ShopperTrak: Black Friday shopping at brick-and-mortar stores down 6.2%

There is more evidence that Black Friday is losing its attraction — among store shoppers, that is.

Shopper visits to brick-and-mortar stores and shopping centers dropped 6.2% on Black Friday versus last year, according to data from ShopperTrak (part of Sensormatic Solutions). However, traffic increased  2.3% onThanksgiving Day. Shopper visits resulted in a combined 3% decline for the two-day period compared to last year

Additionally, there was a small shift of in-store traffic away from the beginning of the week and into both Thanksgiving and Black Friday, dispelling the idea that in-store traffic is moving away from the holiday and farther into November, according to ShopperTrak.

“There is no longer one way to shop on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday,” said Brian Field, senior director of global retail consulting for ShopperTrak. “As omnichannel retail and online shopping continue to grow in popularity, consumers turned to emerging fulfillment solutions, like buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS), this year. As a result of these shopping options, there is a rise of intentional shoppers in-store. During exceptionally busy times, these customers are more intent on purchasing and less on just browsing, making their BOPIS pickup when the stores aren’t as crowded.”

Field added that Black Friday continues to remain the busiest shopping day of the year, “by a long shot.” 

“Shopping in physical stores during the holidays continues to be an exciting annual event for consumers,” he said. “With eight of the 10 predicted busiest shopping days still to come, including Super Saturday, which will fall on Dec. 21 this year, retailers are in for a successful holiday season.”