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Sensormatic Solutions, the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), today released its predictions for the top busiest shopping days of the 2024 Christmas season in the UK, with Super Saturday (21 Dec) once again predicted to be the busiest in-store shopping day of Peak Trading 2024.  Each year, Sensormatic Solutions retail traffic consulting and analytics group forecasts the global top busiest shopping days, leveraging historical holiday traffic data from its ShopperTrak Analytics solution.

Once again, Super Saturday is predicted to be the busiest in-store shopping day of Peak Trading 2024 for UK retailers, having also ranked top in 2023. Data from the Sensormatic platform, which captures 40 billion shopper visits globally each year, showed that last year UK footfall on Super Saturday (23 Dec 2023) jumped +35% year-on-year, as last-minute Christmas shoppers swarmed into store on the penultimate day – and the last full shopping day – before Christmas.  Last year, between 21 – 24 Dec UK consumers were tipped to have spent £4.89 billion, highlighting the significant boost from last-minute gift buying.

Top 5 busiest days for in-store shopping in the UK:

1. Super Saturday – 21 Dec
2. Monday before Christmas – 23 Dec
3. 2nd Saturday before Christmas – 14 Dec
4. 3rd Saturday before Christmas – 07 Dec
5. Saturday after Black Friday – 30 Nov

While Black Friday will continue to impact store footfall, with the Saturday of the Black Friday weekend (30 Nov) predicted to feature in the top 5 busiest days of Peak Trading this year, it fell down two places from 3^rd busiest footfall day in 2023, as shoppers spend shifts earlier and consumers target other discounting days, including Amazon Prime Day.  

Original research of over 1,000 UK consumers by Sensormatic in its latest report showed that 21% of shoppers had already started their Christmas shopping by September and 26% plan to begin gift buying in October, a rise of up +5 percentage points compared to 2023, with adoption of Amazon Prime Big Deals Day as key day for spending doubling from just 3% last year to 6% this year, rising to 11% of Gen Z.  And while 30% will start their Christmas shopping in November, just 7% planned to target Black Friday itself to start making festive purchases, rising to 15% of Gen Z consumers.

“The period from Black Friday through to the New Year remains critical for retailers, and each year presents unique opportunities to optimise strategies and delight in-store shoppers,” said Andy Sumpter, Retail Consultant EMEA & APAC at Sensormatic Solutions. “When the season wraps, ‘success’ is not just about increased sales; it’s also about building brand loyalty, attracting new customers and setting the tone for the coming year.  Our traffic predictions provide a valuable roadmap for the Peak Shopping season, and the ability to adapt and respond to holiday shopping trends can be the difference between a good year and a great one for retailers.”

“Reviewing historical traffic insights data is crucial for retailers to best strategise staffing, stock and promotions during the peak days of the 2024 Christmas shopping season,” Sumpter continued. “Physical stores will play a critical role once again during Peak Trading, providing inspiration and convenience. By leveraging traffic data, retailers can tailor their offerings and create memorable experiences that meet their shoppers’ expectations, such as personalised promotions and optimised store layouts.”

The predicted top busiest shopping days for EMEA include:

To learn about what shoppers are looking for this holiday season and how Sensormatic Solutions can support retailers’ needs, read: UK&I Christmas Shopper Sentiment Report 2024.

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