Christmas Eve footfall lower than 2008.
Experian Footfall National Index provisional figures show that footfall on Christmas Eve was down 4.42 per cent on 2008.
“Christmas Eve has been marginally quieter this year than last, as the traditional slow down pattern of shoppers on Christmas Eve to spend time travelling and enjoying the festivities with friends and as visiting family has been emphasised, given shoppers concerns about travelling in icy conditions on the road and their focusing on getting to their destinations in safety” says Anita Manan, Quantitative Analyst at Experian FootFall.
“The timing of Christmas Day this year has allowed four full shopping days this week, and although Christmas Eve has been slightly quieter this year on the high street and shopping centres compared to last year, consumers have taken advantage of spreading their purchasing out over the four days. In addition, additional time to spend online, with later delivery dates being offered by on-line retailers has given opportunities to use this channel.
Shoppers may have also opted to shop at the edge of town supermarkets for purchasing perishable food items and with the expanded non-food offer , in poor weather conditions it can prove as a ‘one stop shop’ where consumers can get everything under one roof, this pattern can erode numbers to traditional multi -retail comparison locations.
Many retailers have started or announced their ‘SALE’ details yesterday, this, coupled with imminent 2.5% VAT increase in the next year, will focus consumers mind on purchasing ‘big ticket’ items which they can browse on-line for on Christmas Day before either purchasing directly through this channel or going in to stores when they open Boxing Day.
In previous years, the post Christmas ‘SALE’ activity has impacted shopping behaviour, and we have seen a growing trend in the number of shoppers purchasing after Christmas on-line and off-line in the early hours of Boxing Day.”
