ShopperTrak ranks best days to shop to avoid holiday crowds

If avoiding large crowds is your criteria for tackling the holiday shopping season, then ShopperTrak has some advice for you.



ShopperTrak, a leading provider of shopper analytics, has identified the 10 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas likely to have the least amount of in-store holiday shopper traffic, making them the best days to shop for consumers looking to do their shopping in a less frenzied environment.



"There's a reason Black Friday and the Saturday before Christmas attract the heaviest crowds — retailers flood consumers with discounts and special offers on those days," says ShopperTrak founder and EVP Bill Martin. "But quieter shopping days also present their fair share of deals for consumers, along with more attentive customer service and a leisurely shopping experience."



ShopperTrak predicts that Wednesday, Dec. 4, will be the best day to shop this holiday season with the least amount of store shopper traffic. Three other days that same week — Dec. 2 (Monday), Dec. 3 (Tuesday) and Dec. 6 (Friday) — also garnered top spots as some of the best days to shop this year. These weekdays immediately follow Black Friday weekend, which ShopperTrak anticipates will be among the busiest days for retail shopper traffic and sales. Given their proximity to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, a good selection of merchandise likely will remain in the stores for retailers working to capture those sales.



Historically, the majority of shoppers flock to malls on the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas. With four weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year — compared to five weekends last year — consumers will have fewer weekend days to complete their holiday shopping. The weekdays will see stores with fewer crowds and more attentive sales staff offering shoppers an opportunity to complete some of their holiday shopping without competing with the crowds.



Despite lower store shopper traffic, weekdays provide an opportunity for retailers to promote and move merchandise that remains after weekends.



"Consumers are often more alert to sales and promotions than if they shopped on chaotic weekend days," says Martin. "Retailers can use traffic benchmarking reports and real-time analytics to better prepare their store and staff to seize selling opportunities on these slower-traffic days and turn browsers into buyers."