BOSTON (WHDH) - Shoppers are encouraged to support local retailers on Small Business Saturday and after customers flocked to stores for Black Friday deals, area business owners are hopeful they’ll see an increase in foot traffic.
On Newbury Street in Boston, shoppers were out looking for deals on sought-after items. Across the nation, some 60 percent of Americans say they plan to shop small on Saturday.
Retail analyst Hitha Herzog said small business owners are increasingly taking advantage of online retail.
“A lot of the rural businesses are extremely optimistic and these are the businesses that have platforms online that utilize Amazon, Etsy, even Goldbelly to get their product out.”
Economist Kathy Korman Frey agreed, saying small business owners looking to rebound after a difficult stretch during the pandemic will have to lean on online retail and social media to take advantage of shoppers looking to support local retailers.
“There’s a statistic that about 67 percent of TikTok users are buying items from small businesses that show up on their ‘For You’ page,” she said.
In Worcester, the city is offering discounted and free parking in the hopes of luring shoppers looking to support their local retailers.
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