Study: June events curtail shopper traffic

San Francisco - Shopper traffic declined 9% in June, compared to the same month the previous year, as vacations, holidays, and record-breaking World Cup viewership cannibalized time spent on shopping-related activities. According to data from in-store analytics provider Euclid, despite the reduced traffic, high levels of consumer confidence boosted shoppers’ spending habits with .2% growth year-over-year in general merchandise, apparel, furniture and other (GAFO) retail sales



In addition, Euclid reported 4% growth year-over-year in clothing and apparel sales and 1% growth year-over-year in general merchandise sales. Storefront conversion was up slightly as June 2014 remained more promotional than the previous June, driven by competition and relatively high inventories. Average duration increased 8% from the previous year. June realized pent up demand from May as disposable income continued to grow and consumer confidence rose. Summer sales and nicer weather also contributed to the improvement.



However, visits decreased slightly year-over-year due to the same factors that affected traffic, but this trend was outweighed by the benefit of higher engagement. The best day of June was Monday, June 2, with outperformance across all metrics except for active repeat ratio as the month started with a flurry of activity. Not surprisingly, Sunday, June 15 (Father’s Day) was the worst shopping day of the month. The lowest level of traffic and low storefront conversion were experienced as vacations and family activities cannibalized mall visits.