Home > News > featured news > American Express and TikTok Launch the #ShopSmall Accelerator to Help Small Businesses Reach New Audiences on Small Business Saturday

BUSINESS STRATEGY

American Express and TikTok Launch the #ShopSmall Accelerator to Help Small Businesses Reach New Audiences on Small Business Saturday

American Express | November 15, 2022 | Read time : 02:56 min

American Express today announced that it has partnered with TikTok to launch the #ShopSmall Accelerator, a new program to help small business owners reach a new generation of shoppers on Small Business Saturday, which is on November 26, 2022, and runs throughout the holiday shopping season. The partnership with TikTok builds on the ongoing support American Express provides small businesses year-round and its goal to drive $100 billion in reported consumer spending at small businesses from 2021 through 2025. Starting November 14, the #ShopSmall Accelerator will include an offer for eligible small business owners to earn a $100 TikTok advertising credit*. In addition, small business owners will be given access to tools and resources to think like TikTok creators, including a tutorial at AmericanExpress.com/ShopSmallAccelerator on how their businesses can stand out on the platform. Lifestyle creators Anna Sitar @annaxsitar and Sofia Bella @iamsofiabella, along with small business owner Brandon Blackwood @brandonblackwoodnyc, will teach small business owners how to use TikTok as a search engine; leverage sounds, trends, hashtags and communities; and how to drive engagement with users. To help small businesses get discovered by new audiences, American Express has also partnered with musical artist Chlöe Bailey @chloebaileywashere to create a “Shop Small Soundtrack,” which TikTok users can add to their content.

“The #ShopSmall Accelerator will help give small merchants the tools they need to reach the next generation of consumers on TikTok, where our Shop Small Impact Study found that 67% of Gen Z users have shopped from a small business that was displayed on their For You Page ,Shopping small has a significant impact on helping local communities, with two-thirds of every dollar spent at small businesses staying within the local community. Last year, consumers reported spending more than $23B shopping small on Small Business Saturday, and we want to exceed that in 2022.”

Elizabeth Rutledge, Chief Marketing Officer, American Express

"More and more American small businesses are turning to TikTok to take us inside their world in a fun authentic way, and as a result, they are reaching new customers, hiring more employees and growing their business. The real world impact is undeniable, with 44% of TikTok users saying that they discovered something on the platform and immediately went out to buy it, according to our Global Retail Path To Purchase Study," said Sofia Hernandez, Global Head of Business Marketing for TikTok. "This holiday season, the TikTok community is ready to #ShopSmall and support small businesses. Based on data in the Small Business Economic Impact Study from American Express, if every Gen Z and Millennial shopper spent $10 at a small business on Small Business Saturday, it would support $2 billion in local economic activity throughout the US.2 The study also found that $0.68 of every dollar spent at a small business in the US stays in the local community and that every dollar spent at small businesses creates an additional $0.48 in local business activity as a result of employees and local businesses purchasing local goods and services. 63% of small business owners said they want to grow their Gen Z and Millennial customer base this holiday season, and 50% agreed that Small Business Saturday is more critical than ever for their business this holiday shopping season. Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 to help small businesses and communities thrive. Since then, it has turned into a nationwide Shop Small movement that is celebrated annually and is critical for small businesses during the holiday shopping season. American Express provides ongoing support to small businesses year-round through the Shop Small Resource Hub where small business owners have access to complimentary marketing supplies and resources; Amex Offers for Merchants for services ranging from technology to shipping solutions; a new, dedicated Small Business Saturday page from Business Class, featuring insights, tips, and inspiration; and more.

U.S. consumers can find American Express accepting independent retailers across the nation through the Shop Small Map and Card Members can access special Amex Offers from Small Merchants on the Shop Small Offer Hub here.

ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS
American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success.

Spotlight

Xero Small Business Insights global explainer

The Xero Small Business Insights programme provides unique, regular, and timely data showing how small businesses are performing and the important role they play in our community. Xero Small Business Insights seeks to shine light on small businesses around the world to help improve understanding amongst governments, researchers, advisors and small businesses themselves.

More featured news

Spotlight

Xero Small Business Insights global explainer

Related News

TECHNOLOGY

Wolfe Inc. Launches New HRIS Software for SMBs

Wolfe, Inc. | February 15, 2023

On February 14, 2023, Wolfe Inc., a nationally recognized background screening company, announced that its multidisciplinary software, WolfeOne, now includes HRIS capabilities for HR departments. Wolfe received its PBSA accreditation in background screening just recently, making it one of only ten percent of background screening firms in the United States to hold this distinction. In addition to providing drug testing, it offers a suite of hiring and retention tools to businesses across the nation. WolfeOne is an intuitive platform that simplifies, organizes, and notifies clients regarding their employee documents so they never miss an expiration date. The platform includes scheduling of drug tests and background checks, as well as integration with an organization's ATS/HRIS. With its expanded HRIS capabilities, clients can now record and store employee information with confidence. The newly added features enable customers to document an employee's lifecycle by tracking their salary information, start date, and end date, as well as by uploading any appropriate documentation for that employee. The company’s dedicated support team is freely available to assist clients with any inquiries they may have, which is an added benefit of utilizing WolfeOne. The platform is also affordably priced, ensuring that it falls within the budgets of small businesses. Jim Wolfe, CEO of Wolfe Inc., shared, "WolfeOne's HRIS features were deliberately designed for the HR person who bears the sole responsibility of employee documentation at their organization." He added, "We believe in providing our clients attentive and quality customer service. Wolfe serves many small and midsize employers across the U.S. and has listened to their feedback in adding an HRIS service so that WolfeOne can truly be an all-in-one software that assist the HR professional in saving valuable time." (Source – PR Newswire) About Wolfe, Inc. Wolfe, Inc. is a provider of drug testing and background screening services, with a solid reputation for managing a variety of employment screening programs headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. It provides laboratory services and has a certified forensic laboratory that provides accurate and prompt test results. It is recognized as a premier provider of employee drug and background screening services, in addition to being an industry leader in drug and alcohol testing. Small startups as well as Fortune 500 companies, rely on Wolfe to manage organizational risk through industry-leading hiring decisions.

SMALL BUSINESS ADVICE

GFI Software Launches AppManager™ to Transform IT Solutions Management

GFI Software | February 20, 2023

GFI Software, a leading provider of software solutions for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), has recently introduced its latest product, GFI AppManager™. This revolutionary cloud-based platform offers a 'single-pane-of-glass' solution to MSPs and resellers, providing easy management of communications, security, and networks from a unified dashboard. MSPs can now maintain all their accounts and products through a single interface, optimizing their management of customer solutions. The product was unveiled at the MSP Expo industry trade show in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where GFI Software was named a Platinum sponsor. GFI AppManager™ simplifies and streamlines fleet management by covering a wide range of IT capabilities and SMB needs. MSPs can quickly and easily push configurations to all managed appliances, regardless of location, which simplifies the administration of installed solutions across sites. Real-time monitoring and alerting are also available, ensuring MSPs are notified of current or impending problems so they can promptly address failures or potential issues. The solution is intended to assist partners in empowering their end users to remain ahead of the curve in terms of security. The platform provides proactive monitoring of threats and vulnerabilities across users, applications, and networks, thereby assisting IT teams in preventing potential security breaches. Additionally, with GFI AppManager™'s RADARTM feature, machine learning automates native threat intelligence and response capabilities, allowing IT teams to quickly respond to any potential threats, thereby minimizing risk to a company's critical systems and data. In addition, the platform enables businesses to remain compliant with essential regulations, including GDPR, NIS2, and ISO27001. It provides comprehensive reporting and gap analysis capabilities, enabling IT teams to identify potential non-compliance areas and take corrective action quickly. GFI AppManager™ is in closed beta and will be released to the public in the first quarter of 2023. About GFI Software GFI Software, based in Austin (Texas), develops software essential to businesses-IT, focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises. Its solutions for network management and performance, security, and collaboration applications have been chosen by more than 60,000 customers. The company's products are available through thousands of partners dedicated to serving specific regions and countries across the globe. With a focus on providing SMBs with IT capabilities, its solutions are priced appropriately, easy to deploy and user-friendly. To provide additional value to its customers, GFI Software offers GFI Unlimited, which includes multiple business-IT essentials for a single budget-friendly price.

MANAGEMENT

Awesome Motive Announces Thrive Themes Growth Tool Suite Acquisition

Awesome Motive, Inc | January 24, 2023

On January 23, 2023, Awesome Motive, a software and media enterprise with over 21 million websites employing their software, announced the acquisition of Thrive Themes, the company creating powerful small business growth tools for WordPress. Thrive Themes' growth tool suite is used by over 200,000 website owners to quickly build high-converting websites that result in more email subscribers, revenue generation, and satisfied customers. The acquisition of Thrive Themes further solidifies Awesome Motive's position in the WordPress and online marketing space as it continues to deliver innovative solutions that assist small businesses in growing and competing with larger corporations. Syed Balkhi, CEO of Awesome Motive, shared, "Easy to use online marketing tools that deliver results is essential for small business success, especially in today's economic environment." He added, "Thrive is a well-known and respected brand that has a long-history of helping businesses improve their online marketing efforts. We are excited to welcome them to the Awesome Motive family, so we can help more of our customers create thriving online businesses." (Source – PR Newswire) Other solutions by Awesome Motive that help small businesses develop their online presence include WPForms, OptinMonster, AIOSEO, and MonsterInsights. In addition, customers can get even better results with a potent mix of growth tools in the Thrive Themes suite. About Awesome Motive Florida-based Awesome Motive is a software development company offering tools and training that help small businesses grow and compete with large enterprises. It has developed popular tools such as OptinMonster, WPBeginner, WPForms, MonsterInsights, SeedProd, All In One SEO, PushEngage and Smash Balloon, among others. With more than 20 million websites using Awesome Motive's solutions, the company is considered an innovator in the industry. It aims to help its customers stay ahead of the curve and gain a competitive advantage.