Black Friday deals motivate Brits to hit the high street, Sensormatic Solutions research

Sensormatic Solutions has released footfall data for UK retail stores on Black Friday based on the company’s SensormaticIQ platform.

Shopper visits resulted in a +3.7% increase in traffic across all retail settings on Black Friday, compared to 2021, with high streets performing strongly, up +13.9% year-on-year. 

Data from the Sensormatic IQ platform, which captures over 40 billion store visits each year globally, also showed that shopper traffic on Black Friday to retail stores was +32.9% higher week-on-week.

Despite some warnings that the rising cost-of-living could dampen consumer appetite for Black Friday, retail sales were boosted by shoppers seeking out pre-Christmas deals, with Barclaycard saying transactions rose 3.2% on last year’s event, with an all time record number of transactions taking place between 12noon and 1pm. 

John Lewis Partnership customers ordered 5.5 products each second, with Apple Airpods, iPads and gaming items the top performers and fashion also performing strongly, while Boots said it saw over three orders a second made on its website on Black Friday.

“We know that price and promotions are key watchwords for shoppers this Christmas, which is prompting many consumers to start Christmas gift shopping early as they seek out the best deals and look to ‘lock in’ prices on goods,” says Andy Sumpter, EMEA Retail Consultant at Sensormatic Solutions.

“And, in a bid to bag a bargain, and make the most of the Black Friday deals available has motivated many to hit the high street, rather than relying solely on online purchases.”

“The +3.7% footfall uplift shows that, despite shoppers’ comfort with alternative fulfilment methods in the wake of Covid-19, they haven’t forgotten the benefits of the bricks and mortar experience.”

However, while UK footfall on Black Friday was up compared to 2021, it remains down -21.3% on pre-pandemic levels. 

World Cup

While footfall across all UK retail settings saw a +3.7% year-on-year jump on Black Friday, shopper traffic counts in England rose +5.7% year on year, with England’s second match of the FIFA 2022 World Cup giving shopper numbers a welcome boost. 

The impact was less marked in Wales, were footfall remained up +3.2% compared to 2021, as it took on Iran.

“In what could have caused some disruption to retailers’ Black Friday campaigns, the World Cup matches for the England and Wales teams provided a welcome boost to retail footfall yesterday – so while fans might not be that happy with the results of the football itself, retailers can at least be pleased with footfall performance the World Cup matches delivered,” Sumpter comments.

Globally, the impact of the World Cup on retail traffic has had mixed results. 

Brazil, for example, saw footfall drop by -37.5% on Thursday - the third lowest level of the year so far - as football fans shunned the shops to watch Brazil's first match of the World Cup. 

Similarly, Portuguese footfall fell by -15% year-on-year on Thursday as shoppers tuned into watch their team win 3-2 win against Ghana.