Las Vegas consumers are expected to spend $45.6 billion at retail this year, according to Nielsen. This means that every household, on average, will be paying out $55,451.

To capture a larger share of these dollars, local small business owners need to know the answer to two questions.

The first question is, where is this enormous amount of cash being spent?  The list below details the answer.

Las Vegas consumers are expected to spend $5 billion on this year's holiday shopping, based on predictions by the National Retail Federation.  This would be a 4% increase over last year.

Deloitte, one of the world's top four accounting firms, forecasts similar growth.

"The projected holiday season growth is, in part, due to the current health of the labor market,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte's U.S. economic forecaster. “Near record-low unemployment rates, coupled with continued monthly job creation, may encourage people to spend more during the holiday season. The economy is still growing, albeit at a slower rate. Additionally, we continue to see consumer confidence elevated, which also helps boost holiday spending."

For most Clark County retailers, holiday spending brings in about 20% of annual sales But, long gone are the days when the bulk of this shopping occurred between Black Friday and Christmas.

Some Clark County small business owners believe that local consumers have ditched their favorite Las Vegas radio stations in favor of music beamed to their cars from space. Is this true? 

The short answer is no. Here are the facts.

There are 1.6 registered vehicles in the Las Vegas area.  Nearly 44% of these cars and trucks are equipped to receive satellite radio from Sirius/XM. To use the service, however, drivers must pay between $10.99 and $20.99 per month.

According to Nielsen,  though, satellite radio has had no effect on the number of people who tune-in to Las Vegas radio stations each week.  For that matter, neither has Pandora, a streaming audio service that is also owned by Sirius/XM.

Last week, for instance, nearly 90% of all adult consumers tuned-in to a Las Vegas radio station. Only 17.2%, however, listened to Sirius/XM, which is the only remaining satellite service. 

Last week, according to Nielsen, 365,811 single, adult women tuned-in to a Las Vegas radio station.  This is 89% of every consumer who fits this description.

Why should Clark County small business owners take note of this demographic? A study by investment bank Morgan Stanley finds 41% of working-age women are single. That number is expected to increase to 45% over the next ten years.

The study, called 'Growth of the SHEconomy', indicates that single women outspend the average household in many retail categories. Remarkably, says, Erica Sweeney of MarketingDive, "Women purchase more than half of products traditionally considered 'male' including autos, home improvement products, and consumer electronics."

Is advertising on the radio just a day job for Las Vegas small business owners?  

Thousands of local companies depend on radio advertising to market their goods and services. But, many of these business owners choose to buy commercials only between 6:00 am and 7:00 pm.  Is this a good idea? Maybe not.  Here are the facts.

Last week, for instance, 1,502,898 adult consumers tuned-in to their favorite Las Vegas radio stations. This is significantly higher than the number that tuned-in to a local TV station, read a local newspaper, logged-on to social media sites like Facebook, or streamed audio from Pandora and Spotify.

OMG! Did you just call the 1.5 million adult consumers who tuned-in to a Las Vegas station last week a 'nobody'?

If you did make that mistake, then you wouldn't be the first Las Vegas small business owner or media professional to do so. Even, Doug Schoen used to share that opinion. He came clean, however, in a Forbes article.

"You wouldn't know it from all the media coverage focused on streaming video and streaming music," writes Mr. Schoen, "but recent Nielsen data shows radio actually has the most reach among American media consumers. 93% of adults listen to the radio each week as compared to 87% who watch TV, a substantive difference."

This is true in Las Vegas, as well, where radio listeners far outnumber the people who watch local TV; read local newspapers; or stream audio sites like Pandora and Spotify; or log-on to social media sites like Facebook and Instagram.

It's the cycle of American business. During this country's history there have been more recessions than presidents, 47 vs. 45.  Unfortunately, some economists believe number 48 could start any day now.  

The textbook definition of a recession is a period of declining economic performance across an entire economy, frequently measured as two consecutive quarters. In other words: it's a time when most Las Vegas small business owners sell fewer of their goods and services.

There is one thing a recession is not.  It is not a time for local business owners to stop advertising.

One of the great marketing minds of all time, Henry Ford, once said, "The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time."

There are many examples of companies that have proven Mr. Ford's observation to be accurate. The bowl of cereal you had this morning could be one example.

Based on information from the National Retail Foundation, Las Vegas consumers will be spending $55 million on Halloween this year. 

Typically, 80% of all Halloween shopping, according to the NRF, will occur between now and October 16.  The remaining dollars will be spent in the last 14 days leading up to the holiday.

Nearly 53% of consumers in Clark County are expected to participate in Halloween this year, each spending, on average, about $86.  This money will go towards the purchase of candy, decorations, costumes, pumpkins, and greeting cards.

Almost every type of small business in Las Vegas enjoys a taste of this spending. This includes hardware stores, convenience stores, craft stores, fabric stores, thrift stores, florists, card stores, consignment shops, haunted houses, home decor store, bakeries, and, of course, candy stores.

To claim a significant share of this Halloween cash will require local small business owners to advertise.  The key to successful advertising is reaching as many Halloween shoppers as possible over the next four weeks.

Business owners who sell mattresses in the Las Vegas area might be losing sleep.

Last year, Clark County consumers spent close to $481 million for new mattresses.  A recent survey conducted by Piper Jaffray indicates that many retailers believe  that the category will become even stronger during the last four months of this year.

The reason for the owners' sleep loss is that many customers are skipping local stores and buying their mattresses on the internet. According to Statista, 37% of mattress buyers are now purchasing from one-of-175 direct-to-consumer sites like Casper or from online retailers like Amazon. 

To keep customers shopping local requires advertising.

Advertising is critical to the success of every Las Vegas small business owner.  One of the most powerful elements of any advertising campaign is how many people it reaches.

Nielsen, the world's largest consumer insights company, found that advertising reach has a more significant effect on sales than branding, recency, and context.

There are many ways a local business owner can advertise. This includes traditional media like Las Vegas radio, local TV, and newspaper. It also includes online advertising options such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pandora.

They type of customer an individual business needs to reach depends on the goods and services the company sells. For instance, a daycare operator might want to reach households with young children. On the other hand, a real estate agent could be looking for consumers in the market to purchase a new home.