EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are now behind us, and local small businesses told us they looked forward to those days for the boost to business they hoped would come.
The owner of Sixth and Zero says people most associate Black Friday with big box retailers, but small, more personal shops benefit from it too. Some, like Sixth and Zero, have even adapted and found ways to benefit from Cyber Monday.
Mary Allen owns Sixth and Zero, which sells shampoos, soaps, detergents, and more; some of which they make in-house. To her, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are a big deal.
“It is our biggest sales day, traditionally our biggest sales day of the year, and it did not disappoint this year,” said Allen.
She says they made five times their daily sales goal on Saturday, and they sold more this Black Friday than last year’s, much more than a typical Friday.
She says her business has much narrower margins than big retailers, so she can’t offer the same level of discounts, but she says there are benefits to being a small business as well.
“We know we can’t compete with the big box stores, but what we do try and offer that I think it really special is the engagement and the interaction with the customer that we get to know by name, and they get to know our name, and we get to ask about their day,” said Allen.
Mary says as the business has grown, and loyal customers sometimes move away, they’re relying more on online orders. This gave her a way to participate in Cyber Monday, by offering free shipping. She’s careful not to let the online ordering process become impersonal.
“We’ll put a little tea bag, a little note, every order gets a note, maybe a little sample of something else that they didn’t order; so we still try to put those personal touches even if it’s an order shipping to another state,” said Allen.
Mary says dollars spent at small businesses have an immediate impact on community. She says she’s danced for joy after making a sale enough times to know for certain.
Allen says most of their sales are still in-person, but they rely on online more and more as the store grows. She says 75% of their online orders this weekend came from first-time customers.
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