The traditional Black Friday shop-till-you-drop marathon will require an extra push to get off the ground this year. This is always the month when most merchants make the lion’s share of their revenue, but with COVID-19 still up-ending the local economy, in 2020 they are counting on holiday shopping to stay in business, period.

So many retail establishments, including those in business for years, already have shut down for good. They simply couldn’t hold on as federal assistance programs lapsed and customers’ disposable income became scarce over the eight-month course of the coronavirus pandemic.

But for those shop and restaurant owners who have taken heart in the very gradual return of the tourism economy and hope the emerging vaccines can vanquish the coronavirus, this season may be their last shot at survival. It falls to their customers to do what they can to help, so that when conditions do improve, more of their favorite retailers can snap back.

Many are adapting their business operations to a more restricted commercial environment that otherwise would have kept consumers at bay. New delivery options, upgraded online views of inventory, curbside pickup for customers — all are features that increasingly are becoming part of the landscape.

Some are innovating individually, but for small businesses, there is strength in numbers, and online platforms for vendor collectives have been launched. For example, the annual Made In Hawaii Festival went virtual in August, and its marketplace (madeinhawaiifestival.com) has become a permanent fixture.

There are others. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement aimed to help its constituent business owners by hosting the Pop-Up Makeke (popupmakeke.com). Mana Up is an initiative guiding entrepreneurs in expanding their reach through e-commerce and has its own market (houseofmanaup.com).

Another gift guide, co-sponsored by Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, has been launched at the site Hawaiiverse.com, which directs givers to causes (hawaiiverse.com/listing-category/causes) as well as merchandise.

Many nonprofits are supporting a population that is increasingly in need — and resources to run their programs will be short, as government grant opportunities are sure to be curtailed. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser Good Neighbor Fund is another channel for those whose gift-giving includes charities as well.

Realizing that lots of folks still prefer being there in person, conventional shopping centers are trying new ways to make that more convenient. Example: AlaMoanaCenter.com lists the mall’s delivery and pickup options, as well as a “spot holder” way to reserve a place in line to enter some of its stores.

However people approach their shopping, it should begin with a consideration: How can whatever I have to spend leave a positive impact, especially locally?

Naturally, all brick-and-mortar businesses here, large and small, employ people. But while any activity that supports jobs is a good thing, patronizing locally owned businesses, or buying locally made products wherever they’re sold, gives a boost to those who are usually operating without much of a cushion.

And that margin is thinning further with each passing day. There remains a fair chance that federal relief aid provided to businesses could be extended beyond the end of the year, but that’s not nearly a guarantee. And the recovery of the tourism industry is lagging behind even modest projections.

If there was ever a time when being consumers was elevated in importance, it is now. Giving to those in your circle this year is a gift to the community we love, needed more than ever.