Shoppers greet the sales with gusto
Figures from SPSL’s Retail Traffic Index show that the start of the Sale season hit top gear on the 27th December.
Shopper numbers on Bank Holiday Tuesday, the 27th, were up by 48.1% on Boxing Day and by 13.7% against the previous Tuesday, 20th December. Against the same day in 2004 though, numbers across the UK were down by 3.1%.[box]”The questions on everyone’s lips now are how long the shopping flurry will last and whether retailers can expect to see the buoyancy linger once the Sales’ stockpiles have disappeared.”[i]Dr Tim Denison[/i][/box]
According to Dr Tim Denison, Director of Knowledge Management at SPSL; “The enthusiasm and vigour with which shoppers have greeted the start of the Sales’ season is a continuation of the upbeat mood of shoppers in the final few days before Christmas. The decision made by some retailers to start their Sales on Boxing Day resulted in a slight fall in year-on-year footfall in the shops yesterday, but taking the two days as a whole, the start is busier than last year. In fact shopper numbers yesterday matched the pre-Christmas peak on the 23rd December, despite snowy conditions down the Eastern side of the country.
“The questions on everyone’s lips now are how long the shopping flurry will last and whether retailers can expect to see the buoyancy linger once the Sales’ stockpiles have disappeared.”
Retail Traffic Figures from SPSL for the week commencing 18th December, the final full week before Christmas, show that shopper numbers were up by 19.1% on the previous week, and by 15.7% year-on-year.
“The RTI figures for last week show the extent of the last minute surge this year, but it must be borne in mind that the comparison is against a six day trading week last year. When you make allowances for this, Christmas week’s footfall was very similar to 2004. It is clear that Christmas 2005 has been busier than many retailers had dared to expect, but trading results will depend on how much margin sacrifice was made to entice sales.”
