Study reveals best days to shop this holiday season

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Shopping / Christmas / HolidayThe premise of the study is that the best day to schedule a shopping trip is the day with the least amount of fellow shoppers – making Black Friday the worst possible day. This is news you can use to help retail clients push days when their sales might otherwise slump a bit.


The study, which reveals the 10 best days to shop, comes from ShopperTrak.

“This holiday shopping season — November and December — will be busier than in 2011. More shoppers will visit more stores,” said Bill Martin, ShopperTrak founder. “But even though consumer demand will increase, retailers still will offer plenty of specials and discounts. The 10 lightest shopping days, in terms of foot traffic, will present an opportunity for shoppers to secure the best customer service and potentially the best deals.”

Consumers who take advantage of the days on the list will get more attention from store employees, while facing less crowding and shorter lines.

According to ShopperTrak, Black Friday 2011 produced 684M million store visits and $20.8B in sales, and more of the same is expected this year.

“Black Friday is not for the faint of heart,” said Martin. “Shoppers must brave the crowds to take advantage of good deals. If they can venture back out after just a few days, however, they’ll have the full attention of store employees and plenty of remaining discounts.”

“Though every store’s foot traffic patterns differ, most see traffic trail off during weekday business hours – even during the holidays,” said Martin. “Shoppers deserve good customer service regardless of foot traffic levels, and retailers should plan for this fact. Understanding their foot traffic and shopper conversion rates will help retailers optimize their staffing and operations, enabling them to best serve their customers.”

Here, then, are the top 10 days to shop.
1. Nov. 27 Tuesday
2. Nov. 26 Monday
3. Nov. 28 Wednesday
4. Dec. 4 Tuesday
5. Nov. 29 Thursday
6. Dec. 3 Monday
7. Dec. 5 Wednesday
8. Dec. 6 Thursday
9. Dec. 10 Monday
10. Dec. 11 Tuesday

RBR-TVBR observation: This is one occasion where it will be good for business to disrupt consumer expectations. If your station can help clients attract more customers on what would normally be off-days traffic-wise, they won’t be getting quite the same relatively peaceful shopping experience they might otherwise have gotten.

However, it will still likely be far less stressful than hitting the stores on Black Friday or on any weekend day, so by getting this message out there both in your programming and in retail commercials, you likely will be providing your audience with valuable advice even as you help pump sales for your clients.