RetailNext: Black Friday delivers +40.5% week-on-week store footfall boost as Brits hunt for discounts

The lure of discounts drove UK payday shoppers in-store on Black Friday, as many sought to snatch deals on early Christmas gifts, according to research from RetailNext, an analytics solution for bricks and mortar retailers.

Its shopper traffic platform, which captures billions of store visits globally every year, showed that UK footfall on Black Friday (29th November) improved by +40.5% week-on-week, rising to +45% in London compared to the week prior. 

Despite seeing a dip in footfall compared to 2023, with shopper traffic on Black Friday itself falling -1.7% year-on-year, the week leading up to Black Friday (Monday 25th November – Friday 29th November inclusive) saw a +0.8% boost in footfall performance compared to last year, rising by +3.4% year-on-year on Tuesday 26th November and +3.3% on Thursday 28th November, as retailers extended discounting periods ahead of the event.

Fashion was one of the top performing categories, with visits to clothing stores up +0.3% year-on-year, representing a +54.1% rise compared to the week prior.  Meanwhile, electrical retailers saw a +33.2% week-on-week jump in shopper traffic, as shoppers hunted for bargains on big ticket items.

Gary Whittemore, Head of Sales EMEA & APAC at RetailNext, comments.  “While Black Friday discounting has become longer and more drawn-out, this hasn’t taken the shine off the event when it comes to driving footfall performance, with the lure of bagging a bargain still prompting shoppers to head into store to pick-up deals. “

“As well as representing value to shoppers looking for discounts on early Christmas gifts, the event not only helps retailers get ahead on festive trading, whilst also unlocking revenues from excess stock due to unseasonable weather earlier this year.”

“While retailers will welcome the Black Friday boost to footfall, there’s still all to play for during peak trading, with some of the busiest in-store trading days, such as Super Saturday and Boxing Day, still to come.  Key to success will be delivering compelling bricks and mortar experiences that can’t be replicated online to ensure that browsers turn to buyers,” Whittemore adds.

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores were a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended last week’s gathering.