Experian FootFall: Super Saturday could surpass Black Friday

New York -- Shopper analytics firm Experian FootFall said Thursday that the final Saturday before Christmas – Super Saturday – could eclipse Black Friday as the top performer this holiday season.



Historically, Black Friday and Super Saturday are the two strongest shopping days throughout the holiday season, with Black Friday typically finishing just ahead of Super Saturday. Due to the 2012 calendar shift that provides an additional two days to spend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, FootFall said it anticipates consumers will flood various retail locations and boost performance by taking advantage of sales and promotions during the final weekend of the season.



“As we advised, retailers experienced a spending lull following the hugely successful Black Friday weekend where deep discounts and early Black Friday promotions extended spending into Thanksgiving Day,” said Roseanne McCauley, VP the Americas for Experian FootFall. “We believe these same deep discounts and promotions like those seen over Black Friday weekend, added to the annual throng of procrastinators that wait until the final weekend to spend, could potentially drive Super Saturday performance ahead of Black Friday in 2012.”



FootFall anticipates retailers will see a spike beginning Friday evening with weekend sales peaking late on Saturday. Retailers should see Super Saturday momentum extending into Sunday with sales and traffic levels tapering off as the weekend winds down, forecasted the firm.



Looking further ahead, Footfall said that retailers might see a slight increase early on Christmas Eve as consumers secure those last-minute items to finalize holiday spending. The firm also anticipates gift card redemptions and after-Christmas sales and promotions will once again boost retail performance on Dec. 26.