SAN JOSE, Calif. - Oct. 6, 2016- RetailNext Inc., the worldwide expert and market leader in IoT retail analytics for optimizing shopper experiences at brick-and-mortar retail stores, today announced its forecast for stores' biggest and busiest days in the upcoming 2016 holiday season, and for the first time in many years, Black Friday tops neither of the lists. The biggest shopping day in terms of sales is expected to be Friday, December 23, while the busiest shopping day in terms of store traffic is expected to be Super Saturday, December 17.

"As retailers have continued the trend to open more stores on Thanksgiving Day, it has pilfered away both sales and traffic from Black Friday," said Shelley E. Kohan, vice president of retail consulting at RetailNext. "This year, with Christmas falling on a Sunday, most shoppers will want to cut short their shopping early on Saturday, December 24, leaving the day before, Friday, as retail's biggest opportunity for sales. For store visits, Super Saturday will lead the way, with Black Friday a very close second."

"While Black Friday, Super Saturday and Cyber-Monday all continue their starring roles alongside December 23 this year," continued Kohan, "those retailers who reimagine and reinvent Thanksgiving weekend shopping as more of a month-long event culminating with the holiday weekend will start the season strong, and those retailers nimble and agile enough to tactically respond in December on lessons learned in November will ultimately win the season."

Top 10 Biggest Shopping Days (Sales)

1. Friday, December 23

2. Super Saturday, December 17

3. Black Friday, November 25

4. Thursday, December 22

5. Wednesday, December 21

6. Sunday, December 18

7. Saturday, December 24

8. Saturday, December 10

9. Friday, December 16

10. Saturday, December 3

Top 10 Busiest Shopping Days (Shopper Visits)

1. Super Saturday, December 17

2. Black Friday, November 25

3. Friday, December 23

4. Saturday, December 10

5. Monday, December 26

6. Sunday, December 18

7. Saturday, December 24

8. Thursday, December 22

9. Wednesday, December 21

10. Saturday, December 3

Earlier, RetailNext issued a positive forecast for U.S. retail performance over the November through December Holiday period, predicting a 3.2 percent year-over-year (YoY) lift in sales, driven in part by a 14.9 percent increase in YoY sales through digital channels.

"There will be slight degrees of variability in early November due to the U.S. Presidential election," added Kohan, "but the residual angst from Election 2016 will subside by Thanksgiving. As compared to last year, there are two additional shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and when coupled with generally positive economic indicators, the retail industry looks for a strong close to the year."

About RetailNext

The first retail vertical IoT platform to bring e-commerce style shopper analytics to brick-and-mortar stores, brands and malls, RetailNext is a pioneer in focusing entirely on optimizing the shopper experience. Through its centralized SaaS platform, RetailNext automatically collects and analyzes shopper behavior data, providing retailers with insight to improve the shopper experience real time.

More than 300 retailers in over 60 countries have adopted RetailNext's analytics software and retail expertise to better understand the shopper journey in order to increase same-store sales, reduce theft and eliminate unnecessary costs. RetailNext is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. Learn more at www.retailnext.net.

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Media Contact:

Ray Hartjen

RetailNext, Inc.

(925) 895-5441

ray.hartjen@retailnext.net

RetailNext Inc. and RetailNext are trademarks of RetailNext Inc. in the United States.