30 November 2024 -- London, UK -- The lure of discounts drove payday shoppers in-store on Black Friday, as many sought to snatch deals on early Christmas gifts, according to the latest data from RetailNext, the leading analytics solution for bricks-and-mortar retailers.

Original data from RetailNext’s shopper traffic platform, which captures billions of store visits globally every year, showed that UK footfall on Black Friday (29 Nov 2024) 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 (Mon 25 Nov – Fri 29 Nov inclusive) saw a +0.8% boost in footfall performance compared to last year, rising by +3.4% year-on-year on Tue 26 Nov and +3.3% on Thu 28 Nov, as retailers extended discounting periods ahead of Black Friday.

Fashion was one of the top performing categories, with visits to clothing stores on Black Friday 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 on Black Friday, as shoppers hunted for bargains on big ticket items.

Gary Whittemore, Head of Sales EMEA & APAC at RetailNext, commented. “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.”

As spending-caution remains rife among consumers, many shoppers have waited for Black Friday discounts to help make Christmas spending budgets go further and to get ahead of festive gift-buying. And, with Black Friday falling after payday this year, GlobalData predicts UK shoppers will spend over £9billion over the four-day Black Friday weekend, up +4.5% year-on-year, with physical stores set to increase share of spend for the first time since 2022, rising by +1.9% to 46.9%, as online shopping levels have started to stabilise post-pandemic.

“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 added.