American Express has announced a commitment of more than $200 million to help jumpstart spending at small merchants, many of whom were impacted by Covid-19.

To encourage consumers to buy from small shops, American Express is offering a ₹300 cashback for the enrolled India Cardmembers after they spend ₹1,500 or more at any eligible small merchant when they shop in-store, up to five times beginning now till November 30.

In India, the Shop Small campaign covers small and medium-sized merchants across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru covering retail shops, healthcare services, restaurants and hotels.

American Express has also made it easier for its Cardmembers to locate small merchants that are open for in-store purchases in their vicinity through a Shop Small Map.

As part of the Shop Small campaign 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 sanitizer sprays, masks, and face shields to help them maintain in-store hygiene and re-start their business with confidence while ensuring the safety of their customers.

Manoj Adlakha, SVP and CEO, American Express Banking Corp India, said, “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 long-standing commitment to support small businesses by bringing them closer in the safest possible way to the consumers and providing them the required resources to revive their business with confidence.”

To support small merchants with reopening, 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. For this, American Express has partnered with Google, Facebook, Amazon, and PayPal amongst others 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. We, at Retailers Association of India, believe that these kinds of initiatives help in bringing back the cheer to one of the largest growing economies of the world” says Kumar Rajagopalan, Chief Executive Officer, Retailers Association of India.

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