Attention all retailers: You might want to circle the following dates on your calendar (or the digital version of that act), as they are expected to be the busiest shopping days of the 2023 holiday season in the U.S. First up is Black Friday (Nov. 24), followed by Super Saturday (Dec. 23) and the third Saturday in December (Dec. 16).
Those annual predictions for the most bustling shopping days around the world were compiled by Sensormatic Solutions, the retail traffic consulting and analytics unit of Johnson Controls.
“Retailers around the world are likely to have another strong holiday season this year,” said Sensormatic President Tony D’Onofrio. “Those looking to make the most of it can use our predictions as a guide—but it’s critical that retailers also leverage internal data and analytics tools to refine their approach to promotions, staffing and customer experience in November and December. It’s this additional insight that will put businesses two steps ahead entering the New Year.”
On average, the top 10 busiest shopping days in the United States account for approximately 40 percent of all holiday retail traffic. Sensormatic predicts U.S. in-store traffic will likely moderate slightly compared to 2022, with forecasts indicating a year-over-year drop of no more than 3.5 percent — results that are in line with 2023’s retail traffic performance to date. Overall, traffic this year has been down an average of 2 percent from last year.
“Christmas Day falls on a Monday this year, so retailers can look to data from 2017 — the last time the holiday fell on that day of the week — to tailor their strategies,” said Brian Field, Global Leader of Retail Consulting and Analytics at Sensormatic Solutions. “Our national data indicates that the busiest days of the season are likely to be more concentrated toward the end of the year thanks to this timing …”
Click here for the top 10 list of the busiest shopping days expected in the United States, as well as the top dates in 16 other countries.