China News Service, November 30. According to the US "Overseas News" report, on November 28, local time, Chinatown, New York, USA, held a "Small Business Saturday" event to promote the development of local small businesses.
Under the circumstance of the epidemic, the local consumption concept promoted by the event has become increasingly important.
The Chinatown Business Improvement District will also encourage people to take actions to support Chinatown businesses and drive community popularity.
"Small Business Saturday" was launched by American Express in 2010 to encourage consumers to patronize small businesses on the Saturday after Black Friday.
For every dollar that customers spend in small businesses, 67 cents stay in the local community, strengthening the economic construction of the local community.
Chen Zuozhou, director of Chinatown Business Improvement District, said that this year's "Small Business Saturday" is of great significance.
Affected by the epidemic, about one-third of the 240,000 small businesses in New York City are facing bankruptcy.
The data also shows that 80% of consumers in the U.S. choose to shop online, and only 20% will shop in physical stores.
"Small Business Saturday" aims to convey to the people the idea and awareness of local consumption, hoping to bring purchasing power to small businesses.
According to Chen Zuozhou, when the event was first launched, consumers used American Express cards to spend at the corresponding stores to obtain corresponding cashbacks or points.
In recent years, activities have continuously expanded the scope of participation.
Compared with other communities, many shops in Chinatown still dominate cash transactions.
In addition, this year's Chinatown Business Improvement District launched a $25 gift-giving reusable bag event. People can participate in shopping with cash, gift cards or various credit cards, and more than 3,000 merchants in Chinatown and surrounding areas are within the scope. .
Chen Zuozhou said that the Chinese population in Chinatown in New York is only about 20,000, which is less purchasing power than other Chinese communities. In addition to the loss of tourists due to the epidemic, the development of small businesses in Chinatown faces severe challenges.
He suggested that while ensuring safety measures, businesses should apply for loans as soon as possible for storefronts in low- and middle-income communities that will open soon. They can obtain up to $100,000 in interest-free loans to help companies tide over the difficulties.
(Yang Chengyu)