Small Business Saturday: ‘Tis the season to shop local

November 27 is a good reminder that anxious business owners need community support more than ever this holiday season 

Toronto, November 22, 2021 – As Small Business Saturday approaches this weekend, many beleaguered small business owners (49 per cent) are worried that customers have moved to big businesses and will not return, according to new survey results from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). 

New Maru Public Opinion data also released today by CFIB suggests the fear is well-founded. Like last year, consumers are predicting they will spend twice as much at big box stores and online giants than at small businesses (online and in person). Further, almost one in four (22 per cent) Canadians say they’ll be spending less overall on holiday shopping this year than they did last year, with net national spending intentions down a whopping 13 percentage points.*

Despite their anxiety, many small businesses (43 per cent) remain optimistic that this holiday shopping season will be better than last year, CFIB research shows. 

“There is no question that the pandemic has been the toughest of times for Canada’s small business owners—many weren’t even allowed to be open last year at this time. But customers have remained a bright spot,” said Laura Jones, Executive Vice-President at CFIB. “Small Business Saturday is a great opportunity to get out and spark holiday joy.”  

The Small Business Saturday contest 
To celebrate shopping at small businesses this season, CFIB launched a new Small Business Saturday contest with over $20,000 available in prizes. Consumers, as well as business owners and staff, can visit SmallBusinessEveryDay.ca until November 28 to enter for a chance to win one of 10 cash prizes of $2,000, plus bonus eBay gift cards.  

In addition to the contest, CFIB created a nostalgic colouring sheet to celebrate the joy small businesses bring to their communities around this time of year. Publications that wish to support small business can include the colouring sheet in their print editions until November 28. It can be downloaded at cfib.ca/sbscolouring.

Media organizations can also give their audience a chance to win by promoting the contest and directing Canadians to SmallBusinessEveryDay.ca. 

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Milena Stanoeva, CFIB
647-464-2814
public.affairs@cfib.ca 

Source for public opinion data
The survey was conducted by Maru Public Opinion October 6-7, 2021 of 1,511 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.4%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been weighted by education, age, gender, and region (and in Quebec, language) to match the population according to Census data which ensures the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. An independent analysis and verification of these findings, the accompanying data tables, and a description of the services of Maru Public Opinion can be found at https://www.marugroup.net/polling.  

*Canadians indicate that compared to last year, they are planning to spend more, (9%) less (22%) or about the same (69%) for the holidays for a net of -13.

Source for CFIB data
Results from Your Voice – October 2021 survey, conducted from October 14 – October 27 and based on a sample of 4,118 respondents. For comparison purposes, a probability sample with the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of +/-1.5%, 19 times out of 20.

About Small Business Saturday 
Small Business Saturday is brought to you by CFIB and American Express®, and supported by eBay Canada. It encourages local shopping, promotes initiatives to support small business and provides posters and other tools for businesses to use. The Small Business Saturday contest is sponsored exclusively by CFIB and eBay Canada, a global marketplace powered by small businesses. 

About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 95,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.

® Used under license from American Express.