ICSC: Omnichannel retailers win over holiday weekend
An estimated 151 million people visited a mall or shopping center over the Black Friday weekend.
That’s according to a report by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), which found that omnichannel retailers were overwhelmingly the preferred destination for holiday shoppers, capturing 88% of spending on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.
Among shoppers that utilized click-and-collect (27% on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday), 64% made an additional in-store purchase.
For the third consecutive year, CBL’s enclosed malls were closed on Thanksgiving. Stephen Lebovitz, CEO of CBL Properties, told Chain Store Age that things kicked of strong on the morning of Black Friday, with many CBL properties experiencing long lines prior to doors opening, with some crowds lined up as early as 1:30 AM.
“A key difference between this year and last year is that traffic continued to build throughout the morning and into the afternoon,” said Lebovitz. “ Last year, we saw lulls in the morning from 7-9 and in the mid-afternoon, but that was not the case this year.”
Throughout the rest of the weekend, traffic was steady with many retailers meeting or exceeding plan and exceeding last year sales.
Lebovitz noted that the most popular retailers included Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Pink, Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. Hot items included any and all Sherpa items (pullovers, coats, etc.), knit hats and outwear, and Air Fryers at box stores, as well as beauty products and technology (wireless ear buds, pods).
“Department stores also experienced long lines prior to opening and indicated sales were strong,” he said.
That’s according to a report by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), which found that omnichannel retailers were overwhelmingly the preferred destination for holiday shoppers, capturing 88% of spending on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.
Among shoppers that utilized click-and-collect (27% on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday), 64% made an additional in-store purchase.
For the third consecutive year, CBL’s enclosed malls were closed on Thanksgiving. Stephen Lebovitz, CEO of CBL Properties, told Chain Store Age that things kicked of strong on the morning of Black Friday, with many CBL properties experiencing long lines prior to doors opening, with some crowds lined up as early as 1:30 AM.
“A key difference between this year and last year is that traffic continued to build throughout the morning and into the afternoon,” said Lebovitz. “ Last year, we saw lulls in the morning from 7-9 and in the mid-afternoon, but that was not the case this year.”
Throughout the rest of the weekend, traffic was steady with many retailers meeting or exceeding plan and exceeding last year sales.
Lebovitz noted that the most popular retailers included Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Pink, Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. Hot items included any and all Sherpa items (pullovers, coats, etc.), knit hats and outwear, and Air Fryers at box stores, as well as beauty products and technology (wireless ear buds, pods).
“Department stores also experienced long lines prior to opening and indicated sales were strong,” he said.