ShopperTrak data finds 1.7% decline in shopper visits to US retail stores on Black Friday; 1% decline over Thursday-Friday two day period
Findings indicate that shopper visits resulted in only a combined one percent decline for the two-day period compared to last year, with a 1.7 percent decline in traffic on Black Friday versus 2017. This slight traffic variance is consistent with data results over the last several years.“
The fact that the combined shopper visits remained almost the same this year compared to the last three years proves that the notion of Black Friday not being popular anymore is a myth,” said Brian Field, senior director of global retail consulting for ShopperTrak. “Shopping in physical stores during the holidays continues to be an exciting annual event for consumers and based on the Black Friday traffic data, retailers are in for a successful holiday season.”
Eight of the 10 ShopperTrak predicted busiest shopping days are still to come, including Super Saturday, which will fall on Dec. 22, and the Sunday before Christmas, Dec. 23. Notably, for the third year in a row, there are four Saturdays in December prior to Christmas Day, which will enhance the importance of both Dec. 8 and Dec. 15. In addition, similar to last year, the Saturday after Christmas, Dec. 29, is expected to be one of the busiest shopping days taking the last spot on the top 10 busiest day’s list.