Small Businesses Prepare for the 2018 Holiday Shopping Season

New SCORE infographic predicts an upswing in ecommerce and mobile sales

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Oct 25, 2018, 14:11 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- 2018 holiday sales are predicted to remain strong for small businesses, with a continuing trend toward ecommerce, according to data compiled by SCORE, mentors to America's small businesses. In 2017, holiday sales clustered around Thanksgiving week, with 43% of Americans shopping or dining at independently-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday.

In 2017, Thanksgiving week revenue increased 33% from the previous year. Last year, shoppers spent:

2018 holiday sales are predicted to remain strong for small businesses, with a continuing trend toward ecommerce, according to data compiled by SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses. In 2017, holiday sales clustered around Thanksgiving week, with 43% of Americans shopping or dining at independently-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday.

$6.6 billion on Cyber Monday
$5 billion on Black Friday
$2.9 billion on Thanksgiving
$2.4 billion on Small Business Saturday
$1.8 billion on the day before Thanksgiving

Consumers gravitated toward online and mobile purchasing during the 2017 holiday shopping season:

Ecommerce sales increased by 17.8%
Mobile commerce sales increased by 40%
Foot traffic in stores fell 7.5%

Top tips for small business owners to best accommodate holiday shoppers include:

Make sure your mobile site loads quickly. Conversions fall by 20% for every second mobile page load time is delayed.
Ask for reviews before the season. 96% of shoppers read reviews on retailers' sites, with many consulting more than one website.
Provide free shipping. 94% of online shoppers use free shipping when available.
Offer gift cards. Holiday shoppers buy an average of four gift cards, making them the second most-popular gift choice after clothing.

Click here to download the full infographic for additional statistics, trends and preparedness tips for small businesses entering the holiday shopping season.

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE's 10,000 volunteer business experts provide 750,000+ free small business mentoring sessions, workshops and educational services to clients in 300 chapters nationwide. In 2017, SCORE volunteers helped to create 54,506 small businesses and 61,534 non-owner jobs.

For more information about starting or operating a small business, visit SCORE at www.score.org. Follow @SCOREMentors on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest small business news and updates.

Contact Information:
SCORE
Betsy Dougert
703-487-3677
[email protected]

SOURCE SCORE