So today, Waze, the platform bringing together communities on and off the road, has announced a new initiative to help small businesses get back on their feet. 

Launching this week in advance of Small Business Saturday on 5th December and running until 7th January 2021, Waze is offering business owners an opportunity to contribute information, including address, contact details, and opening and closing hours via a simple form, that will then be added to Waze map by Waze’s volunteer community of Map Editors. This information will help Waze users nationwide easily navigate to these store locations using the most up-to-date information, encouraging them to shop local during the holiday season. 

This campaign builds on Waze’s COVID-19 response as part of a strategic effort to find ways to leverage its products and map to better serve underserved communities, and to enable employees, users, and partners to give back to the organizations they care about.

“We know small businesses have really been hit hard this year as the result of the pandemic,” said Dani Simons, Head of Public Sector Partnerships, Waze. “Earlier this year we launched location badges to help local businesses show if they have drive-thru and contactless pickup available, giving drivers a way to safely collect their groceries or takeout. As we look towards Small Business Saturday and the holiday season, we wanted to make it even easier for drivers to reach these locations and support the economy by shopping local.”

If you are a small business owner who’d like your information on Waze updated - or for businesses that are not yet mapped on Waze - please complete this form.