American Express launches 'Shop Small' in India to help small retailers tide over COVID-19 impact

In its efforts to boost the morale of small retailers, who had to bear the brunt of the COVID-19 outbreak, American Express has launched its Shop Small campaign in India.

The initiative is aimed at small and medium-sized merchants across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, covering retail shops, healthcare services, restaurants and hotels.

American Express is providing merchant recovery kits to small businesses with a range of Shop Small POP, social distancing materials and hygiene supplies such as hand sanitiser sprays, masks, and face shields to help them maintain in-store hygiene and restart their business with confidence while ensuring the safety of their customers.

To encourage consumers, American Express is offering cashback of Rs 300 for the enrolled card members after they spend Rs 1,500 or more at any eligible small merchant when they shop in-store, up to five times beginning now until November 30.

Card members can also locate small merchants that are open for in-store purchases in their vicinity through a Shop Small Map.

"Small businesses are the backbone of the Indian economy and have been impacted the most during the pandemic. Through our Shop Small initiative, we are reinforcing our longstanding commitment to support small businesses by bringing them closer in the safest possible way to consumers and providing them the required resources to revive their business with confidence," said Manoj Adlakha, SVP and CEO, American Express Banking Corporation India.

American Express has also created an online hub 'All for Small', which will host turnkey marketing tools, expert insights and advice, special savings on curated solutions to help them market their business and other resources.

American Express has tied up with Google, Facebook, Amazon and PayPal to provide online marketing tutorials and tools.

"The pandemic has changed the way all of us live, eat and shop. Shop Small by American Express is a welcome initiative as it encourages us to get back to our lives and livelihoods and also ensures that small shops are supported. These kinds of initiatives help in bringing back the cheer to one of the largest growing economies of the world," said Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India.

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