Analysts report footfall up year on year
Black Friday footfall increased by between 3 and 6 per cent compared to Black Friday 2018, according to official data from footfall analysts ShopperTrak, Springboard, and Ipsos Retail Performance, with shopping centres seeing the biggest increase of 6.5 per cent
The shopping event was expected to perform poorly due to political uncertainty and low consumer confidence, but increases were seen across all regions, with particularly large increases in Wales and the South West.
Sector wise, the biggest growth was seen in clothing & shoes (+8.3 per cent) and jewellery and accessories (+10.9 per cent), but electrical and phones saw a decrease by -0.6 per cent, likely in anticipation of Cyber Monday.
Nick Pompa, global general manager at ShopperTrak, commented: “We know that shoppers are in the driving seat now on how, when and where they shop, but our data shows that Black Friday still ranks as a key day for bricks-and-mortar. Our data helps retailers kick start their peak trading strategies and maximise their returns.
“Black Friday used to be a single day of deals, but this year some retailers started their promotions as early as mid-November. Its impact on in-store shopper traffic can be seen well into December as festive footfall starts to climb, with the physical store remaining key to peak trading success.”
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, commented: “This positive result may well ‘seal the deal’ for retailers in terms of their commitment to Black Friday moving forward, as they will have claimed shoppers early on in the Christmas trading period giving them the opportunity to steal a march on their rivals.”
