Gen Z is turning social media influence into real economic opportunity for local businesses, and big brands are moving to accelerate that shift. American Express is expanding creator partnerships and rolling out a national grants program to help small businesses capture young shoppers’ attention and wallets this holiday season.
Small businesses are entering the peak shopping period navigating inflation, softer confidence, and shifting consumer habits, pushing many to seek new digital demand channels to stay resilient heading into year-end. With Small Business Saturday falling on Nov. 29, the stakes are high for local merchants to convert holiday traffic into sustained growth rather than a one-weekend bump.
“Small business owners are navigating an environment where customer expectations and behaviors are changing quickly…And many of the small businesses we surveyed said some of the challenges they see are rising labor costs and building cash reserves to manage unexpected events,” Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer of American Express told Fortune.
A social-media lifeline
Younger consumers are emerging as the difference-maker, using TikTok and Instagram to surface hidden-gem shops and restaurants and to validate where friends should spend next.
According to American Express’s 2025 Shop Small Impact Study, 86% of consumers say they’re likely to shop small this season, rising to roughly 89% among Millennials and Gen Z, underscoring the purchasing power fueling independent retailers and eateries both online and in-store.
For owners who actively market on social media, the payoff is tangible: 82% report sales lift when a content creator or influencer posts about them, turning one viral clip into real-world foot traffic and repeat customers. That dynamic is reshaping how Main Street thinks about marketing—trading static ads for authentic recommendations that travel across feeds and neighborhoods at the speed of culture.
“Platforms like TikTok, Reels, and creator reviews now play a major role in how people decide where to shop, either online or in person, and which small businesses to support,” Rutledge said.
Keith Lee’s spotlight
Recognizing that shift, American Express is expanding its partnership with Keith Lee, the food critic and creator whose audience nears 20 million across platforms, to shine a brighter light on small businesses during the holidays and beyond.
“I love that anybody on the internet nowadays, on TikTok or on Instagram, It’s a community spirit, and it’s an optimism to go try things. And I love that this generation is not afraid to go type of things and type of experiences,” Lee told Fortune in an interview, framing social discovery as both economic engine and community glue.
The same study shows 71% of Gen Z and Millennials say seeing a creator featured in a small business influences their decision to shop there, helping bridge intent and action in local commerce corridors. That influence compounds when creators point audiences to family-run spots with great service or compelling stories, where a single post can catalyze a line out the door and a hiring spree the following week.
Through his food reviews, business owners also crave Lee’s stamp of approval. One business named The Puddery in Texas posted over 13 times to get Lee to come into their business in 2023. The result: they went from two customers a day, to a line wrapped around the block the next day.
“Teaming up with him made perfect sense. His content resonates deeply with Gen Z and Millennial audiences, and reaching those younger consumers is an important part of rallying the next generation to Shop Small,” Rutledge added.
$5 million in new grants
To meet the moment, American Express is launching the Amex Shop Small Grants Program with Main Street America: 250 grants of $20,000 each—totaling $5 million—available nationwide starting Nov. 29 to help owners grow, innovate, and reinvest in their communities.
The company will also donate $1 to the fund for every eligible Amex Card purchase at a qualifying small business on Small Business Saturday, further amplifying the impact of local spending into direct support for entrepreneurs.
Now in its 16th year, Small Business Saturday returns Nov. 29—the Saturday after Thanksgiving—anchoring a weekend when many independents expect a meaningful share of annual revenue and the kickoff to make-or-break December sales. Community groups and local chambers nationwide are organizing programming to channel shoppers toward neighborhood districts, while creators mobilize audiences online to show up in person.
A creator’s mission
“So one of my main passions is supporting people, when it comes to small businesses, when it comes to people in the neighborhood, and when it comes to people that have entrepreneurial spirit,” Lee says, positioning his platform less as celebrity than as conduit for discovery and inclusion. “I think the biggest thing I wanted to convey with this entire message is that shopping small is the way to go, because, in my personal life that’s what I’ve done on a day to day basis”.
Lee said he’s seeing firsthand how one viral recommendation can transform a small business.
“I would say one that stands out the most is probably Cleo’s in Chicago. It’s a restaurant that we went to, and at the time, they had one location. Since we left, they opened three locations with a flagship store, and then on the verge of closing the first time we came,” he says, encapsulating how social media can tip a business from survival to scale.
For owners weighing whether a creator shoutout is worth the effort, that kind of growth narrative is the new case study—and a playbook for Main Street in the age of the feed.
