Preliminary data from Sensormatic Solutions, a division of Johnson Controls, indicates that last Saturday, the flow of visitors to retail stores decreased by 26. 3% compared to the Saturday before Christmas in 2019.
Despite the registered numbers, year after year, the traffic of visitors to the retail stores increased by 19. 4%, according to Sensormatic. The day known as Super Saturday is considered the second busiest shopping day of the Christmas season .
In some cities over the weekend, the lines were long at Covid testing sites – 19, but not at retail counters. According to the study, Americans went out to buy last-minute gifts, Christmas decorations and food to cook homemade meals.
“The Americans have shown that they will not let this get in the way of getting back to normal as quickly as they can,” Peter McCall, senior manager of Sensormatic retail consulting. “Super Saturday is a good example of that.”
There were some signs that buyers are being more cautious in the way they shop. McCall said that since the Black Friday weekend, outdoor malls and outlet malls have been increasingly preferred to indoor venues among US consumers.
“No I can necessarily tell you it’s omicron related, but we’re seeing a preference that looked similar to what it looked like a year ago, ”McCall said.
There were some signs that buyers are being more cautious in the way they buy. McCall said that since the Black Friday weekend, outdoor malls and outlet malls are becoming more crowded indoors among US consumers .
“I can’t necessarily tell you it’s omicron related, but we’re looking at a preference that looked similar to what it looked like ago a year, ”McCall said.
The National Retail Federation has projected that retail sales during the holiday season could increase by as much as 11. 5% compared to the previous year period, excluding spending on car dealerships, service stations and restaurants.
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