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Small Business Saturday is November 28, 2026

Small Business Saturday falls on November 28, 2026. This guide covers using gift cards to support local businesses.

Encourage employees, customers, and partners to recognize the small businesses that contribute to their communities.

Local gift cards can make it easier for recipients to choose nearby merchants during the holiday season.

Gift cards · Prepaid cards · Direct payments · Merchandise · Charity · Swag

OVERVIEW

Why Small Business Saturday Gift Cards Matter

Encourage your employees, customers, and partners to support their local small businesses via local gift cards on Small Business Saturday!

IN DETAIL

Small Business Saturday Supports Local Communities

It’s a day to celebrate the nation’s nearly 32 million independent businesses, which help tie communities together while giving back to them. Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 to encourage holiday shoppers to support small, local businesses.

More on gift cards for employee rewards →

AT A GLANCE

How Organizations Can Get Involved

Whether your organization has a single location or multiple locations, offering local gift cards lets employees, customers and partners shop locally and support their community.

Select local cards by zip code, keyword, and/or category.
Offer recipients a selection of choices.
With over 85,000 options, there’s something for everyone.
Curate tailored choices for different locations.

Select Local Gift Cards by ZIP Code

Select local cards by zip code, keyword, and/or category.

Offer Recipients a Choice

Offer recipients a selection of choices.

Choose From More Than 85,000 Options

With over 85,000 options, there’s something for everyone.

Curate Choices for Different Locations

Curate tailored choices for different locations.

IN DETAIL

Local Incentive Options

85,000+ local gift card options are available through the Square gift card Marketplace. Curate a dazzling selection of “Shop Local” choices for your audience in support of Small Business Saturday.

AT A GLANCE

How Shopping Local Pays It Forward

Small Business Saturday and National Small Business Week helped jump-start a trend of shopping locally. Shopping locally creates opportunities for local businesses to give back to the community through local community giving. Investing in your area is an easy way to pay it forward to people in your community. Shopping Locally:

Creates local jobs

Helps the environment

Stimulates the local economy

Supports local schools and charities

Local spending can help sustain community programs, schools, and charitable organizations.

Invests in entrepreneurship

IN CONTEXT

Community Benefits of Shopping Local

Creates local jobs
Helps the environment
Stimulates the local economy
Supports local schools and charities
Invests in entrepreneurship

IN DETAIL

Why People Start Small Businesses

The reasons for running a business have not changed much over time. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the reasons for starting a small business given recently have not changed much since 2014. Self-employment is more driven by opportunity than necessity

Only 7.4 percent of business owners with employees started their ventures because they could not find a job. Meanwhile, 56 percent felt starting a business was the best avenue for their ideas to create goods and services. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey)

Women have unique business owner motivations

IN DETAIL

Autonomy and Income

The top reason for becoming an owner for women was work and family balance. In total, 59 percent of women felt that this was the top reason to own their own business.

Owners sought both autonomy and better income

64 percent of owners of firms with employees said wanting to be their own boss and having greater income were very important reasons for owning their own businesses

Greater income

IN DETAIL

Work-Family Balance and Creative Opportunity

Work-family balance and having an outlet for a strong business idea are common motivations for entrepreneurship.

IN DETAIL

Flexibility and Entrepreneurship

Flexible hours, autonomy, and the potential for greater income also motivate people to start small businesses.

Small Businesses Generate 44% of U.S. Economic Activity

In 2014, the small business share of GDP came in at 43.5 percent. Nominal small business GDP measured $5.9 trillion. Small businesses Use Payroll more efficiently. GDP per payroll dollar was consistently greater for small businesses than for large businesses.

“For every dollar spent at a small business, American Express estimates an average of $0.67 stays in that business’s local community.”
— American Express

GET STARTED

Incentive delivery that means more and costs less

Unclaimed rewards returned, always. Build a complete project in the campaign builder with your logo, your recipients, and your incentive selections, then send. Related reading: gift cards for employee rewards, international gift cards.

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