As the year winds down, Sensormatic Solutions, a retail technology developer and consultant, stated that the biggest in-store shopping days of the holiday season in the United States will be Black Friday, November 25, the Friday before Christmas, December 23 and the day after Christmas, December 26.
The full Sensormatic list runs:
- Black Friday, November 25
- Friday before Christmas, December 23
- Day after Christmas, December 26
- Super Saturday, December 17
- Saturday after Black Friday, November 26
- Second Saturday in December, December 10
- Thursday before Christmas, December 22
- First Saturday in December, December 3
- Sunday before Christmas, December 18
- Wednesday before Christmas, December 21
On average, according to Sensormatic, the top 10 busiest shopping days in the U.S. account for about 40% of all holiday retail traffic nationwide. However, retailers might expect consumers to do an even larger proportion of the holiday purchasing on key shopping days as they consolidate store visits, which is a trend running back through the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent inflationary period with its peaking fuel prices.
“We expect a busy holiday season at home and abroad,” said Kevin Viravec, Sensormatic Solutions president in announcing the year-end shopping predictions. “Keeping up with demand, staffing appropriately and having a complete view of operations will be crucial to delivering satisfying customer experiences as shopping peaks. The rise of truly unified commerce has boosted consumer expectations to new highs, and those expectations are likely to be even higher during the holidays. Now is the time for retailers to reflect on the experiences they’ve been delivering online and in-store so they can take steps to enhance their operations before the rush begins.”
Brian Field, global leader of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, whose team forecasts the top busiest days of the holiday season, said, “Historical data will be extremely valuable in determining how to stock, staff, and promote deals during the holidays. Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, so the last Saturday before Christmas is technically Christmas Eve, shifting the landscape somewhat from the norm. As most stores close earlier on the 24th and potential shoppers begin their holiday festivities, the 17th is likely to be the busiest Saturday in December. The last time this happened was in 2016, and if that’s any indication of what will happen this year, retailers can expect bigger crowds and higher-than-normal demand on this day than they might have in other years. They’ll need to plan their approach accordingly.”
