After a jump in shopper counts over ‘Panic Weekend’ (21 and 22 Dec 2024), Boxing Day (26 Dec 2024) store traffic is also expected to rise +2%, according to RetailNext, the leading analytics solution for bricks-and-mortar retailers.
Original data from RetailNext’s UK shopper traffic index, which captures billions of store visits globally each year, showed that footfall on Super Saturday (21 Dec 2024) jumped +2.2% year-on-year, prompted by retailers offering early Boxing Day discounts as well as the usually last-minute, gift-buying rush. Meanwhile store visits yesterday (Sunday, 22 Dec 2024) saw a +26.2% rise compared to the Sunday of Panic Weekend 2023, the last weekend of shopping before Christmas. The significant year-on-year uptick seen on Sunday this year is due to the Sunday of Panic Weekend falling on Christmas Eve in 2023, when stores typically operate half day opening times. Across both days of Panic Weekend, shopper counts also rose 3.05% compared to the weekend before.
Fashion was among the top performing sectors, with footfall to apparel retailers rising +7.6% year-on-year on Super Saturday, while shopper traffic in London also delivering a standout performance with shopper counts in the capital increasing by 4% compared to 2023.
Footfall is expected to continue to rise today (23 Dec 2024) on what’s being dubbed ‘Manic Monday’, the last full shopping day before Christmas, when a last-minute surge is expected in-store as shoppers look to wrap up festive purchasing before Christmas Eve, tomorrow (24 Dec 2024), as Gary Whittemore, Head of Sales EMEA & APAC at RetailNext, explained:
“The crunch time is on – for both shoppers and retailers – and we expect in-store footfall to continue to build and build today as consumers tick off any final gifts or pick up last-minute purchases from the remaining click-and-collect windows. While our data indicates today will be another very busy in-store shopping day, perhaps the biggest boost in footfall of the season is yet to come, with Boxing Day expected to top footfall performance, rising even higher than the levels already seen on Super Saturday.”
RetailNext’s data suggests footfall on Boxing Day will outperform Super Saturday. In 2023, its data showed footfall on Boxing Day rose +7.7% year-on-year, while shoppers were also tipped to have spent an estimated £13.53bn over the Boxing Day sales period from 26 Dec – 31 Dec last year. The more modest rise predicted for Boxing Day footfall of +2% in 2024 is owing to the growing number of retailers, including The Range and Debenhams, who have already brought forward deals that would have usually been held for Boxing Day to shore up pre-Christmas demand and revenues.
