Springboard reveals sales period popularity is down 4 per cent
Retail intelligence experts Springboard announced that the post-Christmas shopping period saw footfall drop by an average of -4 per cent from the 26 December to 1 January.
Footfall in bricks and mortar stores and destinations post-Christmas declined on all but one day between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Footfall saw an increase of 11.1 per cent on 30 December, a rise which is likely to be from the day falling on a Monday versus a Sunday in 2018, allowing longer trading hours for shoppers to make the most of the post-Christmas discounts.
The most modest decline in footfall was on the 27 December which performed better than Boxing Day itself with a drop in footfall from 27 December 2018 of just -2.3 per cent versus -8.6 per cent on Boxing Day.
Springboard recognises that it is now the 27 and 28 December which are key shopping dates, where footfall on each of these days was +7 per cent greater than on Boxing Day, highlighting the continuing diminish in influence as a key trading day in the retail calendar.
Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard commented: “Post 5pm on Boxing Day, footfall declined by less than over the 24 hours, suggesting that consumers are increasingly using Boxing Day primarily for leisure purposes, going out to eat or to the cinema, but possibly combining this with a visit to retail stores rather than shopping being the main focus of the trip.”