How to Shield Your Small Business from Consumer Boycotts

March 8th 2025

In opposition to the current U.S. government’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across all sectors of the economy, grassroots efforts are springing up to express dissatisfaction with this decision. 

The first economic boycott occurred on Friday, February 28, 2025.

Consumers were asked to refrain from spending any money online or in person anywhere, with a particular prohibition toward buying from big box retailers. The goal, organizers explained, was to win the attention of governmental and corporate leaders who believe that Americans don’t care about such diversity, equity, and inclusion regulations.

Future boycotts are planned to target specific companies, to encourage those corporations to reconsider reinstating their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices. Some of the biggest targets include Amazon, Walmart, and Target, which have all recently rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Now, whether you are for or against such boycotts, if you run a small business, you may get unintentionally caught in the crossfire. To reduce the damage that such a no-buy movement may cause, here are some tactics to consider trying to insulate your business from the effects of shoppers cutting way back on their spending:

Broadcast that Yours is a Small Business

Numerous activists have indicated that small businesses should be exempt from any boycotts. That is, consumers should be encouraged to continue buying from small businesses and to switch their spending patterns away from corporations and toward smaller ventures.

However, in case that message gets lost, be vocal in letting your customers know that yours is a small business and that you would appreciate their continued support. You can do this through:

• Small business signage or flags on the exterior of your business
• Signage inside your business
• A note on customer receipts
• A note on your website
• A note on your social media accounts
• A note in any advertisements

If you support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, you may want to be vocal about that, to avoid any misunderstanding. Emphasize it.

The most important step here is communicating that your company is a small business.

Ask for Other Types of Support

If your customers opt to participate in boycotting larger businesses or to avoid spending money on those days, remind them that they can still show support for your business in several ways that won’t cost them a penny.

These include:

• Liking your shop on social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, and/or TikTok
• Writing a positive Yelp or Google review of your business
• Posting a positive LinkedIn Recommendation of you or your firm
• Commenting on your online posts to boost engagement
• Creating and sharing a post about your company on social media
• Providing a written or video testimonial that you can then share with your audience and they can share with theirs
• Encouraging their friends to shop with you

Even if your customers don’t spend their dollars during a scheduled boycott, encourage their ongoing support of your company in other ways.

Then give them an incentive to buy immediately following a boycott.

Announce a Special Promotion or Incentive

Although some customers may not be spending money during a boycott, take the opportunity to entice them to make a purchase immediately following the blackout period.

The day of or the day after a boycott, make a splash with a special offer to your customers. That could be a rare discount, a special event, or a product or service bundle that is hard to resist. 

For example, a restaurant could offer a special three-course meal for a bargain price. An accounting firm could offer a one-hour consultation to small businesses at no charge to the first 15 respondents. And a dog groomer could throw in a free nail trim with each doggy bath.

But offer it on the day of the boycott for the following day, or right after the boycott period ends.

Consider Closing During Boycotts

Granted, you can’t close up shop during every boycott, or it’s unlikely you would be profitable.

However, if you get wind that no one in your area will be shopping on a particular day, you might consider closing for the day, reducing your hours, or closing early, to reduce your labor costs when you expect no customers.

For example, if you run a bakery and have no orders on February 25th, consider closing early. Or if your nail salon has no appointments in the morning, you may want to open at noon instead of 7:00 am.

If you do that, however, you may want to remain accessible to customers online. Encourage them to get in touch with you so that you can better gauge whether it makes sense to continue closing during boycotts or if you should stay open for your customers’ convenience.

Boycotts have historically been efforts to shine a light on a particular issue or problem. At the moment, economic boycotts are being used to put pressure on corporations, but since small businesses are for-profit ventures, they can be lumped together with other for-profit companies.

Do all you can to position your company as a community asset, to reduce any fallout from consumers who are choosing not to spend money during these blackout periods.