SAN JOSE, Calif. - Nov. 1, 2017 - Today, RetailNext Inc., the worldwide expert and market leader in IoT smart store retail analytics for optimizing shopper experiences, announced its forecast for stores' biggest and busiest days in the upcoming 2017 holiday season, and in a continuation of a shopper-led trend started last year, Black Friday tops neither of the lists. The biggest shopping day in terms both sales and shopper traffic is expected to be Friday, December 22.

"Black Friday has turned into a month-long shopping event that starts as soon as the trick-or-treaters turn in on Halloween," said Shelley E. Kohan, vice president of retail consulting at RetailNext. "Mobile shopping has grown exponentially in its importance in today's shopping journeys, and it's placed increasing pressure on retailers to seamlessly deliver branded experiences across all shopping touchpoints, both online and in-store. As a result, retailers should expect to see more online purchases on Thanksgiving and Black Friday than it will on Cyber Monday itself, as brands continue their tireless work to create online/in-store synergies within their organizations to serve engaged, empowered and captivated shoppers."

"Related to holiday shopping, a lot has changed over the past few years," continued Kohan. "The entire month of November is now the new Black Friday, and this year, I expect Black Friday to be the new Cyber Monday. If July's Amazon Prime Day is any indication of what will transpire in November, I expect online sales from Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday to combine to be over $10 billion in total sales."

Top 10 Biggest Shopping Days (Sales)

1. Friday, December 22

2. Black Friday, November 24

3. Thursday, December 21

4. "Super" Saturday, December 23

5. Saturday, December 16

6. Sunday, December 17

7. Sunday, December 24

8. Wednesday, December 20

9. Tuesday, December 19

10. Monday, December 18

Top 10 Busiest Shopping Days (Shopper Visits)

1. Friday, December 22

2. Black Friday, November 24

3. "Super" Saturday, December 23

4. Saturday, December 9

5. Thursday, December 21

6. Saturday, December 16

7. Wednesday, December 20

8. Tuesday, December 26

9. Sunday, December 17

10. Sunday, December 24

Earlier, RetailNext issued a positive forecast for expected U.S. retail performance over the November through December Holiday period, predicting a 3.8 percent year-over-year (YoY) lift in sales, driven in part by a 14.9 percent increase in YoY sales through digital channels.

"Compared to 2016, there is an additional shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year," added Kohan, "and when coupled with generally positive economic indicators, the retail industry looks for a strong close to the year, where annual retail sales will likely surpass $5 trillion in total."

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 350 retailers in over 70 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.

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.

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