Sessions are free and open to all small business owners and are designed to help them pivot and plan for the holiday shopping season
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 5, 2020 — Since its founding more than 10 years ago, Small Business Saturday has become a staple of the holiday shopping season.
It’s estimated that more than $120 billion has been spent during the event over the past 10 years, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Small Business Saturday might look a little different.
“Traditionally, with Small Business Saturday, you have small business communities coming together to put on events to increase foot traffic,” says Jamie Shanker-Passero, associate director of Temple University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) which is housed at the Fox School of Business. “While that still may be happening, it’s not going to get the same numbers this year. The incentives that often come with Small Business Saturday will not be the same. The goal cannot be to fill your store up to capacity, so businesses will have to find new ways to pivot.”
To help assist local small businesses plan for the annual event and the holiday shopping season, the SBDC is hosting two special Small Business Saturday Virtual Brainstorming Sessions. The sessions, which will be held Thursday, Nov. 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., are free and open to any small business owner in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. Business owners can join by using this link.
During the sessions, SBDC consultants will work directly with each business owner to brainstorm and outline specific strategies, both for Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and the entire holiday season.
“This is always a creative endeavor, but now small businesses have to think even more creatively. Plus, the line between Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday has really been blurred this year,” Shanker-Passero says. “So businesses need to think about upping their convenience factor to make it almost as easy as going on Amazon, but the personal touch that only a small business can provide is still so important.”
In addition to the two Small Business Saturday sessions, the SBDC is also hosting a number of free webinars during the month of November, which are applicable for the holiday shopping season. They include:
- Checkout or Keep Shopping: Basics of Selling Online, Monday, Nov. 9, from noon to 1:30 p.m.
- Facebook Basics for Business, Monday, Nov. 16, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Five Stars? Staying Connected with Your Customers and Mastering Online Review Platforms, Wednesday, Nov. 18, from noon to 1 p.m.
- Search, Engage, Convert: Introduction to Digital Marketing, Monday, Nov. 23, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Business owners can register for any of the free sessions by clicking the links above.
Funded jointly by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the PA Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) and Temple University’s Fox School of Business, the SBDC’s mission is to provide entrepreneurs and small businesses with the knowledge needed to make informed business decisions. It has been serving Philadelphia and the surrounding communities since 1983.
For more information on the SBDC or any of the upcoming sessions, visit the center’s website or contact Shanker-Passero.
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