Small Business Saturday 2016 will be the fifth year of the campaign, which saw £623m spent with small firms throughout the nation during Small Business Saturday 2015 – an increase of £119m on the previous year.
The campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter throughout the day last year, with over 100,000 campaign-related tweets sent by small business owners and customers alike.
More than three-quarters of local councils backed the campaign in 2015, providing considerable national reach for local communities.
Michelle Ovens MBE, director, Small Business Saturday UK, said: “Last year, small business owners, local authorities, a wide range of other organisations and members of the public embraced Small Business Saturday more than ever before.
“The British public has a great affection for small businesses and tapping into that continues to be important. The small businesses themselves really make the campaign as they effectively deliver it on the ground and collectively show the depth and breadth that exists within the sector.
“This year we aim to reach more people, get more engagement, and encourage more people to support small businesses.
“We will be talking a lot about community because whether they are selling to consumers online or in a particular location or B2B businesses working together and doing business together, our small businesses are a community that benefits both our local and national economies.”
This year’s campaign will feature events in the lead up to and on Small Business Saturday 2016 itself, including the nationwide bus tour. It will also feature the Small Biz 100: a feature that profiles 100 small businesses in the 100 days leading up to December 3rd.
The campaign will again be running Inspire: a nationwide series of free workshops led by experts and entrepreneurs for existing and aspiring small business owners.
New for Small Business Saturday 2016 is a podcast, packed with information about the campaign along with features of general interest to small business owners.
The first edition is already live; discussing this year’s campaign, the flourishing UK pet sector and why the Northern Irish capital of Belfast is now a hotbed for small businesses.