This year, more shoppers reported visiting their local independent businesses on Small Business Saturday than ever before, according to results from the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released Monday by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and American Express.
More than 95 million consumers shopped at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, marking an 8 percent increase from 2014.
This year Small Business Saturday saw record levels of support from communities and local organizations. More than 4,100 Neighborhood Champions around the country rallied local businesses and created events in their communities for Small Business Saturday - an increase of 48 percent over last year.
And more than 425 organizations joined the Small Business Saturday Coalition - an increase of 11 percent over last year.
According to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, total spending among U.S. consumers who were aware of Small Business Saturday reached $16.2 billion at independent retailers and restaurants on the day, an increase of 14 percent from $14.3 billion in 2014. Among those who shopped on Small Business Saturday, 31 percent attended a community event on the day and 81 percent encouraged family and friends to support their local small businesses.
Additionally, consumers and small businesses helped rally support for Small Business Saturday and their favorite small businesses on social media channels. In the month of November, there were 85 million social media engagements in support of Small Business Saturday.
"It's very encouraging to see small businesses participate every year and more shoppers giving local entrepreneurs a chance to compete for their business," said NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner in a news release. "Americans are returning to Main Street for the things they need, and ultimately that's a very healthy economic trend."