In the U.S, the top 10 busiest shopping days account for approximately 30% to 40% of all holiday retail traffic.
With a shorter holiday shopping season this year due to a late Thanksgiving, retailers need to be ready for eight key dates in December — and two in November.
Black Friday, Nov. 29, once again tops Sensormatic Solutions’ forecast of the top busiest shopping days of the 2024 holiday season which, due to the late Thanksgiving, has only 26 days between the holiday and Christmas Day compared to 31 last year. The second busiest day of the season is expected to be “Super Saturday,” Dec. 21, followed by Monday, Dec. 23. (The complete list is near the end of article.)
Due to the unique features of the calendar, not only are there less days this year in the traditional holiday shopping period, Christmas falls on a Wednesday. Retailers should look at historical performance records from 2019, which is the last time the holiday fell on Wednesday as well as the last pre-COVID holiday season, advised Sensormatic, which is the global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls.
In the U.S, the top 10 busiest shopping days account for approximately 30% to 40% of all holiday retail traffic. Sensormatic predicts U.S. in-store traffic will be relatively flat, down no more than 3% year-over-year. To date, traffic has been down 2.6% on average compared to 2023.
“Physical stores will play a critical role once again this holiday season, providing inspiration and convenience, said Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, whose team predicts the season’s top busiest days. “While we don’t see signs of significant risk to the anticipated flat traffic, we expect the compressed holiday season to have an impact on total shopping visits, as consumers will have fewer opportunities to shop.”
[READ MORE: Survey: Online holiday shopping intentions continue to rise]
Concerns about holiday shipping deadlines on e-commerce purchases will likely grow amid this year’s contracted timeline, leading gift-givers to turn to brick-and-mortar options toward the end of the season to ensure they can get what they need in time for their holiday celebrations, according to Sensormatic.