American Express Shop Small Promotion 2020

[Tom]

Hi Seller Community Members —

Much like everything in 2020, Shop Small® is showing up a bit differently this year. In partnership with American Express, we're promoting the Shop Small® recovery plan to help small businesses get back to business after COVID-19.

What's included?

This year, the promotion includes free "Open for Business" kits. The kits contain items such as hand sanitizers and floor decals to encourage physical distancing in stores. There are a limited number of 40,000 kits available to Square Sellers. Eligible merchants will receive an email allowing them to order the kit within the next two weeks.

If supplies run out, you can still order a digital kit that allows you to print out signage and social media assets from home to help encourage customers to shop small with you. Learn more here: Supporting Your Small Business with Shop Small®

Common Questions

Here are some common questions that Sellers usually have about participating in the American Express Shop Small® movement.

What is the #ShopSmall campaign?
In previous years, this campaign was known as "Small Business Saturday" as a day dedicated to supporting small businesses. The #ShopSmall campaign is a nationwide movement created by American Express to celebrate small businesses every day and to help communities thrive. Shop Small® Saturday usually happens in November in anticipation of the holiday shopping season, but this year Amex is launching the campaign earlier to help more businesses.

How can I participate?

• Order your free Open for Business kit to help get more customers in your store.
• Reach customers online by downloading our digital toolkit. Download assets that you can post on social media or print-at-home today.
• Add your business information to get discovered by shoppers browsing the Shop Small® Map.
• Let your customers know, now is the time to support the places they love. Eligible American Express Card Members who spend $10+ in a single transaction at a participating small business will get $5 back as a statement credit, up to 10X, after they shop in store or online. Terms apply. Card Members must enroll by 8/23/2020, spend by 9/20/2020. Visit ShopSmall.com/OfferTerms to learn more.
• Additional resources on re-opening can be found at: square.com/go/shopsmall

What is the Shop Small® Map?
The Shop Small® Map is a filtered experience within American Express Maps. The Shop Small® Map only displays U.S. businesses that meet certain Shop Small® eligibility criteria.

What businesses are qualified to appear on the Shop Small® Map?
To appear on the Shop Small® Map, Merchants must meet the following criteria:

• You must be an American Express Card accepting Merchant;
• You must be located in the 50 United States, District of Columbia, American Samoa, Armed Forces Pacific, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. For brick-and-mortar businesses, this means that you must have at least one physical business location within these territories; for online-only businesses, this means that you must have a service area within these territories;
• You must have at least 1 but no more than 25 locations (for brick-and-mortar businesses) and have no more than $5M in American Express annual charge volume.
• You must not be part of a franchise brand that has more than 250 stores; Additionally, if a franchise brand has more than 25 corporate-owned stores, then the entire brand is excluded;
• You must be enabled to accept American Express Cards. Merchants who have been with us for more than 12 months must have had at least 1 transaction in the last calendar year.
• Businesses in these industries are excluded: Government agencies, public administration, gas stations and businesses located on the same premises as a gas station, travel agencies, charities, non-profits, peer-to-peer payments, crowdfunding, trade associations, shopping property management companies, direct sellers, and political organizations;

For more information on eligibility, see here.

How do I add my business to the map?

Follow the steps below to add your business to the map:

• Go to: americanexpress.com/loginshopsmall
• Enter you Tax ID
  • If your federal Tax ID was not used to set up your Square account, please use the last four digits of your Social Security Number
• Enter your zip code
• Click “Log In”

We’re proud to partner with American Express to encourage card members to support the businesses they love. Please don't hesitate to reply below and let us know if any questions come up about the different format for 2020 — we'll get them addressed as soon as possible. Let’s #ShopSmall and celebrate and support local business!

[#2]

I've been trying to get some things setup with AMEX Shop Small system the past few weeks, but they require a Merchant Code or Access Code in order to setup an account to order supplies or to get placement on their map.  How do I go about finding out what our AMEX Merchant Code or Access Code is with American Express from within Square?  Thank you.

[Tom]

Hey @saulscouture — good catch and sorry for the mix up!😅 I ran this by our Partnerships team and confirmed that 8/23/2020 is the correct enrollment deadline. The website should be updated with the correct date shortly. 

[saulscouture]

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@Tom wrote:

Hey @saulscouture — good catch and sorry for the mix up!😅 I ran this by our Partnerships team and confirmed that 8/23/2020 is the correct enrollment deadline. The website should be updated with the correct date shortly. 

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Thank you @Tom for the quick reply. 

[BrandonBennick]

I am able to order the shop small supplies as a guest, but I can't be added to the map or take part in the cash back for our customers without the merchant ID. I have talked to AMEX and been informed that the merchant ID is absolutely necessary to be included in the actual shop small cash back program. Any updates on the merchant ID, or has anyone had luck with another method?

[Tom]

Hey @BrandonBennick, thanks for letting us know and sorry to hear about the trouble with getting added to the map. I ran your post by our Partnerships team and American Express. They suggested the following:

If your business is Shop Small® eligible (criteria outlined here), it will be automatically included in the Shop Small offer. During this offer, American Express is providing Card Members who spend $10+ in a single purchase directly at an eligible small business $5 back as a statement credit up to 10x (for eligible Card Members who enroll by 8/23/2020 and spend by 9/20/2020).
 
If your business is Shop Small eligible, you can also add it to the Shop Small Map where Card Members can find you. Log in here with your business zip code and last six digits of your SSN or Tax ID. If you have any additional questions, please call the Shop Small servicing team at 1-833-213-0506 (Mon – Fri, 9am – 6pm ET) or email ShopSmallHelp@aexp.com.

Hope this helps get things going in the right direction. Let us know if anything else comes up. 🙏

[BallZoutdoors]

I just added our info to the American Express Shop Small Map to be visible.  I hope it works. We've been providing the best and safest face masks that we can... we have nurses and school teachers, construction workers, and warehouse workers backing us.  They are familiar with the material we use to make our masks and know they are safe compared to most made in USA and safer than those made in China and Korea.

[PsyKo13]

I just got an email saying I was now listed on the Small Shop Map. Didn't know what it was so went to look. How do I get my info off there?? I do not have a brick & Mortar location, I am a convention vendor. These jerks have my private home info on there!!

 

[Sineaid]

Hi @PsyKo13,

Thanks for letting us know, and sorry to hear about the trouble with your listing on the Map.

In order to opt out of having your business listed on the Map or Online Directory, you can log in here using the unique access code you received. 

Alternatively, you can call or email the American Express Shop Small Servicing team, and they’ll take care of it for you. Their contact number is: 1-833-213-0506 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm ET), or you can reach them via email at ShopSmallHelp@aexp.com

Hope this helps and welcome to the Community! Don’t hesitate to let us know here if you need help with anything else.