Retail analytics leader, RetailNext, reports US store traffic climbs +1.1% year-on-year over a six-week period during the 2022 holiday season
RetailNext Inc., the worldwide leader in shopper analytics and brick-and-mortar retail intelligence, announced new data showing positive traffic trends for US stores over the 2022 holiday season. The report is based on data collected at tens of thousands of US stores across multiple brands operating on the RetailNext smart store platform. The comprehensive findings cover a six-week period, from the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day (November 27, 2022), through New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2022).
Traffic for the period increased by +1.1% over last year, with the highest peak recorded in the last week of December 2022 when footfall spiked by +22.9%. These encouraging traffic trends are aligned with the positive sales results for the period, providing a much-needed boost as the retail industry looks to January to set the tone for 2023.
“For retailers seeking a strong close to the fiscal year, these traffic gains are an important data point to help maximize in-store opportunities such as clearing out excess inventory as well as upselling or cross-selling during returns. At the beginning of 2022, traffic put in a strong performance over 2021 with footfall in the mid-twenties and above. However, there was a consistent decline in footfall from March 2022 with traffic reaching negative territory in November 2022. In part, this is attributed to the inflationary pressures and macroeconomic factors that consumers are facing, but we’re also seeing a post-pandemic emergence for retail”, said Joe Shasteen, Global Manager, Advanced Analytics.
“From a category perspective, we saw a fairly consistent growth trend in traffic for Health & Beauty, and Apparel over the last few months of 2022 so it’s unsurprising to see that trend continue into the holidays”.
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US Top Five Busiest Days – Total Six-Week Period (YoY):
December 23, 2022 (Friday)
December 17, 2022 (Super Saturday)
December 26, 2022 (Monday)
December 22, 2022 (Thursday)
December 18, 2022 (Sunday)
Holiday Season 2022 – Total Six-Week Period (YoY):
Total Six Week Period: +1.1%
November Week 4: +1.7%
December Week 1: -6.0%
December Week 2: -3.4%
December Week 3: -4.8%
December Week 4: -0.3%
December Week 5: +22.9%
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The company also tracked data across regions and retail categories:
Regions – Total Six-Week Period (YoY):
Midwest: -2.4%
Northeast: +2.4%
South: -0.7%
West: +2.0%
Categories – Total Six-Week Period (YoY):
Apparel: +5.0%
Footwear: -5.5 %
Health & Beauty: +6.7%
Home: -11.1%
Jewelry: +4.6%
*Stores must be open on both the 2022 and 2021 dates. All 2022 data compared to the same date (for dates immediately leading up to holidays or holidays themselves) or day of the week in 2021*
(Statistics are subject to change as retailers continue to report updates)
Derived from data collected at tens of thousands of U.S. stores across hundreds of brands operating on the RetailNext smart store platform, the data reflects in-store trends across a wide variety of retail segments, from major big-box brands to standalone and specialty retail operations. Metrics exclude automobiles, petroleum, and warehouse clubs, and include stores across the US that were open both this year and last year.