The Changed Nature of Holiday Shopping
With Volume Growth Spurred by Digital Channels, Stores Focus on Value-Added Experiences and Services
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Jan. 5, 2017 - RetailNext Inc., the worldwide market leader in IoT smart store retail analytics for optimizing shopper experiences at brick-and-mortar stores, today released its monthly Retail Performance Pulse, reporting physical store performance metrics for both the retail month of December and the cumulative November through December holiday shopping season. While December store sales were down 10.7 percent on a 13.4 percent decline in shopper traffic, average transaction value (ATV) and sales per shopper metrics were up significantly, 5.6 percent and 3 percent respectively, sending strong signals that the role of the physical store has changed significantly in the new "omni-channel" era of retail.
"With the lingering effects of Election 2016 and the huge growth in online shopping, particularly through mobile touchpoints, retail store performance was expected to have a relatively slow start to the holiday season," said Bridget Johns, head of marketing and customer experience at RetailNext. "However, store performance increased tremendously in the week leading up to Christmas Day and the start of Hanukkah, posting sizable year-over-year gains from holiday 2015."
"Overall, the retail industry should report growth of close to four percent, with discount and outlet segments generally making up for soft department stores performance." added Johns. "Perhaps the most interesting metrics are the strong ATV and shopper yield measures, signaling how the role of stores have changed as brands are converging their digital and physical touchpoints into a singular, seamless shopping experience. Today's smart store is right-sized in footprint and located in high-trafficked areas, staffed optimally around peak traffic hours, and focused on brand awareness, customer acquisition and value-added services, complementing the long-term cultivation of shoppers through various digital touchpoints. And, despite just exiting a very taxing holiday season, the smart store retailer is already well underway in planning for holiday 2017."
The strongest week for store performance in December was week four, December 18 through 24, when stores posted an increase in sales of 6.5 percent for the week, year-over-year. For the combined months of November and December, brick-and-mortar sales were down 9.9 percent on a 12.3 percent decline in store traffic, yet with strong 4.8 percent and 2.7 percent increases in ATV and sales per shopper. The complete RetailNext Retail Performance Pulse is available for download at retailnext.net.
About RetailNext
The first retail vertical IoT platform to bring e-commerce-style smart store 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 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 Contacts
Ray Hartjen
RetailNext, Inc.
(925) 895-5441
RetailNext Inc. and RetailNext are trademarks of RetailNext Inc. in the United States.