Shopping Traffic Sinks on Black Friday
December 1, 2020 by Rob Bates
"Black Friday is usually the day when retail becomes a national sport, and crowds in stores get so large and out of hand, there are sometimes riots.
Not this year.
Data provided by Sensormatic Solutions, a retail consulting company, said that in-store shopper traffic on Black Friday this year declined by over half what it was last year, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic kept many shoppers at home and many stores closed.
The group’s data showed that shopper visits dropped 52.1% on Black Friday, compared to 2019. Shopper traffic also decreased 45.2% in the week leading up to Black Friday (Sunday, Nov. 22, to Friday, Nov. 27), compared to the same period last year.
“Due to COVID-19 and social distancing requirements, shoppers were more purposeful in their in-person Black Friday shopping, causing significantly less crowds than we’ve seen in the past,” said Brian Field, senior director of global retail consulting for Sensormatic Solutions, in a statement. “This was compounded by retailers not offering as many in-store doorbusters and the increasing adoption of e-commerce.”
On Thanksgiving Day, the drop was particularly steep, with traffic sinking 94.9% compared to the prior year.... "
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