ShopperTrak reports 2.3% rise in year-over-year sales

Chicago -- Year-over-year GAFO retail sales increased a slight 2.3% or the week ending Dec. 4, according to ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE), while the company’s Retail Traffic Index (SRTI) reported foot traffic remained flat for the same period.



Annually in the week following the strong Black Friday weekend ($20.5 billion spent, 2.8% traffic increase), retailers experience a bit of a lull as consumers recover from the three-day spending frenzy and wait for the next big deal throughout the season. Because of this, ShopperTrak is reporting that even a minimal sales increase should be seen as positive.



“Our data shows that typically consumers have a bit of a shopping hangover following Black Friday weekend, which continues until a couple of weeks before Christmas as both deal-driven and procrastinating shoppers really bookend the holiday season,” said Bill Martin, founder of ShopperTrak. “So while last week’s sales increase was moderate, this is still relatively good news for retailers as it shows there may still be some dollars in the trough following a November where consumers spent throughout the month responding to early holiday sales.”



In analyzing traffic performance, ShopperTrak says the flat comparison versus last year is in line with what the company monitored over Black Friday weekend and highlights today’s economical consumer.



The NRSE provides a nationwide benchmark of retail sales. It is derived from the U.S. Commerce Department's GAFO (general merchandise, apparel, furniture, sporting goods, electronics, hobby, books and other related store sales) statistic, as well as ShopperTrak proprietary industry intelligence on shopper movement and sales statistics.



The ShopperTrak Retail Traffic Index measures traffic across five separate retail segments including total U.S. retailing.