In an initial shopper traffic data study of brick-and-mortar retail stores and shopping centers in the United States, Sensormatic Solutions stated that shopper visits increased by 4.6% on Black Friday, November 24, versus the sales event in the year previous.
Consumers headed into stores in the early afternoon for the most part, consistent with past Black Fridays, Sensormatic indicated, with 2–3 p.m. the peak time for in-store shopping.
With Christmas falling on a Monday in 2023, Sensormatic forecasts that the busiest days of the holiday season will be more concentrated toward the end of the year than usual. The top 10 busiest days of 2023’s holiday season are likely to account for 40% of all holiday traffic, the firm pointed out. Though Sensormatic Solutions anticipates Black Friday will be the busiest shopping day of the year, there are still opportunities for retailers to capture sales.
In commenting on Black Friday numbers, Grant Gustafson, Sensormatic head of retail consulting and analytics, said, “This is an excellent result for retailers. Though we anticipated an increase, in-store shopper traffic outperformed our expectations. Consumers are again finding joy in brick-and-mortar shopping, seeing it as an experience to be shared with loved ones. It’s a testament to the hard work retailers have done to streamline journeys and deliver satisfying experiences.”
He added that Sensormatic’s “main takeaway from these results is their strength compared to previous years. This is the most significant Black Friday increase we’ve seen in recent memory. It’s great news for retailers and consumers as we head into the remaining days of the holiday season.”
Opportunities in the upcoming weeks will provide retailers with the ability to engage consumers who are still in holiday shopping mode, Sensormatic predicted.
“After falling to third place on our list in 2022, Super Saturday, which is the day before Christmas Eve this year, is again the second-busiest day for retailers in 2023 and is expected to be the final rush of the 2023 holiday season,” Gustafson said. “However, it’s important that retailers remember that our data is designed to apply broadly to the American retail industry as a whole. Retailers should also look at their own data from their traffic solutions in 2017, the last time Christmas fell on a Monday, for a more granular view of their store when building and tailoring promotional and operational plans this December. These deeper levels of insights will help them see how things played out for them the last time Christmas fell on a Monday.”
