Now would be a good time for Fayetteville small business owners to consider increasing their advertising expenditures.
There are just over 8,600 small businesses in the Fayetteville, North Carolina metro area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Based on some promising retail sales data, the Overall Sentiment Index among local small business owners has improved 32.4% between April 26 and October 12 of this year.
The best news for business owners came from the Commerce Department on Friday when it reported that retail sales rose by a seasonally adjusted 1.9% in September. This is the fifth straight month of gains.
Local retail gains are being powered by improving consumer confidence and a large pool of cash sitting in people's savings accounts.
The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index jumped to 101.8 in September, up 17.9% from August. This means consumers are in the mood to spend. Fortunately, they have money in the bank to do so.