What Store Traffic Data Reveals About Black Friday Shopping

What Store Trafﬁc Data Reveals About Black Friday Shopping

This holiday season, mobile will influence more purchases than ever. Consumers are turning to their phones in hundreds of micro-moments throughout the day, helping to inform both online and in-store purchases. In fact, this year 82% of smartphone users will consult their phone while in a store.1 We took a look at foot trafﬁc patterns2 over the holiday season and here’s what we found:

TRAFFIC TIMES

On Black Friday, store trafﬁc is heaviest in the afternoon, not the morning

Trafﬁc peaks on Black Friday for most stores between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

12 2 PM

9 3

6 4 PM

Thanksgiving Day Black Friday

2:00 4:00 6:00 8:00 10:00 12:00 2:00 4:00 6:00 8:00 10:00 12:00 2:00 4:00 6:00 8:00 10:00 12:00 PM PM PM PM PM AM AM AM AM AM AM PM PM PM PM PM PM AM

Electronics Stores Cellphone Stores Superstores/Discount Department Stores Shopping Malls

TRAFFIC DAYS

Black Friday isn’t the biggest trafﬁc day of the season for all stores Consumer electronics and cellphone stores see peak trafﬁc on Black Friday, but for other stores, the peak days occur closer to Christmas.

November December

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 30 1 2 3 4 5 6

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Last 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 14 15 16 17 18 19 Saturday20 Before Christmas

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Christmas Eve

23 24 25 26 27 28Black 29 28 29 30 31 Friday

Store Foot Trafﬁc Index vs. Other Weekends in Holiday Season

Shopping Malls Electronics Stores

1.4X 2.3X

1.7X 1.7X

.9X .8X

Department Stores Cellphone Stores

1.2X 1.7X

1.6X 1.4X

1.0X .9X

Superstores/Discount Dollar Stores

1.1X 1.0X

1.7X 1.3X

1.1X 1.3X

Black Friday Christmas Eve Last Saturday Before Christmas

SOURCING

1 Google / Ipsos MediaCT, Consumers in the Micro-Moment (n = 5,389), March 2015. 2 Google data, U.S., aggregated, anonymized data from a sample of U.S. users that have turned on Location History, from the period November 1, 2014—December 25, 2014.

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