HELENA, Ala., Sept. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mspark today announced it has joined the Small Business Saturday Corporate Supporter Program and that it will, together with American Express, support this year’s Small Business Saturday^® celebration, which takes place on Nov 30. Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting the independent businesses that make our communities unique and provide invaluable contributions to our economy.

Mspark, a privately held, national media distribution company, partners with thousands of small businesses across the continental U.S. to provide direct mail solutions reaching over 27.5 million U.S. households in 31 states. Because of this unique relationship with the small business community, Mspark is well-positioned to help raise awareness for Small Business Saturday and equip our small business clients with related tools and resources to encourage shoppers to Shop Small^® on Saturday, November 30th.

Created by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday serves as the ceremonial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for small businesses across the United States. In 2018, U.S. shoppers reported spending an estimated $17.8 billion at independent retailers and restaurants on the day, according to the 2018 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey.  In addition, the Small Business Economic Impact Study from American Express found that an average two-thirds of every dollar ($0.67) spent at small businesses in the U.S. stays in the local community, meaning a consumer’s local impact during the holiday shopping season can be significant.

Small Business Saturday celebrates the diversity of small businesses across the U.S. and Mspark recognizes the importance of supporting small businesses, the jobs they help create, and the culture they foster in local communities. The Small Business Economic Impact Study also found that in addition to small businesses directly employing members of the community, spending by those small businesses and their employees in the area also supports local jobs – in fact, for every ten jobs at a small business another seven are supported in the local community.

Merchants and consumers can learn more about Small Business Saturday and how to get involved by visiting ShopSmall.com.

¹ This spend statistic is an aggregate of the average spend as reported by consumers in surveys commissioned by American Express reporting spend habits on Small Business Saturday of consumers who were aware of the day. It does not reflect actual receipts or sales. Each such survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. The surveys had an overall margin of error of between +/- 2.0% and +/- 5.47%, at the 95% level of confidence. The data was projected from the samples based on then-current U.S. Census estimates of the U.S. adult population (18+).

²  The 2018 Small Business Economic Impact Study was conducted by Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI) on behalf of American Express. ESI calculated the share of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment and employee compensation that small businesses with under 100 employees provide to the economy based on an analysis used by the U.S. Small Business Administration. ESI also estimated how much of each dollar spent at the average small business remains in their local community, and used input-output analysis across 100 representative U.S. counties to calculate the additional impact that is generated locally as the result of the spending of employees and the spending of the small business with local suppliers and service providers.

Contact:
Mspark
205-620-6259
contactus@mspark.com

Contact:
Melissa J Filipek
American Express
212-640-8658
melissa.j.filipek@aexp.com

About Small Business Saturday
November 30th is the tenth annual Small Business Saturday, proudly backed by American Express. Dedicated to supporting the diverse range of local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy, and enhance neighborhoods around the country, Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: getting more customers. Learn more at and connect with us on
ShopSmall.com, instagram.com/shopsmall, facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b176b202-b869-4640-bcc9-5853f3c0f292