U.S. consumers "shopped small" on Small Business Saturday and made a big impact on local communities.

According to the second installment of the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released last week by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and American Express, consumer awareness of Small Business Saturday jumped to 67 percent from 34 percent just two weeks ago. Of those aware, nearly half (47 percent) shopped on Small Business Saturday.

The increased awareness translated into higher spending. Those U.S. consumers who were aware of Small Business Saturday spent a total of $5.5 billion with independent merchants. Pre-holiday surveys estimated that U.S. consumers would spend $5.3 billion.

Separately, American Express said Cardmember transactions at small business merchants rose approximately 21 percent compared to last year's Small Business Saturday.

"In an uncertain economy, America's small businesses have remained a beacon - creating good jobs and supporting the families they employ and the communities around them," said NFIB CEO Dan Danner. "We are very pleased that so many Americans sought to give back by shopping small this Small Business Saturday. We hope that support of small firms, retailers, restaurants and other independent businesses continues throughout the holiday season and all year round. Continued support of this vital sector is one important way to ensure our economy fully recovers and a healthy private sector is restored."

"Small Business Saturday, in its third year, has become an integral part of the holiday shopping season and consumers were out in large numbers to support their favorite small businesses," said Susan Sobbott, president of American Express OPEN. "Small Business Saturday celebrated the shops across the country that make our neighborhoods vibrant and bolster the U.S. economy."