Small Business Saturday UK: how to get found by local shoppers on 5 December

Small Business Saturday UK brings extra local shoppers onto high streets every December, but only the businesses they can find online get the full benefit. This guide shows you how to prepare for Saturday 5 December: get your Google listing ready, plan local social posts, team up with neighbouring businesses and capture emails so first-time visitors become regulars.

What Small Business Saturday UK is and why getting found matters

Small Business Saturday is a grassroots campaign that encourages people to shop with, and support, small businesses in their community. In the UK it falls on the first Saturday in December, which in 2026 is Saturday 5 December. It is free to take part, and the official Small Business Saturday UK website offers free resources if you want to get more involved.

The day gives people a reason to look locally, and much of that looking starts on a phone. Someone searching for a gift shop near me or coffee in Harrogate on the morning will see whichever businesses look open, active and relevant. If your listing has old hours, no recent photos and nothing about the day, you are relying on luck.

Four things do most of the work in helping local shoppers find you:

• Search: your Google Business Profile, which controls how you appear in Google Maps and local search results.
• Social: posts that local people share and that community groups pick up.
• Word of mouth: neighbouring businesses pointing their customers your way.
• Follow-up: a way to stay in touch with first-time customers after the day.

Get your Google Business Profile ready

Your Google Business Profile is the free listing that appears when people search for you, or for businesses like yours, on Google Search and Maps. It is often the first thing a new customer sees, so start here. Set aside an hour or two around a fortnight before the day.

1. Check the basics are right

Confirm your business name, address, phone number, website and categories are correct. Your primary category should describe what you mainly do, so Florist rather than Shop. Make sure the phone number goes to someone who will actually answer on a busy Saturday.

2. Set special hours for the day

If you are opening earlier, staying later or opening when you would normally be closed, add special hours for 5 December. Google can show these to searchers, which saves people turning up to a locked door. It is worth doing the same for the rest of the Christmas period while you are there.

3. Add an event or offer post

Profile posts let you share updates, offers and events directly on your listing. Create a post for the day explaining what is happening: a discount, free mulled wine, a late opening or a children’s craft table. Keep it short, add a clear photo and choose a button such as Call now or Learn more. Our weekly plan for Google Business Profile posts shows how to keep this going after December.

4. Refresh your photos

Add a few recent photos taken in good light: your shopfront so people recognise it from the street, the inside, and your best products or work. A café might add its seasonal menu board and a cosy table by the window. Recent, real photos make a listing feel active and trustworthy.

5. Ask happy customers for reviews

Reviews help people choose between you and the business next door. In the weeks before, ask regular customers for an honest review, and reply politely to recent ones, including any critical ones. Do not offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews, as this goes against Google’s policies.

Plan local social posts that people actually see

Social media works best for Small Business Saturday when it is local and specific. A post that just says shop small gets scrolled past. A post saying free gift wrapping all day Saturday at our shop on the high street, plus a small treat for anyone who mentions this post, gives people a reason to come in.

Spread a handful of posts across the fortnight before, rather than posting once on the morning:

1. Two weeks before: announce what you are doing and when.
2. The week before: share something behind the scenes, such as new stock arriving, the team decorating or a product being made.
3. The day before: post a reminder with your opening hours, address and how to find you.
4. On the day: share a few quick photos or short videos of the shop in action, with permission from anyone clearly shown.
5. The day after: say thank you, which also reminds people you are open all year.

Think about where your local customers actually spend time:

• Local Facebook groups: many towns and villages have busy community groups. Check each group’s rules on business posts before you share.
• Instagram: mention your town, use the #SmallBusinessSaturday hashtag and tag neighbouring businesses you are working with.
• Nextdoor: useful in some areas for reaching residents within walking distance.

Make sure your website tells the same story. A short banner or news item on your homepage with your plans and hours helps people who click through from Google or social media. If your site has not been touched in a while, our local SEO checklist for UK businesses will help you spot quick fixes.

Team up with neighbouring businesses

You will often get further by working with the businesses around you than by going it alone. Shoppers like making a morning of it, and a joint plan gives everyone more to talk about online and in person.

• A shared trail or map: a simple printed or online map of the participating shops on your street, handed out by every business.
• Cross-promotion: the café offers a discount to anyone with a receipt from the bookshop, and the bookshop does the same in return.
• A joint giveaway: a hamper with something from each business, entered by visiting several shops.
• Shared social posts: each business posts about the others, so everyone reaches new local followers.
• A shared event: live music, late opening or a children’s activity, organised with your traders’ association or business improvement district if you have one.

Keep the organising simple. Agree who does what, set a deadline for artwork and posts, and make one person the main contact. A group chat is usually enough to coordinate a handful of businesses, and if someone is handy with design, let them create one graphic that everyone shares.

Capture emails from new customers on the day

Small Business Saturday UK can bring in people who have never visited before. The real value comes when some of them return, and email is one of the most reliable ways to stay in touch because you own the list rather than depending on a social platform.

• A QR code at the till: linking to a short sign-up form on your website or email tool.
• A paper sheet or tablet: with a clear line explaining what people are signing up for and how often you will email.
• A small reason to join: such as an offer on their next visit or early notice of your January sale.
• Digital receipts: if your till system offers them, check how it handles marketing consent before relying on it.

Be clear and fair about consent. Under UK data protection and electronic marketing rules, you generally need people’s clear permission before sending them marketing emails, and you must explain how you will use their details and make it easy to unsubscribe. There are some nuances, for example around existing customers, so check the current guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office before you start.

Then actually send something. A short welcome email within a few days, thanking people for visiting, works well, followed by a genuinely useful email before Christmas. Our guide to email marketing automation best practices explains how to set up a simple welcome sequence that sends itself.

Your Small Business Saturday plan: next steps

You do not need a big budget to get found on 5 December. Most of what helps is free and takes a few hours spread over a couple of weeks. Start with your Google Business Profile, then add social posts, partners and email capture as time allows.

After the day, keep the momentum going: thank customers, reply to new reviews, send your welcome email and note what worked for next year. Local visibility builds over time, so a profile and website that are updated regularly throughout the year will put you in a much stronger position next December.