US DATA: ShopperTrak says “the week before Christmas will be
especially important this year, as five of the top sales and foot
traffic days will occur between Dec. 18 and Dec. 24. While Black Friday
is typically the strongest shopping day of the season, one third of all
holiday sales are historically made in the week prior to Christmas.
Retailers can expect consumers walking into their stores that week have
conducted plenty of online research and are ready to buy. Prior to
Christmas, ShopperTrak expects Black Friday (Friday, Nov. 25) to remain
the top performing sales and foot-traffic day for the eighth year in a
row, followed by Super Saturday on Dec. 17. Last year, Black Friday
showed an increase in both sales and foot traffic over 2009; foot
traffic increased 2.2 percent and sales increased 0.3, representing
$10.69 billion in consumer spending.”