Of course we all know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday—the two most lucrative, highly trafficked shopping days of the year. Together, they’re projected to generate $15.4 billion in revenue this year, according to IBISWorld.

But independent jewelers can also cook up marketing and promotional initiatives around two lesser-known holiday shopping days that celebrate the industry’s small and local players, respectively.

Detroit-based watch and leather goods brand Shinola, which manufactures all its products in the United States, has introduced an online campaign that urges consumers to buy American-made this Cyber Monday: Makers Monday asks consumers to sign their name to the campaign’s website as a pledge to buy American-made products on Dec. 2.

The landing page of Shinola’s Makers Monday website (photo courtesy of Shinola)

The site also encourages businesses that manufacture in the United States to add their company info to a searchable database of American-made outfits. As of this morning, 16 jewelry brands are registered—mostly single-designer brands such as DelandTree, J. Cotter Gallery, and MyMo. 

In a statement, the company explained that if every American adult spent $10 on Monday, $2.4 billion would be injected into the domestic economy. Shinola intends to grow the day into an annual event.

Meanwhile, Small Business Saturday—an annual shopping event sponsored by American Express that’s now in its fourth year—always falls the day after Black Friday (Nov. 30 this year), and is dedicated to supporting small businesses across the country.

According to a press release, it was created in response to small business owners’ “most pressing need: more customers,” and is meant to help boost local economies. The website hosts a directory of small businesses in the United States, searchable by category and location. Retailers can apply to create a profile on the site.

A survey conducted by American Express on the annual event found that 39 percent of small businesses are “planning to collaborate with other small businesses in a community event to promote Small Business Saturday,” and that 33 percent of those participating will rely on social media most to promote the day to their customers.

 

 

 

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