Early Black Friday data from Placer.ai shows that visits were up significantly compared to 2020, with traffic spread out across the month.
This year’s results indicate a clear uptick on the actual day, but also showcase that Black Friday has become a month-long sales event rather than a single-day shopping experience. The holiday shopping season continues to extend, with sales starting earlier each year. This year’s supply chain issues also caused shoppers to start buying gifts as early as October. Recent predictions for the holiday shopping season noted a record gain of 11% over last year’s numbers.
The extended shopping season has made a clear impact on Black Friday numbers. While data may not show a clear increase from 2019 numbers pre-pandemic, traffic and sales reports from Q3 of 2021 have showed us that Black Friday has become an even more successful event, that is spread out over a longer period of time.
Off-price and beauty retailers saw significant gains on Black Friday. Pent-up consumer demand and the new-found need to use beauty products has fueled a strong presence for brick-and-mortar shopping. Department store chains also saw massive traffic increases to daily numbers throughout November, including Black Friday.
“Visits to five major department store chains all saw massive traffic increases on the daily average from November. And critically, this was a month where many of these same chains were already seeing strong relative performances compared to years past due to an active push to drive visits earlier in the season,” according to Placer.ai’s recent report.
Malls saw a major traffic increase of 83.5% year-over-year on Black Friday. The data is a testament to malls around the world and their recent shift to incorporate more dining and entertainment experiences. The mall experience creates a unique pull for consumers, especially when the space creates a community space with more than just stores.
Compared to a normal November, there was a massive jump in traffic for Black Friday. However, all signs point to a more spread out and extended holiday shopping season. Black Fridaycontinues to have a powerful role in the retail space, but is now attracting shoppers over a longer period of time.
Source: Black Friday 2021 – Placer.ai
Photo Credit: Pexels
