SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY FEATURE
Small Business Saturday
Arun Bhatoye, head of marketing at Hisense UK, highlights the support businesses can provide consumers amidst the challenging cost-of-living crisis.
s the cost-of-living crisis continues to pinch consumer incomes, businesses are having to adapt to a shift in buying habits.
What is Small Business Saturday? Running for over a decade, Small Business Saturday is the UK’s most successful small business campaign. It is a grassroots, non- commercial campaign which celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and to support businesses in their communities. This year, Small Business Saturday falls on Saturday 2nd December. On the day itself, customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, online, in offices and in stores; from independent shops and restaurants to small service and B2B based businesses like accountants and digital marketeers. Many small businesses take part in the day by hosting events and offering promotions.
Consumers are looking for energy-efficient, cost-efficient products, and it is the responsibility of the business to make their customers aware of which products fit these criteria. Arun Bhatoye, head of marketing at Hisense UK, says “Here at Hisense, we have always championed manufacturing products that are affordable yet high- quality, and this is more important than ever as we head towards the winter months amidst a national cost-of-living crisis. Right now, it is our number one priority to help the nation to understand how to best use their appliances to continue with their necessary household chores and reduce their bills as much as possible.” Founded over 50 years ago, Hisense is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of televisions and home appliances. Hisense has a core range of televisions and cooling appliances alongside a portfolio of cooking and laundry products featuring hobs, hoods, ovens, dishwashers and washing machines. Educating the consumer Bhatoye says “As energy bills soar to an all-time high, monitoring our gas and electricity usage has never been more important, and so consumers are looking for alternative solutions to cut down on their energy usage – and in turn, their energy bills. This doesn’t mean that consumers aren’t buying, but the path to purchase is much more considered. Customers
14 | January/February 2023
What is the aim of the campaign? The campaign’s aim is to support and celebrate the nation’s 5.5million small businesses, who make up 99% of UK business and create huge
14 | October/November 2023
As the economic challenges and pressure on the retail sector persist, supporting small businesses is more important than ever before. In 2012, Small Business Saturday was launched in the UK to celebrate small businesses and encourage consumers to express their support. On December 2nd, what is now the UK’s most successful small business campaign will return for yet another year. Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK, tells us more.
Combat the Crisis A
Where did the idea for the campaign originate? Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign that was originally founded by American Express in the US in 2010, to encourage wider support and celebration of small businesses. In 2013, Small Business Saturday was brought to the UK, and American Express remains the campaign’s principal supporter. The campaign has seen huge growth over the years, but the original message is still very much at the heart of the campaign today, and is one we feel is more important than ever.
look to invest in appliances that achieve the best results whilst using the least amount of energy, to help with cutting down bills. During the cost-of-living crisis, retailers and suppliers should be looking at ways in which they can help educate and inform their customers on the best appliances for their individual needs, and support them as much as possible to find the most cost-effective solution. Here at Hisense, energy efficiency has played a large role in product development as we look to new launches in future years. “It’s likely that any appliance which doesn’t need to be switched on for a long amount of time during usage, for example a microwave or toaster is the most efficient small appliance, as it only uses energy whilst it is switched on. It’s also very much dependent on usage – every household is different and has different needs. For example, single-person households may have a large capacity oven and batch cook to make the most of their oven being turned on, whilst larger families might opt for a larger capacity washing machine to bundle loads together. Generally speaking, tumble dryers tend to be the most expensive appliance to run, so switching up this part of your laundry routine to drying your clothes on a traditional clothes horse or drying rack is an easy way to help cut down your energy bills. Of course, defining what the most expensive appliance to run will ultimately come down to usage habits. If you have a larger household, it’s likely to be more cost-effective to invest in a larger capacity washing machine, so that you can fit more clothes in one load,
housewareslive.net
housewareslive.net
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