As an independent business ourselves, we know the benefits of shopping with small businesses first-hand. We are so grateful for the support we've received over the last few years, and we hope the same kindness and generosity can be extended to our independent friends and neighbours.

Understandably we know that funds may be tight due to the cost-of-living crisis, however there are plenty of ways to support independent businesses without spending a thing!

We’ve put together the 4 ways you can support independent businesses:

1. Shop With Independent Businesses.

This one may seem obvious, but one of the best things you can do to support a small business is to shop with them.

support small businesses

Whether it is one-off purchase or you’re looking to make a swap in your weekly shop… consider making a change by shopping with an independent retailer instead of your local big supermarket or a large clothing company.

If you are unsure, try searching online for small businesses or independent businesses in your area, or find one that ships within the UK.

You will find that smaller businesses really care about each individual customer. With dedicated team member and actual people to speak to, instead of automated phone messages or emails.

2. Leave Your Favourite Small Business a Review.

Large businesses have the kind of big budgets that bring their business straight to the top of search engine pages. However, for smaller businesses that don’t have the budget, reviews are one of the most powerful tools to get seen online.

Leaving a review will help them come up more on search engines, and it will help encourage other people to shop with that small business too! If you love what they do, tell them what you love about them in a review!

Alternatively, you could also refer them to friends and family. If you are not very tech savvy, do it the old-fashioned way and tell your friends and family all about how they can benefit from their product or service.

It would help our small business so much if you could leave us a review here.

3. Share Them Across Your Social Media.

This is a great way to spread the word if you have already left a review! If your local or favourite independent business is on social media, share them. Sharing their pages or content goes a long way. Or even just commenting and reacting to their posts, this all helps towards getting them to grow online. It doesn't matter if you have 10 followers or 100, a post can go a long way to helping bring new customers to independent retailers. 

small business social media

Social media algorithms reward accounts that get engagement, and this then pushes their content across social media to new audiences.

Every interaction and engagement with a small business’ social media content goes a long way to supporting their business.

4. Sign Up To Small Businesses Newsletters.

If you’ve found an independent or local business that has a newsletter, sign up! When a small business can see that have a growing audience, they will have a better opportunity to be approved for grants or funding. It also allows yourself to be the first to hear about product launches and any small business updates. You could help Wet Wednesdays by visiting their shop & signing up to their newsletter.

A small change for you, like buying from a smaller business instead of the usual large chain company or supporting them by reviewing or sharing, can make the world of difference.