Sensormatic Solutions finds that compared to Black Friday 2018, consumer traffic registered in Italy increased by 5.3% this year
Sensormatic Solutions, a brand in the Johnson Controls portfolio and an international leader in security solutions, notes that compared to Black Friday 2018, consumer traffic registered in Italy increased by 5.3% this year, according to official data from ShopperTrak , with an overall turnout on an annual basis equal to 2.8% less than in the same period of 2018.
Attendance is expected to continue to increase throughout the weekend, demonstrating that the event will not only increase consumer traffic to stores over the late November weekend, but will also boost shopping ahead of the Christmas and Epiphany. This will culminate on the last Sunday in December, the busiest pre-Christmas offline shopping day, and fourth busiest day of the entire holiday period, before peaking on Epiphany, the top day for online shopping. store in Italy, according to the report The 5 busiest shopping days scheduled in Italy for the 2019/20 holidays.
The report published by Sensormatic Solutions, detects the five busiest days in Italy during the peak period of 2019, based on insights extrapolated from over 1.5 million data collection devices in the retail world and 40 billion shopper visits acquired each year by ShopperTrak .
All of this, as the report suggests, demonstrates the growing importance of Black Friday in driving in-store traffic and boosting holiday shopping, as retailers are extending their promotional strategies. Knowing the number of shoppers entering stores, along with dwell times, helps retailers make timely decisions and create more effective promotions during busy shopping days.
Nicola Fagnoni, Regional Director Italy of ShopperTrak, commented: “We know that today shoppers are in control of how, when and where they shop, but our data shows that Black Friday remains an important day for traditional retail. Our surveys help retailers to relaunch their commercial strategies during peak periods, while maximizing returns".
Using insights into footfall trends, retailers can increase in-store service levels, rearrange merchandise, manage inventory, and even raise awareness about loss prevention to maximize sales opportunities during peak periods maximum.
“In the past, Black Friday was synonymous with offers concentrated in a single day, but this year some retailers have launched their promotions as early as mid-November. The impact on in-store traffic will be evident until December when traffic starts to pick up, and in this context the store will remain a key element to increase sales in the peak season. Forward-thinking retailers, who have insights into footfall data and can overlay it with other KPIs, including inventory, are able to leverage this information to optimize customer service in this so-called 'hot' period. Prioritizing the consumer experience in the store can help retailers effectively drive sales and build customer loyalty to the brand,” concludes Fagnoni.
Understanding a store's "peak hours" can help identify the best times to replenish inventory, refresh storefronts, and even manage online order fulfillment. By using traffic data to identify low-traffic times in stores, sales associates can do all of these tasks in a more timely manner, giving them more time to focus on the customer during busy periods.
